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Practising for the listing Technical Program Manager, Hardware Modules. Its requirements are filled in below. When you have an answer you like, paste it with your CV in Career Mirror to see which of the job's skills it shows.
Requirements found
Scheduling Project Management Jira Supply Chain Training
What this posting asks for
Level: Manager — The title says "Manager".
Main responsibilities
- Own end-to-end program management for next gen lidar and other sensing and compute modules (e.g., cameras, telematics) from concept through Proto, EVT, DVT, …
- Build and drive detailed, bottoms-up schedules with cross-functional dependencies and long-lead items; identify when work is off track and drive recovery plans
- Own the prototype build plan and build readiness (materials, line and test readiness, quality), publish build reports, and drive issues to closure
- Drive design releases, design reviews (EE/ME/FW, DFM/DFA, DFMEA/PFMEA, EMC, SI/PI, thermal) and phase-gate reviews with Engineering, Reliability, DV, Systems…
- Manage technical relationships with suppliers and contract manufacturers in partnership with Global Supply Management: SOWs, build schedules, open-issue list…
- Own the program risk register and communicate status, risks and decisions clearly to stakeholders and leadership through weekly updates and program reviews
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Optical, Systems or a related engineering field, or equivalent practical experience
- 4+ years of technical program or project management experience delivering hardware modules (sensors, cameras, electronics or electro-mechanical products)
- Experience taking at least one hardware module through a structured product development process (Proto/EVT → DVT → PVT), with working knowledge of design rev…
- Experience managing suppliers and contract manufacturers, including SOWs, build coordination and open-issue tracking
Competencies an interviewer will look for
- Technical skill Core
In the posting: “Drive design releases, design reviews (EE/ME/FW, DFM/DFA, DFMEA/PFMEA, EMC, SI/PI, thermal) and phase-gate reviews with Engineering, Reliability, DV, Systems…” · “Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Optical, Systems or a related engineering field, or equivalent practical experience” · “Experience with configuration and change management (CCB) and tracking prototype, engineering-vehicle and production configurations”
Show it by: Names the tools, languages or systems used and how; Explains a technical choice and its trade-off. - Teamwork and collaboration Core
In the posting: “Waymo’s Technical Program Managers and Program Managers are accountable for Waymo’s roadmap execution by providing thoughtful cross-functional planning, clar…” · “Build and drive detailed, bottoms-up schedules with cross-functional dependencies and long-lead items;” · “Demonstrated ability to build and own complex schedules, manage risks and drive cross-functional issues to closure using tools such as Jira, Buganizer or Sma…”
Show it by: Says what they did inside a team, not only what 'we' did; Shows how a disagreement was handled. - Ownership and accountability Core
In the posting: “Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with the mission to be the world's most trusted driver.” · “The Waymo Driver powers Waymo’s fully autonomous ride-hail service and can also be applied to a range of vehicle platforms and product use cases.” · “The Waymo Driver has provided over ten million rider-only trips, enabled by its experience autonomously driving over 100 million miles on public roads and te…”
Show it by: Takes a task from start to finish without being chased; Owns a mistake and what was changed after it. - Planning and organisation Core
In the posting: “Waymo’s Technical Program Managers and Program Managers are accountable for Waymo’s roadmap execution by providing thoughtful cross-functional planning, clar…” · “This role follows a hybrid work schedule and reports to the Technical Program Manager, Hardware.” · “Build and drive detailed, bottoms-up schedules with cross-functional dependencies and long-lead items;”
Show it by: Shows how priorities were set when everything was urgent; Mentions deadlines met and how. - Attention to detail and quality Core
In the posting: “Own the prototype build plan and build readiness (materials, line and test readiness, quality), publish build reports, and drive issues to closure” · “Experience taking at least one hardware module through a structured product development process (Proto/EVT → DVT → PVT), with working knowledge of design rev…” · “Experience with automotive Tier 1 or OEM product development and quality processes (APQP, PPAP, DFMEA/PFMEA, DVP&R)”
Show it by: Gives an example of an error caught before it caused harm; Names the check or standard they used. - Communication Core
