Program Manager, Transformation Office

A. O. Smith Corporation•Nashville, TN

11h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Program Manager in the Transformation Office operates across the transformation portfolio rather than managing individual projects. The role connects initiatives, strengthens program structure and governance, anticipates cross-program risks and dependencies, and ensures the appropriate stakeholders and capabilities are engaged. The ideal candidate brings structured problem solving, systems thinking, executive communication, and disciplined program leadership, with experience in industrial goods or manufacturing environments. The position partners with initiative leaders and functions across Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, Commercial, Finance, IT, HR, and business-unit leadership to promote accountability without direct authority. It also establishes portfolio-wide governance and execution standards and synthesizes program information for executive decision-making. Travel to manufacturing facilities and business locations is required as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
3–5 years of post-bachelor’s experience for candidates from a top-tier strategy or management consulting firm, or 5+ years for candidates from industry or other professional backgrounds.
Experience supporting industrial goods, manufacturing, building products, durable goods, industrial distribution, or related sectors.
Ability to structure ambiguous problems, connect multiple workstreams, and identify risks and interdependencies before they become execution barriers.
Strong executive communication and analytical skills, including the ability to create clear PowerPoint materials and use Excel to support fact-based decision making.
Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead cross-functional teams without formal authority.
Willingness to travel to manufacturing facilities and business locations as needed.

Nice To Haves

MBA or other advanced degree.
Direct manufacturing transformation exposure.
Experience with SAP.
PMP or formal program-management certification.

Responsibilities

Maintain an integrated view of the transformation portfolio, including objectives, major milestones, value targets, resource requirements, decision points, and overall health.
Partner with initiative leaders to ensure programs have clear scope, outcomes, workstreams, ownership, governance, and measures of success.
Identify cross-initiative risks, interdependencies, resource conflicts, and sequencing requirements; develop mitigation paths and escalate issues requiring leadership intervention.
Determine which functions, subject-matter experts, decision-makers, and capabilities need to be involved, and facilitate alignment on roles, responsibilities, and decision rights.
Establish consistent governance routines and execution standards across the portfolio while avoiding unnecessary process or duplication of project-level management.
Synthesize complex program information into concise executive updates focused on progress, value delivery, material risks, dependencies, trade-offs, and decisions required.
Challenge assumptions, identify gaps in plans, and help initiative leaders develop recovery actions when work is off track or insufficiently defined.
Build trusted relationships across Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, Commercial, Finance, IT, HR, and business-unit leadership to drive accountability without direct authority.