Automation, Business Growth, Capacity Management, Commissioning, Construction, Continuous Improvement, Contract Manufacturing, Corrective Action, Cross-Functional, HVAC, Lead Generation, Leadership, Logistics, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Automation, Manufacturing Design, Manufacturing Methods, Manufacturing Operations, Manufacturing Technology, Manufacturing/Industrial Processes, Metrics, Network Operations Center, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), Operational Strategy, Operations Processes, Performance Metrics, Process Capability, Process Control Engineering, Process Development, Process Improvement, Process Validation, Product Design, Product Development, Product Engineering, Product Planning, Product Support, Product/Service Launch, Production Systems, Production Volume, Project/Program Management, Prototyping, Quality Management, Reporting Dashboards, Risk, Risk Management, Robotics, Root Cause Analysis, Scalable System Development, Sourcing Strategy, Supply Chain, Supply Chain Management, Technical Leadership, Test Fixtures, Test Lab, Test Requirements, Testability, Time Management, Tool and Die Manufacturing, Trade-Off Analysis, Training Program Development, Volume Planning
Position Overview
The Principal Technical Program Manager, New Product Development leads the most complex and business-critical product development programs supporting data center infrastructure. This role partners closely with Product Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Construction, Commissioning, and Operations teams to drive products from concept through design, validation, pilot, launch, and scaled production, while also shaping the operating model used across multiple programs.
The Principal Technical Program Manager owns integrated program strategy, executive-level governance, schedules, risks, dependencies, and decision frameworks required to deliver high-quality, manufacturable products aligned with performance, cost, safety, and timeline objectives. This role ensures the right teams are aligned at the right time, that key technical and operational issues are surfaced early, and that execution remains disciplined across internal stakeholders and external partners.
Key Responsibilities
Manufacturing Strategy & Scale
- Define end-to-end manufacturing strategy, including make-vs-buy decisions, manufacturing footprint, partner selection, capacity planning, and regional deployment strategy.
- Evaluate tradeoffs across cost, quality, lead time, logistics, supply chain risk, automation opportunities, and customer requirements.
- Develop manufacturing roadmaps supporting new product introduction, production ramp-up, and long-term scaling.
Process, Automation & Industrialization
- Establish manufacturing methods, tooling, fixtures, test systems, production flows, and equipment strategies.
- Lead adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies including robotics, automation, machine vision, digital work instructions, and data-driven process controls.
- Partner with engineering teams to ensure products are designed for manufacturability, testability, serviceability, and production scale.
Operations & Performance
- Build production systems that achieve throughput, cycle time, labor efficiency, and capacity targets.
- Lead pilot builds, process validation, production readiness, staffing plans, and volume production transitions.
- Implement KPIs and dashboards to monitor yields, schedule attainment, bottlenecks, and overall manufacturing performance.
Quality & Continuous Improvement
- Define manufacturing quality strategies, in-process controls, testing requirements, and acceptance criteria.
- Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for manufacturing, supplier, and field quality issues.
- Drive improvements in first-pass yield, defect reduction, process capability, and operational discipline.
Workforce & Partner Leadership
- Develop scalable training programs, work instructions, certification requirements, and operating procedures.
- Lead relationships with contract manufacturers, OEMs, integrators, equipment suppliers, and automation partners.
- Drive partner performance across quality, cost, capacity, responsiveness, and delivery metrics.
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Serve as the manufacturing leader across Product Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Program Management, Operations, and Customer Delivery.
- Provide executive-level recommendations on manufacturing investments, risks, sourcing strategies, and scaling opportunities.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or related field.
- 10+ years of manufacturing, operations, industrialization, or advanced manufacturing experience.
- 5+ years leading manufacturing strategy, process development, or production scale-up for complex hardware products.
- Proven experience with manufacturing footprint decisions, automation strategies, contract manufacturing, OEM partnerships, and production system design.
- Track record improving quality, throughput, capacity, and on-time delivery.
- Experience launching products from prototype or pilot production into volume manufacturing.
Preferred
- Master's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or Business.
- Experience with data center infrastructure, thermal systems, liquid cooling, HVAC, power distribution, or mission-critical equipment.
- Experience implementing robotics, automation, and advanced manufacturing technologies.
- Knowledge of global manufacturing strategies, supply chain risk management, and multi-site production scaling.
- Experience in highly regulated, safety-critical, or uptime-sensitive environments.
Travel
Required to manufacturing facilities, supplier sites, test labs, and deployment locations. This role requires strong strategic judgment, operational rigor, and the ability to shape the long-term manufacturing model of a rapidly growing digital infrastructure business.
Expected Salary Range
$150,000 - $200,000 + Discretionary Bonus
Tract Capital Employment
Tract Capital employees enjoy competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits, including 100% employer-covered medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401K program, standard paid holidays, and unlimited PTO.
NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties to meet the organization's ongoing needs.
Tract Capital is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment regardless of age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status. If you need assistance applying for any of our open positions, please contact us at info@tract.com