Program Manager

Wabtec•Cedar Rapids, IA

4d•$91,100 - $129,800

About The Position

Who will you be working with? This position with lead projects within the Positive Train Control (PTC) group of the Train Performance and Automation P&L within Digital Intelligence. The Program Manager will be a customer facing and will be responsible for delivering projects on schedule and on budget. This will include managing the project through quality, engineering and operations. This person will be expected to understand earned value financials, responsible for communicating cost, schedule, and production deliveries to customer (internal and/or external). The position will be responsible for identifying and managing risk associated with each project. This person will also work closely with the manufacturing team to manage demand and drive parts for projects assigned, as applicable. This position would preferably be located in Cedar Rapids, IA. How will you make a difference? The Program Manager is responsible for leading programs from initial contract proposal through execution and support. This role ensures programs are built on a strong foundation, delivered according to commitments, and positioned for long‑term customer success. The Program Manager drives technical coordination, risk‑informed planning, customer communication, and disciplined program controls while fostering predictable, high‑quality execution. What will your typical day look like? This role is responsible for leading programs end‑to‑end from contract proposal through execution and lifecycle support, ensuring predictable delivery of scope, schedule, cost, and quality. Responsibilities include owning development of Statements of Work with clear deliverables and acceptance criteria; partnering with Engineering and Product to validate feasibility, resources, and estimates; establishing realistic, resource‑loaded schedules and forecasts; and serving as owner of Estimate at Completion (EAC) with risk‑loaded plans. During execution, the role drives disciplined program delivery, manages scope and change control, maintains performance baselines, leads proactive customer communication, facilitates timely decision‑making, and identifies and mitigates risk using standard project control tools. The role also reinforces execution rigor to support long‑term customer satisfaction and position delivery and support services for sustained value and future growth. The role requires strong organizational awareness to navigate complex stakeholder environments, the ability to coach and motivate teams through influence and engagement, and a commitment to data accuracy and governance to ensure reliable decision‑making and reporting. Success in this role depends on making timely, fact-based decisions informed by risk and cross-functional alignment, demonstrating financial acumen across EAC, forecasting, cost control, and risk reserves, and rigorously applying standard PMO processes. The ideal candidate embraces digital adoption and is proficient with enterprise program management tools, collaborates effectively across functions to drive commitments and resolve issues, continuously seeks opportunities for improvement, and clearly visualizes and communicates complex data to leadership and customers. You may also be asked to perform other duties outside of your function or trade, for which adequate training will be provided if necessary.

Requirements

College BS/BA degree required, with preference given to engineering, software fields, or business management areas of study.
Must have knowledge of Systems/Software Project Management.
5–10 years of experience managing complex, cross‑functional projects or programs.
Proven ability to drive clarity in requirements, schedules, and acceptance criteria.
Experience with enterprise PM tools such as Clarity, Primavera, Rally, Oracle.
Strong communication, stakeholder management, and decision‑making skills.
Demonstrated ability to lead without authority in a matrixed environment.
10-15% travel requirement
Wabtec will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the U.S. for this opening.
Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen (as applicable) and fitness for duty test (as applicable).

Responsibilities

leading programs end‑to‑end from contract proposal through execution and lifecycle support, ensuring predictable delivery of scope, schedule, cost, and quality
owning development of Statements of Work with clear deliverables and acceptance criteria
partnering with Engineering and Product to validate feasibility, resources, and estimates
establishing realistic, resource‑loaded schedules and forecasts
serving as owner of Estimate at Completion (EAC) with risk‑loaded plans
driving disciplined program delivery
managing scope and change control
maintaining performance baselines
leading proactive customer communication
facilitating timely decision‑making
identifying and mitigating risk using standard project control tools
reinforcing execution rigor to support long‑term customer satisfaction and position delivery and support services for sustained value and future growth