Senior Program Manager, Autonomous Vehicles

Lyft Lyft · Consumer · San Francisco, CA · AV & Fleet Operations

Lyft is seeking a Senior Program Manager to lead the cross-functional operating plan for their autonomous vehicle (AV) fleet operations. This role will own the master program timeline, coordinate workstreams across various departments, and ensure deployment milestones are met. The position requires driving structure into complex programs and has a bias toward action. The role involves designing the program management operating model from scratch for AV readiness, including infrastructure, people, fleet operations, treasury, legal, and finance.

What you'd actually do

  1. Own and maintain the master program timeline for the Flexdrive AV Operating Readiness, integrating deliverables and dependencies across multiple workstreams: Strategic Planning, Infrastructure, People, Fleet Operations, Treasury, Finance, and Legal.
  2. Develop and manage the program’s RAID log (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies), ensuring cross-functional blockers are identified early and escalated with clear recommendations
  3. Drive weekly leadership syncs, monthly deep-dive reviews, and quarterly board updates—owning the preparation, facilitation, and follow-through for each
  4. Translate upstream decisions (partner agreements, market selections) into operational requirements, updating the readiness roadmap in real time
  5. Serve as the connective tissue between workstream leads, ensuring that infrastructure timelines align with hiring plans, capital deployment schedules match construction milestones, and fleet operations readiness tracks to vehicle delivery dates

Skills

Required

  • Program Planning & Execution
  • Cross-Functional Coordination
  • Stakeholder Communication & Reporting
  • Process Design & Operational Excellence
  • Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations, Engineering, or related field
  • 7+ years of experience in program management, business operations, or a similar cross-functional leadership role
  • Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-workstream programs with 12–24 month timelines and significant pre-revenue or pre-launch investment requirements
  • Strong command of program management tools and methodologies (Gantt charts, RAID logs, dependency mapping, critical path analysis)
  • Excellent communication skills with proven ability to translate operational complexity into clear executive-level narratives for both internal leadership and board audiences
  • Experience working directly with C-level executives and cross-functional leadership teams to drive decisions and accountability
  • Strong analytical mindset with ability to identify risks, quantify trade-offs, and recommend courses of action with imperfect information

Nice to have

  • MBA or relevant advanced degree
  • ideally within high-growth tech, fleet management, logistics, or infrastructure-heavy environments
  • Experience with infrastructure buildout programs (depot construction, facility standup, real estate development)
  • Background in capital intensive projects, fleet management, automotive, mobility, or autonomous vehicle operations
  • Experience managing programs that span domestic and international markets, particularly European market entry
  • Familiarity with corporate entity formation, capital structure, or financial planning

What the JD emphasized

  • AV fleets at scale
  • operational backbone
  • master program timeline
  • cross-functional workstreams
  • deployment milestones
  • high-stakes
  • foundational
  • thrive in ambiguity
  • drive structure into complex multi-workstream programs
  • bias toward action over perfect planning
  • Greenfield program management role
  • design the playbook, not inherit it
  • High-visibility work
  • directly influences board-level AV strategy and investment decisions
  • build the operational foundation for AV fleet deployments
  • Direct partnership with the Flexdrive CEO and Lyft AV leadership
  • transformational initiative
  • design and implement the program management operating model for AV readiness
  • cadence, tools, and processes will be built from scratch
  • Establish standardized frameworks for workstream reporting, investment ask formalization, and cross-functional dependency management
  • Build repeatable playbooks for market readiness that scale