In the posting: “Own the program risk register and communicate status, risks and decisions clearly to stakeholders and leadership through weekly updates and program reviews” · “Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to concisely summarize technical status and risks for engineers and leadership”
Show it by: Adapts the message to the listener; Gives an example of explaining something clearly in writing or speech. - Leadership and mentoring Core
In the posting: “Own the program risk register and communicate status, risks and decisions clearly to stakeholders and leadership through weekly updates and program reviews” · “Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to concisely summarize technical status and risks for engineers and leadership”
Show it by: Describes setting direction or a standard others followed; Names someone they coached and what changed for them. - Stakeholder management Core
In the posting: “Our team partners closely with every function of Waymo to structure, own and drive work towards real-world deployments of the Waymo Driver across platforms a…” · “Own the program risk register and communicate status, risks and decisions clearly to stakeholders and leadership through weekly updates and program reviews”
Show it by: Shows how they aligned people with different goals; Explains how they handled a 'no' from someone senior. - Data and analysis Supporting
In the posting: “Experience organizing design validation across internal teams and suppliers (e.g., DVP dashboards) and aligning hardware milestones with software/perception …”
Show it by: Uses a number to describe the situation or the result; Explains what the data showed and what was done with it.
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Read the interview answer library
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Interview journey 25 questions in groups of 5, a new random order each time, then the HR Perspective analysis; no account needed.
HR Perspective question bank Browse 53 prompts with topic filters, answer criteria and follow-up practice.
Practice questions
- Tell me about yourself. Dedicated step-by-step practice.
- If an interviewer asks something improper How to respond to questions about age, family, origin or health.
- Built from this posting (8):
- Walk me through a piece of work where you used your strongest technical skill. What exactly did you do? From this posting
- Describe a time you worked with another team to deliver something. What was your part? From this posting
- Tell me about a task you took from start to finish without anyone asking you to. From this posting
- You have three urgent tasks due today and time to finish only two. How do you decide? From this posting
- How have you used scheduling in your work? Walk me through one real example. From this posting
- Tell me about a problem you solved using project management. From this posting
- Tell me about a time you helped someone on your team get better at their work. From this posting
- Tell me about a time you used data or numbers to make a decision. From this posting
- Two managers ask you to book the same room at the same time. What do you do?
- Describe a time you handled an upset customer or colleague.
- Tell me about a time you had several deadlines at once. How did you decide what to do first?
- Give an example of a mistake you caught before it caused a problem.
- Tell me about a time you taught someone how to do something.
- Describe a time you took the lead without being asked.
- Tell me about a time you had to explain something complicated in simple terms.
- Describe a process you improved.
- Do you have any questions for us?
- Why do you want to work here?
- Why is there a gap in your employment? Difficult question
- Why did you leave your last job? Difficult question
- Why are you changing careers? Difficult question
- What is your greatest weakness? Difficult question
- What are your salary expectations? Difficult question
- You seem overqualified for this role. Why do you want it? Difficult question
- Improper-question practice: How old are you? / Do you have children? / Where are you from originally?
- A customer is angry about a delay you did not cause. What do you do?
- How do you keep track of many open customer requests?
- Tell me about a time you could not give a customer what they wanted.
- You find that the inventory count does not match the system. What do you do?
- Tell me about a time a shipment or delivery went wrong.
- How do you make sure safety rules are followed on a busy shift?
- How have you used spreadsheets in your work?
- Tell me about a time you had to enter or check a lot of data accurately.
- Tell me about a sale or agreement you are proud of.
- A prospect says your price is too high. How do you respond?
- How do you keep your pipeline organised?
- Tell me about a technical problem you solved on your own.
- You find a bug right before a release. What do you do?
- Walk me through how you would check whether a report's numbers are right.