Why join Upscale AI

Upscale AI is building the high-performance infrastructure powering the next generation of artificial intelligence. Backed by over $300M in funding and rapid global adoption, we are scaling systems designed for the world’s most demanding AI workloads.

We focus on first-principles engineering across silicon, systems, and networking—where performance, scale, and execution are critical. Our team is talent-dense and high-performing. We value ownership, technical rigor, and speed, and we offer the opportunity to work on foundational problems with immediate, real-world impact.

If you’re looking to do high-impact work, move fast, and help define the infrastructure behind the future of AI—Upscale AI is where you can produce meaningful work at the frontier—and operate at a high standard.

Role Overview

The Engineering Program Manager (EPM) will support cross-functional programs across hardware and software development
for networking products including switches and ASICs. This individual will help coordinate New Product Introduction (NPI) processes through software phase-gate milestones, support software release schedules, and help maintain alignment across engineering, product management, and executive stakeholders. This is an opportunity to build program management practices from the ground up at a rapidly scaling company, with direct visibility to executive leadership and room to grow into broader ownership as the team scales.

The ideal candidate thrives in fast-paced environments, brings strong organizational skills, and has a foundational understanding of networking technologies and operating systems. You are comfortable working across teams with varying levels of systems and networking experience, and you can translate technical context into clear, actionable information for diverse stakeholders.

### Key Responsibilities

Program & Project Management

Support end-to-end program execution for hardware NPI and/or software release programs, from concept through production release and customer delivery.

Help develop and maintain integrated program schedules, track milestones, manage risks, and communicate status to stakeholders and executives.

Coordinate software NPI phase-gate reviews (Phase 0: Concept, Phase 1: Commit, Phase 2: Execution, Phase 3: Testing, Phase 4: First Revenue Shipment) and ensure deliverables meet quality, cost, and schedule targets at each gate.

Facilitate cross-functional meetings, capture action items, and drive accountability across teams.

Contribute to defining and tracking program and release KPIs (e.g., release cadence, defect escape rate, schedule adherence) to support leadership decision-making.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Partner closely with Product Managers (PM), software engineering, QA, operations, and ASIC/silicon teams to align priorities and resolve dependencies.

Serve as a coordination point between hardware and software workstreams, helping ensure integration readiness at each milestone.

Bridge knowledge gaps across teams by translating hardware constraints, system-level dependencies, and NOS release requirements into actionable context for engineering leaders and stakeholders who may not have deep systems or networking backgrounds.

Communicate program status, risks, and trade-offs to executive leadership, providing clear recommendations for decision-making.

Technical Coordination & Release Support

Support software releases for network operating systems (e.g., SONiC) running on switches, including release readiness reviews, code freeze coordination, and integration testing.

Track feature readiness, bug triage, and release criteria across software and firmware teams.

Support ASIC bring-up and integration milestones by helping align hardware and software schedules.

Maintain awareness of platform-level dependencies across network operating systems such as SONiC and related NOS environments.

Assist in maintaining release governance processes, including branching strategies, freeze windows, and rollback procedures in collaboration with engineering leads.

Support post-release retrospectives and help capture lessons learned to improve future release cycles.

Process Improvement

Identify and recommend process improvements to increase program execution efficiency and predictability.

Help develop dashboards, templates, and reporting mechanisms for program health and risk visibility.

Contribute to building scalable program management practices as the organization grows.

Help ensure systems are in place to capture and act on product feedback from customers and internal stakeholders.

### Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.

2–5 years of experience in engineering program management, technical project management, or a related role within a hardware, software, or networking company.

Familiarity with software NPI phase-gate processes (e.g., Concept, Commit, Execution, Testing, FRS) or equivalent milestone-driven development in Agile environments.

Understanding of software release lifecycle, including feature planning, code freeze, regression testing, and GA releases.

Experience working with cross-functional teams including software engineering, PM, QA, and executive leadership—particularly in environments where not all stakeholders share the same technical background.

Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to distill complex technical programs into clear status updates and executive summaries.

Proficiency with project management tools such as Jira, Confluence, Smartsheet, or equivalent.

Preferred

Experience in the networking or data center infrastructure industry.

Exposure to network operating systems (e.g., SONiC, Cumulus, NX-OS, EOS) or Linux-based networking platforms.

Familiarity with AI/ML infrastructure or high-performance computing networking environments.

Experience with Agile methodologies and SDLC practices adapted to hardware-coupled development cycles.

Exposure to release governance processes, including branching strategies, freeze windows, and rollback procedures.

Experience contributing to program/release KPI reporting and continuous improvement initiatives.

Understanding of open-source networking platforms (SONiC, Open Network Linux).

PMP, CAPM, or Agile/Scrum certification.

Where you fall within that range depends on your experience, skills, and impact—we benchmark against internal levels to keep things fair and consistent.

Equal Opportunity

Upscale AI is building a team that reflects a wide range of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. We’re proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status.

Accessibility & Accommodations

We’re committed to making our hiring process accessible to everyone. If you need accommodations at any stage, just reach out to us at [email protected]—we’re happy to help. Note: This inbox is only for accommodation requests.

Engineering Program Manager

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