Full-Time
Director – Technical Program Management
Posted on 9/27/2025
Tekion
1,001-5,000 employees
Cloud-native automotive retail platform with DMS
Compensation Overview
$202.4k - $269.9k/yr
Pleasanton, CA, USA
In Person
 Product (1) |
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- 12+ years of experience in technical program management, engineering, or product delivery, including 5+ years in leadership roles
- Proven track record of building and leading TPM teams in high-growth SaaS or enterprise environments
- Strong understanding of system architecture, software engineering processes, agile frameworks, and program governance
- Exceptional communication, leadership, and organizational change management skills
- Experience influencing C-level stakeholders and driving cross-functional consensus
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
- Own the strategy, structure, and leadership of the Technical Program Management organization across multiple business and product areas
- Lead the delivery of enterprise-wide programs with cross-functional scope, including architecture modernization, product launches, infrastructure scale, and compliance
- Drive standardization of program frameworks, governance, metrics, and tools to ensure consistent and scalable execution
- Partner with senior leadership across Product, Engineering, Security, and Business Operations to align priorities and drive accountability
- Build and mentor a high-performing team of TPMs, supporting their development and execution capacity
- Communicate program status, risks, and outcomes to executive leadership, driving visibility and stakeholder alignment
- Champion continuous improvement, agility, and innovation in program delivery
- Oversees the execution of highly complex, cross-functional technical programs with strategic business impact
- Operates with full independence; accountable for TPM function vision, performance, and alignment with company goals
- Enterprise-level expert in technical delivery, program governance, and stakeholder leadership; sets operational standards for program success
- Advanced certifications (e.g., PMP, PgMP, SAFe) preferred
Tekion provides the Automotive Retail Cloud (ARC), a cloud-native SaaS platform for automotive dealers, OEMs, and consumers that unifies sales, CRM, service, parts, F&I, and accounting. It runs in the cloud and is accessible on any device, using AI, ML, and big data to enable personalized upselling, digital retailing, real-time analytics, and workflow automation, breaking data silos across the dealership lifecycle. Unlike traditional, siloed dealer-management systems, ARC is a single integrated platform that connects dealers, OEMs, and customers at scale, backed by unicorn funding and major automotive investors. Its goal is to standardize and modernize automotive retail by providing a scalable platform that improves efficiency, data visibility, and customer experience worldwide.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
Growth Equity (Venture Capital)
Total Funding
$635.1M
Headquarters
Pleasanton, California
Founded
2016
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Achieved 60% revenue growth in 2025 amid AI expansions.
- Gained Hartwell as first UK dealer partner recently.
- Secured ISO/IEC 42001 certification for responsible AI.
What critics are saying
- CDK lawsuit accuses Tekion of illegal data scraping now.
- Prolonged antitrust litigation drains $10-20M over 18-36 months.
- Dealers churn if hacking claims erode platform trust.
What makes Tekion unique
- First cloud-native Automotive Retail Cloud unifies DMS, CRM, and F&I.
- Founded by ex-Tesla CIO Jay Vijayan in 2016.
- Launched App Store and agentic AI agents in 2026.
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Benefits
Competitive compensation and generous stock options
100% employer-paid top-of-the-line medical, dental and vision coverage
Great benefits including unlimited PTO, parental leave and free snacks and beverages
The opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds from Silicon Valley’s most dominant and successful companies
Be part of an early stage, hyper-growth start-up with the opportunity to grow and prosper
Work on the latest and coolest technologies – everything is home-grown and built ground-up
A dynamic work environment with a strong sense of community and collaboration
The open and transparent culture that encourages innovation, rewards performance and discourages hierarchy
Exciting opportunities for career growth and development
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↓ -1%1 year growth
↑ 0%2 year growth
↓ -1%Tekion named to Forbes America's Best Startup Employers 2026. Tekion News 09 Apr 2026 Pleasanton, CA, April 9, 2026 - Tekion has been recognized on the Forbes America's Best Startup Employers 2026 list. This prestigious award is presented in collaboration with Statista, a leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The list was announced on March 3, 2026, and is available on Forbes' website. America's Best Startup Employers 2026 identifies top-performing startups in the United States through a comprehensive evaluation process based on three key criteria: employer reputation, employee satisfaction, and growth. More than 7 million data points were analyzed across over 20,000 eligible companies, with more than 2,500 qualifying for in-depth review. Ultimately, only 500 companies were selected for inclusion in the final ranking. Tekion's inclusion reflects its continued focus on building a high-performing, people-first organization while driving innovation across automotive retail. As the company continues to scale, it remains committed to fostering a workplace culture centered on transparency, collaboration, and continuous growth. This recognition reinforces Tekion's belief that strong teams and a connected culture are foundational to delivering meaningful impact for customers, partners, and the broader industry. About Statista Statista publishes hundreds of worldwide industry rankings and company listings in collaboration with leading media partners. Its research and analysis are based on the success of statista.com, a leading data and business intelligence platform providing statistics, market data, and consumer insights.
