Associate Director, Program Management

SMC•Devens, MA

About The Position

The Associate Director, Program Management provides strategic and operational leadership for SMC's Program Management organization and is accountable for successful execution of the company's customer program portfolio. The role leads the Program Management team and establishes the processes, systems, standards, and operating practices needed to deliver complex customer programs, from program award through product development, tooling, process development, validation, manufacturing launch, and sustaining production. The Associate Director ensures programs are planned, resourced, scheduled, financially managed, and executed in alignment with customer expectations, quality standards, operational capabilities, contractual commitments, and business objectives. The position works closely with Sales, Engineering, Tooling, Quality, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, and other functional leaders to align teams and drive execution. It serves as a senior leader for customer programs, proactively addressing risks, issues, resource constraints, and execution challenges. The role builds a high-performing Program Management organization through leadership, coaching, development, accountability, and continuous improvement. It requires business acumen, customer focus, organizational leadership, and the ability to balance scope, schedule, cost, quality, resources, risk, and customer commitments.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Science, Project Management, or a related field.
Minimum 8–12 years of progressive experience in program management, project management, product development, manufacturing, engineering, or a related discipline.
Minimum 5 years of experience leading and developing professional-level Program or Project Management personnel.
Demonstrated experience managing complex, multifunctional programs in contract manufacturing, plastics, medical device, or another highly regulated manufacturing environment.
Experience with new product introduction, tooling or mold development, process development, validation, manufacturing launch, and transition to production.
Experience managing customer-facing programs with responsibility for schedule, cost, scope, risk, and customer commitments.
Demonstrated program financial-management experience, including budgeting, forecasting, cost control, and profitability.
Experience establishing or improving Program Management processes, systems, metrics, and governance.
Ability to stand, walk, bend, squat, twist, reach, or otherwise move frequently; occasional repetitive motion, grasping, and climbing; lift, move, or transfer up to 50 pounds occasionally and more than 20 pounds frequently.
Ability to travel frequently by air or car.
May be exposed to typical machine-shop physical hazards that may require respiratory protection.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree or MBA.
Experience within medical device manufacturing.

Responsibilities

Lead, develop, and manage the Program Management organization, including Program Managers and other assigned personnel; set expectations, priorities, accountability, and performance standards.
Provide leadership and direction across the customer program portfolio and ensure Program Managers have the tools, processes, information, and support needed to execute successfully.
Establish and maintain consistent program management practices and model accountability, customer focus, collaboration, transparency, and operational excellence.
Lead customer program execution from award through development, tooling, process development, validation, manufacturing launch, and sustaining production.
Ensure programs meet approved scope, schedule, budget, quality requirements, and customer commitments; maintain schedules, milestones, deliverables, and action plans.
Monitor program performance, identify risks and opportunities, resolve issues, escalate when necessary, and ensure effective transitions between program phases.
Establish financial-management expectations and ensure accurate program budgets, forecasts, costs, change orders, and financial projections; monitor financial performance and profitability.
Partner with Finance, Program Managers, Sales, and customers as appropriate to address unfavorable financial trends, assess financial impacts of changes, and support commercial discussions and scope changes.
Identify resource requirements and capacity constraints across the program portfolio, facilitate prioritization, recommend staffing or other actions, and communicate anticipated resource needs to leadership.
Develop and maintain customer relationships; lead program reviews and issue-resolution meetings; ensure proactive, accurate, transparent communication; and support resolution of significant customer concerns and escalations.
Build cross-functional relationships and lead program teams, clarify ownership, drive accountability, facilitate communication and decisions, and resolve barriers to execution.
Establish proactive risk identification, assessment, mitigation, and escalation practices; ensure risk registers and contingency plans are maintained; monitor high-risk programs and lead recovery efforts when needed.
Establish, maintain, and improve standardized program management processes, tools, systems, methodologies, templates, workflows, governance, and best practices.
Drive adoption of program management systems and tools; identify process gaps; and maintain lessons-learned practices to improve predictability, efficiency, scalability, and customer satisfaction.
Establish performance metrics and dashboards; monitor schedule, financial performance, scope, risk, quality, customer satisfaction, and program health; report portfolio performance and drive corrective actions using program data.
Recruit, onboard, coach, develop, and retain Program Management personnel; set development objectives and career paths, mentor future leaders, establish succession plans, and foster accountability and professional development.
Partner with Sales and Business Development on customer onboarding, quotations, proposals, timelines, resources, tooling, development, validation, and launch plans; evaluate program complexity and establish effective kickoff and execution plans.
Drive continuous improvement, standardization, and simplification to reduce delays, rework, communication gaps, and inefficiencies and improve customer experience and business results.
Participate in Engineering and company strategic planning; provide insight into opportunities, customer requirements, capacity, resources, capabilities, program trends, risks, and emerging needs; recommend organizational improvements and support growth initiatives.
Meet the stated physical and travel requirements, including frequent movement and air or car travel.