Program Manager

Gooch & Housego Keene•Keene, NH

About The Position

G&H is a world leader in optical designing, testing and manufacturing. As experts in the technology of light, G&H works with customers to provide optical systems, assemblies, and components for demanding applications. Headquartered in Ilminster Somerset, UK with primary operations in the USA and Europe, G&H is recognized for the breadth of their acousto-optic, electro-optic, crystal-optic, fiber optic, and precision optic products. G&H is recognized as the preferred source for OEMs in the life sciences, industrial, and aerospace and defense industries, with a history of quality and excellence that dates back over seventy-five years. Role Summary We’re looking for an experienced leader in engineering program management to help our growing, world-class custom optics and optical subsystem business. The ideal candidate is an optics industry veteran with deep knowledge of the specialty custom optic business. Prior experience managing aerospace & defense projects and interacting with A&D customers is imperative; experience in higher-level program and product management is also highly desirable. The candidate must be a charismatic, problem-solving, solutions-oriented team player. This is an important role reporting directly to the Product Line Director and represents a unique opportunity to help craft the culture and program management processes for a growing, stable business. The successful candidate will work on complex problems and exciting opportunities that enable technologies in current and future cutting-edge defense and commercial optical systems.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (required) — Mechanical, Manufacturing, Optics/Photonics, Electrical, or related.
10+ years of related experience in program management for optics/
Demonstrated proficiency with MS Project (or equivalent) and standard program management toolsets.
In-depth knowledge of optical systems engineering and optical fabrication flows (grinding/polishing, coating, interferometry/metrology, and opto-mechanical assemblies).
Customer relationship management experience with A&D primes/government customers, including briefings and formal reviews.
A demonstrated drive for ambitious results and accountability to business needs; proven ability to work cross-functionally to achieve common objectives.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; decisive prioritization and quick resolution of business challenges.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree is a plus.
Experience with AS9100 environments, proposal BOEs, and working knowledge of government contracting.
Familiarity with ERP/MRP, Make/Buy, capacity planning, and HMLV Lean (e.g., reducing changeover time, cell design, WIP and queue control).
PMP/PMI-ACP and/or Lean/Six Sigma certification.
Strong planning and leadership ability to coordinate and get tasks accomplished through non-direct reports; high flexibility and versatility across multiple teams and personalities.
Strong interpersonal, teaming, and problem-solving skills.
Strong communication skills and business acumen—able to judge the larger business picture as well as immediate needs and structure internal and external communications accordingly.

Responsibilities

Lead cross-functional teams of engineers and operations personnel to develop, define, and execute project plans, schedules, budgets, and deliverables.
Ensure revenue projects achieve profitability targets. Identify and mitigate technical, schedule, and financial risks throughout the program lifecycle.
Coordinate cross-functionally to ensure customer requirements are well understood by engineering and operations; coordinate engineering design development with functional leads.
Partner with Operations to define the Statement of Work (SOW) and specifications for subcontracted processes (e.g., substrate blanks, precision machining, thin-film coating, specialized metrology).
Manage project scope and changes; coordinate with Contracts and Sales to ensure project changes are captured appropriately.
Own the customer relationship from award through delivery: provide clear communication, status, and issues/risk resolution to high-end commercial, aerospace, military, and government organizations.
Present comprehensive program status (schedule, cost, risk, quality) to internal and external stakeholders; produce customer-required reports and contractual deliverables (CDRLs) for custom optics projects.
Drive feasibility studies, vendor selection, and proposal development for evaluation by key stakeholders; initiate investigations into new technologies when necessary.
Drive resolution of quality issues requiring customer input; ensure shipped product meets specifications and quality goals; support product road-map development and marketing efforts as needed.
In a high-mix/low-volume environment, orchestrate sequencing, capacity, and material plans to meet OTD, lead-time, and yield targets while supporting frequent engineering change (ECN/ECO).