Digital Program Manager

Corning•Newton, NC

6d•$133,278 - $183,257•Onsite

About The Position

Corning's Optical Communications segment has recently evolved from being a manufacturer of optical fiber and cable, hardware and equipment to being a comprehensive provider of industry-leading optical solutions across the broader communications industry. This segment is classified into two main product groupings – carrier network and enterprise network. The carrier network product group consists primarily of products and solutions for optical-based communications infrastructure for services such as video, data and voice communications. The enterprise network product group consists primarily of optical-based communication networks sold to businesses, governments and individuals for their own use. Corning's Cables Division is accelerating its digital transformation across manufacturing sites in North America and Europe. As Program Manager, Digital Transformation, you will own the division's end-to-end digital portfolio — from intake and prioritization through governance and execution oversight — while personally leading high-priority strategic programs that deliver measurable operational value. This role reports to the Senior Manager, Digital Transformation, Cables Division.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Technology, Business, or a related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience
5+ years of program or portfolio management experience, with meaningful exposure to manufacturing, supply chain, or industrial operations
Demonstrated experience managing portfolios of digital, IT, or operational technology (OT) projects across multiple sites
Proven ability to build and lead governance forums — steering committees, prioritization boards — with executive stakeholders
Experience developing business cases and tracking value realization for technology investments
Working knowledge of MES, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), data historians (e.g., OSIsoft PI System), and manufacturing analytics platforms
Strong verbal and written communication skills; able to translate technical concepts for executive audiences and operational realities for technical teams
Ability to travel to manufacturing sites approximately 25–30% of the time

Nice To Haves

PMP (Project Management Professional), PgMP (Program Management Professional), or equivalent program management certification
Familiarity with Lean / Continuous Improvement methodologies
Experience influencing cross-functional stakeholders across plant operations, IT, and functional partners without direct authority
Demonstrated ability to manage a large portfolio of concurrent priorities and adapt quickly in a fast-changing environment

Responsibilities

Build and manage the division's digital project intake, scoring, and prioritization process; consolidate fragmented project lists into a single unified portfolio across all sites
Lead the Digital Steering Committee operating rhythm — including agenda-setting, prioritization decisions, and executive follow-up — and maintain the multi-year digital roadmap with regular progress reporting to division leadership
Enforce portfolio work-in-progress limits to keep teams focused on the highest-value work; track all roadmap projects for status, milestones, risks, and value realization; surface and remove cross-functional roadblocks
Personally lead one to two high-priority strategic programs at any given time (e.g., Manufacturing Execution System (MES) configuration harmonization, predictive quality, cross-plant analytics rollout)
Develop business cases, ROI estimates, and post-implementation value validation for digital investments
Partner with Lean/Continuous Improvement (CI), central IT, and division IT on joint project intake, shared opportunity pipelines, resource allocation, and technical dependencies
Produce executive-level status reports, portfolio dashboards, and stakeholder communications