Our client, an established and growing manufacturing organization, is seeking an experienced
Program Manager to lead high-impact enterprise, technology, and operational initiatives across the business.
This is a highly visible leadership position responsible for driving complex, cross-functional programs from strategy and planning through execution, implementation, and stabilization. One of the initial priorities will include leadership of a significant
ERP implementation and business transformation initiative, making previous ERP implementation experience a major plus.
The ideal candidate will bring a strong
manufacturing background and understand how technology, operations, engineering, finance, supply chain, and organizational change intersect within a manufacturing environment.
This individual must be comfortable working directly with
C-level executives and senior leadership, managing outside vendors and consulting partners, driving organizational change, resolving roadblocks, and holding both internal and external teams accountable for results.
This is more than a traditional project management position. We are looking for a Program Manager who can take ownership of major business initiatives, establish structure and accountability, communicate effectively with executive leadership, and ensure programs are delivered against defined scope, schedule, budget, and business objectives.
Key ResponsibilitiesEnterprise Program Leadership
- Lead complex, enterprise-wide programs involving multiple business functions, workstreams, vendors, and stakeholders.
- Develop and maintain integrated program plans covering scope, schedules, milestones, resources, budgets, dependencies, risks, and deliverables.
- Establish clear ownership and accountability across internal teams and external partners.
- Manage programs against established scope, schedule, budget, quality, and business objectives.
- Identify potential schedule, resource, budget, and scope issues early and develop appropriate mitigation or recovery plans.
- Manage multiple interconnected workstreams while maintaining visibility into overall program health.
- Drive accountability across teams and ensure commitments, milestones, and deliverables are met.
- Ensure strategic initiatives remain aligned with executive priorities and measurable business outcomes.
ERP & Business Systems Transformation
- Provide program-level leadership for a major ERP implementation and related business transformation initiatives.
- Coordinate activities across Manufacturing, Operations, Finance, Accounting, Supply Chain, Engineering, IT, and other business functions.
- Partner with functional and technical resources to ensure project milestones, business process design, testing, data readiness, training, and organizational readiness remain aligned.
- Manage implementation partners, ERP/software vendors, consultants, and other third parties against agreed-upon deliverables and expectations.
- Establish disciplined processes for scope management, change control, risk management, issue resolution, dependency management, and executive escalation.
- Support the ERP program through planning, design, implementation, testing, go-live, and post-go-live stabilization.
- Ensure the ERP initiative delivers measurable business value rather than simply achieving a technical go-live.
Previous full-cycle ERP implementation experience is highly preferred. Experience with Epicor Kinetic or Epicor ERP is a significant plus;however, candidates with strong implementation experience involving other major manufacturing ERP platforms will also be considered.Executive & Stakeholder Management
- Serve as a trusted program leader and partner to C-level executives and senior business leadership.
- Provide clear, concise, and accurate reporting regarding program status, milestones, budgets, risks, dependencies, and decisions requiring executive involvement.
- Prepare and facilitate executive steering committee meetings, program reviews, and leadership briefings.
- Translate complex project and technical issues into clear business impacts, options, and recommended actions.
- Facilitate difficult cross-functional conversations and drive decisions when teams or stakeholders have competing priorities.
- Build alignment across Manufacturing, Operations, Engineering, Finance, Supply Chain, IT, and other business functions.
- Maintain credibility with executive leadership, operational teams, technical resources, and external partners throughout the program lifecycle.
Vendor & Partner Management
- Manage relationships with ERP/software providers, implementation partners, consultants, and other strategic vendors.
- Establish clear expectations regarding deliverables, timelines, resources, responsibilities, and performance.
- Hold external partners accountable to contractual and project commitments.
- Identify vendor performance concerns early and implement corrective actions or escalation when necessary.
- Coordinate internal and external resources to ensure all parties are working toward common program objectives.
- Evaluate vendor deliverables and ensure outside partners are providing the expected business value.
Change Management & Organizational Readiness
- Incorporate organizational change management into overall program planning and execution.
- Develop and monitor change-readiness, communication, training, stakeholder engagement, and adoption plans.
- Identify areas of resistance or organizational risk and work with leadership to address them before they affect implementation.
- Help business leaders understand how new systems, processes, technologies, and operating models will impact their teams.