Volie, a provider of automotive BDC software and AI-driven call intelligence, has partnered with Tekion to become a pilot partner for the new Tekion App Store, launching this year. The partnership will enable dealers to purchase Volie solutions directly through Tekion's Automotive Retail Cloud platform. Dealers will be able to subscribe to Volie, Pulse Volie Intelligence and Dealer Identity through the integrated platform, streamlining onboarding, purchasing and data connectivity. The collaboration aims to simplify how dealers buy, deploy and manage technology for their business development centres and customer communications. The Tekion App Store will allow dealers to discover and activate solutions directly within the platform, helping them onboard applications faster and realise value sooner.
Tekion, an AI-native automotive retail platform, unveiled its latest agentic AI capabilities at the 2026 NADA Show in Las Vegas. Founder and CEO Jay Vijayan announced the company achieved over 60% revenue growth in 2025 for its Automotive Retail Cloud platform. The company introduced three new AI agents: Scheduler AI for automated appointment booking, Technician AI for assisting service technicians through voice and visual inputs, and T1, a conversational interface for dealership data. Tekion also launched its App Store as part of Automotive Partner Cloud 2.0. Tekion became one of the first automotive retail platform providers certified with ISO/IEC 42001 for Responsible AI Management Systems. The company announced Tekion One 2026, its inaugural customer conference scheduled for 15–17 June in Las Vegas.
Flai integrates with Tekion to enhance connectivity across the automotive ecosystem. API integration supports data sharing and collaboration for technology partners serving dealers and OEMs. Flai, an AI communications platform for dealerships, today announced an integration with Tekion, innovator of the first end-to-end*, AI-native cloud platform serving the entire automotive retail ecosystem. This collaboration aims to expand the connected partner ecosystem within Tekion's Automotive Partner Cloud (APC), enhancing operational efficiency through enhanced data connectivity. Flai automates communications for dealerships with AI, handling inbound calls, outbound outreach, text messaging, and email to help capture leads, schedule service and sales appointments, and maintain consistent follow-up. Through this partnership with Tekion, dealers can now connect Flai's AI communications platform with Tekion's Automotive Retail Cloud (ARC). This connection helps dealers improve information flow between systems and reduces manual data entry, empowering teams to make faster, more informed decisions. The integration helps dealerships handle every phone call, book more service appointments and sales visits, and follow up with customers and staff through text and email. "Dealerships are looking for ways to handle more customer interactions with less friction," said Ari Polakof, Co-Founder and CEO of Flai. "Integrating Flai with Tekion enables stores to respond instantly to every call and follow up via SMS or email, so staff can focus on delivering a great customer experience." Tekion's ARC is the first and fastest cloud-native platform including all functionalities of a DMS, CRM and accompanying tech stack to run a seamless retail business. Through the ARC platform, Tekion APC brings together a growing network of approved partners focused on driving innovation, efficiency, and choice for dealers. The Flai/Tekion integration within ARC Sales, CRM, Parts and Service supports operational efficiency, simplifies processes, and enhances visibility for dealership staff and consumers alike. About Flai. Flai is an AI-powered communications platform for automotive dealerships. Flai automates inbound and outbound phone calls, text messaging, and email so dealers can capture leads, book more service and sales appointments, and keep follow-ups consistent. About Tekion. Tekion is redefining automotive retail with its end-to-end AI platform purpose-built for the industry. By embedding AI into every workflow, Tekion delivers intelligent automation, real-time insights, and advanced decision support - driving efficiency, revenue, and modern consumer experiences. As the first and fastest cloud-native platform for automotive, Tekion brings OEMs, dealers, partners, and consumers together through its revolutionary suite: Automotive Retail Cloud (ARC) for retailers, Automotive Enterprise Cloud (AEC) for manufacturers and large automotive enterprises, and Automotive Partner Cloud (APC) for technology and industry partners. With AI-powered, cloud-native technology, Tekion enables the most seamless, transparent, and profitable retail experiences in the industry. For more information, visit www.tekion.com. *End-to-end refers to its integrated data management platform covering all automotive business functions. Disclaimer: Tekion does not endorse or recommend any specific partner solution; dealers are encouraged to evaluate and select partners based on their own business needs.
BLiNK AI integrates with Tekion to bring seamless connectivity to the automotive ecosystem. API integration makes data sharing more efficient for technology partners serving dealers and oems. BLiNK AI, a leading provider of AI-powered customer engagement solutions for automotive dealerships, announced an integration with Tekion, innovator of the first cloud-native platform serving the entire automotive retail ecosystem. The integration enhances collaboration and enables more seamless connectivity across the automotive industry. By leveraging Tekion's Automotive Partner Cloud (APC), BLiNK AI can deliver automated service engagement and respond to real-time telematics triggers directly within Tekion's ecosystem - driving efficiency and better supporting dealership operations. Through this new integration, dealers can connect BLiNK AI's customer engagement platform with Tekion's Automotive Retail Cloud (ARC) in real time, making data sharing faster, more efficient, and easier to manage. Dealers benefit from automated responses to service triggers, reduced manual workloads, and improved customer satisfaction through consistent multi-channel outreach and streamlined service scheduling.