Director, Program Management

Coherent Corp.•Montville Township, NJ

5h•Hybrid

About The Position

This Director, Program Management role at Coherent Corp. involves owning the Program Management function and governance for the SiC LLC Business Unit. The successful candidate will establish a scalable, global PMO capability with consistent ways of working across sites and regions. Key responsibilities include leading and optimizing the global program portfolio, institutionalizing enterprise-grade governance and controls, driving investment governance, and ensuring accountability for program delivery and value capture. The Director will also establish portfolio performance management, serve as a senior advisor to Operations and functional leadership, align global stakeholders, and proactively manage enterprise risks. Coherent Corp. is a global leader in lasers, engineered materials, and networking components, offering a comprehensive career development platform, competitive compensation, stability, longevity, and growth.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Software Engineering, Business, or related field.
12–18+ years of progressive program/project and/or operations transformation experience, including leadership of large-scale, cross-functional initiatives in manufacturing environments.
7+ years in people leadership roles, building and managing Program/Project Managers and/or PMO functions within global, matrixed organizations.
Demonstrated experience governing a portfolio of complex, multi-million-dollar programs across multiple sites/regions, with executive-level visibility and measurable business outcomes.
Strategic and financial acumen to translate BU strategy into a prioritized, capacity-based portfolio, with clear value cases, funding recommendations, and measurable outcomes tied to manufacturing performance (safety, quality, cost, delivery) and growth.
Proven ability to build and scale PMO organizations, define operating models, and drive enterprise-wide adoption of governance standards.
Executive communication and presence; able to lead steering committees, shape narratives, present tradeoffs, and secure decisions with senior leaders in ambiguous, high-visibility environments.
Advanced expertise in portfolio and program management systems and reporting (e.g., MS Project, Power BI), including integrated schedules, dependency management, financial governance, and benefits realization dashboards.
Demonstrated success leading through influence across global, matrixed organizations, including conflict resolution and alignment of senior stakeholders.
Strong risk management and decision-making capabilities, including scenario planning, governance-based escalation, and sound judgment in complex, high-visibility situations.
Ability to balance strategic leadership with operational execution, building durable systems and capabilities while delivering near-term results.
Excellent people leadership skills, including coaching, mentoring, org effectiveness, and performance management; builds engaged teams and strong cross-functional partnerships.
Commercial and vendor management capability, including contracting support, performance management, and governance of strategic partners and systems integrators.
Executive presence and change leadership—able to align leaders around a common narrative, communicate tradeoffs, and sustain adoption across diverse global audiences.
High adaptability and effectiveness in fast-paced, evolving business environments.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.
PMP certification or equivalent strongly preferred.
Experience in product development, NPI, and lifecycle management preferred.
Background in process engineering, SiC industry, or related manufacturing domains is a strong plus.

Responsibilities

Own the Program Management function and governance for the SiC LLC BU, including strategy, operating model, decision rights, standards and tools; establish a scalable, global PMO capability with consistent ways of working across sites and regions.
Lead and optimize the global program portfolio, setting priorities, sequencing, and capacity plans; integrate strategy deployment with financial planning to ensure resources are allocated to the highest-value work across the end-to-end manufacturing value stream.
Institutionalize enterprise-grade governance and controls (stage-gate, risk and issue management, change control, financial tracking, and benefits realization) to improve predictability, transparency, and accountability across all major programs.
Drive investment governance and business case rigor by building/validating value cases, aligning scope to strategic priorities, and governing tradeoffs across competing initiatives; lead executive steering forums, escalate decisions with options, and ensure timely resolution of cross-functional conflicts.
Hold project leaders accountable for delivery and value capture through disciplined management of scope, schedule, budget, quality, and risks; implement benefits realization and sustainment mechanisms, and ensure corrective actions are taken quickly when programs deviate from plan.
Establish portfolio performance management and executive reporting using KPI/OKR frameworks, dashboards, and standardized operating reviews to enable transparent prioritization, rapid issue resolution, and informed leadership decisions.
Serve as a senior advisor to Operations and functional leadership (Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, IT) on portfolio strategy, execution risk, and operating model maturity; influence operating reviews and drive alignment to enterprise standards.
Align global stakeholders and the partner ecosystem across sites, regions, and external vendors/consultants; establish governance rhythms, escalation paths, and performance expectations to accelerate outcomes and improve delivery predictability.
Proactively manage enterprise risks, dependencies, and continuity across the portfolio, including cross-program impacts, compliance considerations, supply chain constraints, and plant operational continuity; escalate critical issues with scenario-based options and clear recommendations.