- Establish measurable indicators for organizational readiness and user adoption.
- Ensure change management receives the same visibility and discipline as schedule, budget, scope, and risk.
- Drive adoption of new processes and systems across the organization.
Manufacturing & Operational Improvement
Beyond ERP and technology initiatives, the Program Manager may lead or support strategic manufacturing and operational improvement programs involving:
- Manufacturing process improvement
- Productivity and efficiency initiatives
- Cost-out and cost-reduction programs
- DFMA –Design for Manufacturing and Assembly initiatives
- Operational excellence
- Supply chain and inventory optimization
- Engineering and manufacturing process transformation
- Business process standardization
- Continuous improvement initiatives
- Technology-enabled operational improvements
- Cross-functional strategic initiatives
Following completion of the initial ERP transformation, this individual will have the opportunity to lead additional strategic programs throughout the organization.
Required Qualifications
- 7+ years of progressive project and/or program management experience leading complex enterprise, technology, manufacturing, or business transformation initiatives.
- Manufacturing industry experience is required.
- Demonstrated experience managing large, cross-functional programs involving multiple departments, workstreams, and stakeholders.
- Proven ability to work directly with C-level executives and senior leadership.
- Experience managing outside vendors, consultants, implementation partners, and other third parties.
- Strong understanding of program governance, integrated project planning, schedule management, budget management, resource planning, risk management, issue management, dependency management, and change control.
- Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and drive accountability across teams, including stakeholders who may not directly report to the Program Manager.
- Strong executive communication, presentation, facilitation, and stakeholder-management skills.
- Experience supporting or leading organizational change associated with major technology, process, or operational initiatives.
- Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to identify risks early and develop practical recovery or mitigation strategies.
- Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced manufacturing environment where priorities and business requirements may evolve.
Highly Preferred Experience
- Full-cycle ERP implementation or major ERP transformation experience.
- Experience with Epicor Kinetic or Epicor ERP.
- Experience with another major manufacturing ERP platform such as Infor, SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, or a comparable enterprise platform.
- Experience managing ERP software vendors and implementation/consulting partners.
- Understanding of manufacturing business processes across production, planning, inventory, supply chain, procurement, engineering, costing, and finance.
- Experience leading organizational change management and user-adoption initiatives associated with ERP or enterprise transformation.
- Experience working within multi-site or complex manufacturing organizations.
- PMP, PgMP, or comparable program/project management certification.
Additional Experience That Would Be Valuable
The following experience is not required but would be particularly valuable:
- DFMA / Design for Manufacturing and Assembly projects
- Cost-out or structured cost-reduction initiatives
- Lean Manufacturing
- Continuous Improvement
- Operational Excellence
- Manufacturing process transformation
- Engineering-related programs
- Supply chain transformation
- Productivity and efficiency initiatives
- Multi-site manufacturing programs
What Success Looks Like
The successful Program Manager will bring
structure, visibility, urgency, and accountability to major enterprise initiatives while building strong relationships throughout the organization.
Executive leadership will have a clear understanding of program health and will not be surprised by missed milestones, budget concerns, scope changes, vendor performance issues, resource constraints, or organizational readiness challenges.
Successful programs will demonstrate:
- Clearly defined scope, ownership, milestones, and accountability.
- Strong alignment between executive leadership and functional teams.
- Proactive identification and mitigation of risks.
- Effective management of vendors and implementation partners.
- Disciplined scope and change control.
- Strong organizational change management and user adoption.
- Clear executive-level reporting and decision-making.
- Cross-functional collaboration between Manufacturing, Operations, Engineering, Finance, Supply Chain, and IT.
- Delivery against established business, schedule, budget, and operational objectives.
- Measurable business outcomes following implementation.
Most importantly, this individual will help establish a repeatable program management approach that can be applied beyond the initial ERP initiative to future
manufacturing, technology, operational improvement, cost-reduction, engineering, and enterprise transformation programs.
Education
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Information Systems, Finance, Operations, or a related discipline is preferred. Equivalent professional experience managing complex manufacturing and enterprise programs will also be considered.
Employment Authorization
Candidates must be
currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.
This position is
not eligible for employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future. The employer will not sponsor, petition for, or assume sponsorship of an employment visa for this position.
Employment eligibility will be verified in accordance with applicable federal and state law.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Our client is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable law.