Customer Order Program Manager

Default•Chattanooga, TN

About The Position

The Customer Order Program Manager will serve as the enterprise lead and architect of the customer order lifecycle across all Infrastructure Solution (IS) manufacturing sites. This role is the designated owner of the IS Portfolio, responsible for the functional leadership, professional development, and performance of all Customer Order PMs as the PMO scales. You will act as the primary 'gatekeeper' of portfolio integrity, ensuring that data-driven insights empower the SLT to make strategic decisions. The incumbent will translate complex operational data into actionable insights for the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), driving project management maturity across our manufacturing enterprise. As the primary "gatekeeper" of portfolio integrity, the successful candidate ensures that all project data—specifically budgets, ROI, and baseline schedules—is strictly controlled by the PMO to maintain a single version of truth. A critical priority for this role is establishing a culture of frequent, proactive customer communication, ensuring that messaging is consistent, timely, and data-driven throughout the lifecycle of every order.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or higher or equivalent combination of education and experience, and training
10+ years of end-to-end project and program management experience, specifically within industrial or manufacturing environments.
2+ years of leadership.
Proven track record in establishing governance frameworks and managing complex portfolios.
Strong background in change management and building inclusive, high-performing teams within a fast-paced culture.
Expert proficiency in Project Insight, Asana, or Microsoft Project.
Project Management Professional (PMP) required
Exceptional ability to translate technical data into high-quality, actionable messaging for both customers and executive leadership.
Ability to confidently facilitate large-scale project planning workshops.

Nice To Haves

Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP) preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement a robust framework and decision-making structure to manage customer orders from contract award through close-out.
Create and maintain a comprehensive suite of templates (SOWs, RAID logs, Project Templates) to ensure consistent execution across IS manufacturing sites.
Establish and monitor automated dashboards to track portfolio health, margin performance, and delivery trends at the enterprise level.
Act as the primary owner of the IS Portfolio by managing the delta between planned baselines and actual performance to protect ROI and schedule accountability.
Design and mandate a standardized customer communication strategy that prioritizes high-frequency updates and transparent stakeholder engagement.
Directly lead and manage the team of Customer Order Project Managers as the PMO expands its scope to support all customer orders.
Define the "Astec Standard" for order management and mentor project leads on the adoption of these governance processes.
Execute a frequent messaging cadence to ensure customers receive clear, specific, and timely updates regarding order status and milestones.
Prepare and present high-impact, data-driven reports for the VP of Operations and the SLT.
Conduct regular governance reviews to identify systemic risks and resource bottlenecks across multiple projects simultaneously.
Monitor productivity and performance to drive continuous improvement in manufacturing lead times.
Respond quickly to customer needs and foster collaborative environments with engineering, sales, and manufacturing teams.
Establish and maintain relationships with internal business partners to refine the order-to-delivery lifecycle.
Foster collaborative environments with engineering, sales, and manufacturing teams to refine the end-to-end order-to-cash lifecycle.