Sr. Technical Program Manager, Engineering

About Charm

Our mission is to return the atmosphere to 280 ppm CO₂. We convert excess inedible biomass into carbon-rich bio-oil and inject it into underground storage for permanent carbon removal. At scale, we can use bio-oil to make fossil-free iron.

Our carbon removal efforts began in 2020 with initial purchases from customers like Stripe, Shopify, and Microsoft. Since then, we’ve scaled to thousands of tons of carbon removal, grown to over a hundred employees, and established three locations in San Francisco, Colorado, and Louisiana.

We're expanding our team of ambitious, creative, and hands-on problem solvers. We value psychological safety, collaboration, and continuous learning. We take calculated risks and treat mistakes as opportunities to improve. If you're excited about tackling big challenges, we encourage you to explore our company values.

Come help us reverse climate change. Gigatons or bust!

As a Sr. Technical Program Manager in the Engineering Department, you will oversee and align complex, cross-functional engineering initiatives with strategic business objectives on the team across all major business units (Biomass, Pyrolysis, and Injection). This role combines deep technical insight with program management expertise, ensuring that milestones, resources, and innovation efforts are executed on time, on budget, and with measurable impact. You will track and analyze critical performance metrics (ex. cost efficiency, schedule adherence, resource utilization, and product development success indicators) while ensuring our engineering programs remain aligned with long-term strategic priorities. Reporting to the Lead Manufacturing & Program Engineer, you’ll serve as the connector across research, engineering, operations, and executive stakeholders, shaping both day-to-day tactics and the long-term strategic direction. You’ll be balancing hands-on technical oversight with high-level program direction. This role requires adaptability, precision, and the ability to translate complex technical progress into actionable workstreams and tangible insights for leadership and stakeholders as we scale Biomass, Pyrolysis, and Injection programs.

Program Leadership Take ownership of program schedules and milestone tracking using tools like Smartsheet, Jira, or equivalent platforms. Direct the full lifecycle of engineering programs, from requirements definition through design, testing, scale-up, and deployment. Oversee cross-functional syncs, ensuring alignment, resource balancing, and clear communication across engineering, R&D, and corporate functions. Regularly review baseline scheduled and deliverable commitment and work with responsible engineers to develop recovery plans to stay on target. Metrics & Strategic Impact Monitor and report on progress against department Objectives & Key Results (OKRs), such as dollars per ton of Carbon Dioxide Removed, system deployment schedules, pyrolysis and injection site throughput, bio-oil carbon content & material properties, etc. to ensure accuracy and transparency across internal and external stakeholders. Translate data-driven insights into recommendations for resource allocation, test campaign execution, task prioritization, and strategic tradeoffs & decision-making. Collaborate with leadership to ensure that projects maximize long-term impact in line with business and sustainability goals. Engineering Collaboration Interface with Mechanical Engineers, Electrical Engineers, Automation Engineers, Materials Scientists, Process Development Engineers, Engineering Technicians, and Fabrication/Welding personnel to drive full system development cycles. Collaborate on processing techniques, quality protocols, and analytical testing of Charm materials (ex. bio-oil, bio char, and biomass) through partnership with Pyrolysis and in-house Analytical Laboratory leaders. Oversee the design, procurement, build, and commissioning workflows across major sub-system teams (at Charm we call these “Process Groups”, typically organized by common unit operations and system requirements) Quickly identify, escalate, and resolve technical bottlenecks in collaboration with engineering and leadership. Cross-Functional Alignment Guide prioritization decisions across interdependent teams, ensuring resources are applied to the most impactful projects (ex. Operations, Procurement, Safety, and the wide range of Engineering disciplines) Champion a culture of safety, efficient execution, innovation, and accountability. Connect engineering and production priorities to help build a strong relationship and transition planning as new systems transition from engineering to operations ownership. Stay in lockstep with Procurement and Manufacturing Engineering staff members as Charm builds and receives full systems from contract manufacturers in 2027+ to ensure proper site acceptance testing and handoff program coordination.

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering or a related technical field. 5-8+ years of experience in program or project management within an engineering or technology-driven environment (materials, hardware, or related sectors). Demonstrated success in managing hardware development programs and/or complex engineering initiatives. Experience building and managing resource-based schedules and delivering projects in fast-paced or startup environments. Strong analytical skills with experience tracking and reporting on technical and financial metrics. Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate technical issues and program status to both engineering teams and executive leadership. Proven ability to collaborate across disciplines, managing interdependencies and driving teams toward shared goals. Experience with enterprise-level collaboration and reporting tools (Jira, Confluence, Smartsheet, or equivalents). Bonus, if You Bring Certification in program/project management (PMP, etc.). Climate tech, chemical, or oil & gas industry experience Familiarity with sustainability-focused engineering, including carbon reduction strategies, environmentally responsible materials, measurement/reporting/verification (MRV), or lifecycle analysis (LCA). Exposure to coordinating material movement or logistics between corporate sites or between external partners.

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