Project/Program Design Director

Renesas Electronics•Chandler, AZ

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Renesas is seeking an experienced Program Management Office (PMO) leader to establish and lead the PMO function for its large automotive semiconductor power management group. The role drives portfolio governance, project execution excellence, and cross-functional alignment across product development programs, manufacturing ramps, and operational initiatives. It implements program management practices emphasizing functional safety governance and risk management, disciplined stage-gate processes, on-time and on-budget delivery, and portfolio-wide visibility and accountability. The role requires automotive semiconductor experience, mature program and portfolio management expertise, functional safety knowledge including ISO 26262 and SOTIF, and effective coordination with engineering, operations, quality, functional safety, finance, and customer teams. The PMO will support concurrent programs spanning design, development, validation, and production, and will lead governance, planning, reporting, risk management, resource allocation, and continuous improvement. The position also guides programs through customer design-ins, pilot production, and volume ramps, embedding functional safety and quality requirements into program execution.

Requirements

15+ years of program and portfolio management experience in semiconductor, automotive electronics, or related complex product-development environments.
Demonstrated experience establishing and leading PMO organizations responsible for 10+ concurrent programs across design, development, validation, and production.
Deep understanding of automotive product-development processes, NPI methodologies, design-in cycles, volume production ramps, and supplier management in automotive supply chains.
Proven expertise in stage-gate processes, project governance frameworks, portfolio management, and resource planning aligned with best practices.
Strong command of program-management tools and methodologies such as PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent; experience with program-management software such as Microsoft Project, JIRA, SAP, or similar.
Exceptional organizational and stakeholder-management skills, including the ability to influence and align multiple functional leaders without direct authority; strong communication and presentation abilities across all levels.
Track record of driving on-time, on-budget delivery and building an accountability culture within program teams.
Strong understanding of automotive functional safety standards, including ISO 26262, SOTIF, and AEC standards, and ability to ensure compliance tracking and rigor in program execution.
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Project Management, or a related field.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree or PMP certification.
Direct experience with power management, power distribution, or protection-device product development in automotive applications.
Experience scaling PMO functions from startup or early stage to a mature organization supporting large program portfolios.
Familiarity with software-defined vehicle (SDV) architectures and associated program-management challenges.
Background in financial management and P&L accountability, including developing budget forecasts and managing portfolio-level financial performance.
Experience implementing advanced program-management tools and analytics platforms; comfort with data-driven decision-making.
Demonstrated experience managing programs with complex functional safety requirements; knowledge of FMEA/FTA development, ASIL classification, and safety-case generation as program deliverables.
Deep understanding of quality systems, including ISO 9001 and IATF standards, and ability to integrate functional safety and quality governance into PMO processes and program oversight.
Experience working directly with functional safety engineers and quality teams to embed safety and compliance requirements into project planning and risk management.

Responsibilities

Establish and lead the PMO organization by defining its vision, governance structure, processes, tools, and team composition; build a team of program managers and coordinators to support 15–25 concurrent programs; and develop operating standards and playbooks aligned with automotive industry best practices.
Establish portfolio-level governance, including quarterly portfolio reviews, go/no-go decision frameworks, and resource allocation processes; provide visibility into program status, risks, dependencies, and critical-path items; and align portfolio activity with business objectives.
Partner with program leads and cross-functional teams to establish milestones, deliverables, dependencies, and success criteria; implement product-development stage-gate processes; track program health across schedule, budget, scope, quality, and risk; and conduct steering reviews using dashboards.
Establish program estimating and planning processes; monitor budget execution and spending forecasts; optimize resource allocation and manage conflicts; and escalate significant resource or budget constraints to leadership.
Establish functional safety management processes aligned with ISO 26262 and SOTIF; embed safety reviews in stage gates and design milestones; track ASIL classifications, safety-case development, and FMEA/FTA completion; and work with functional safety and quality teams to maintain compliance evidence and manage safety risks.
Establish enterprise-wide risk management processes for risk identification, quantification, mitigation planning, and tracking; facilitate resolution of critical cross-functional issues; escalate high-impact risks and interdependencies; and maintain dashboards highlighting functional safety risk status.
Lead programs through customer design-ins, pilot production, and volume ramps; ensure disciplined execution of NPI processes; and establish accountability and metrics for on-time delivery across the portfolio.
Facilitate communication and alignment across Engineering, Design, Manufacturing, Operations, Quality, Finance, Supply Chain, and Customer Success; resolve conflicts and trade-offs transparently; and serve as the central hub for program information and status communication.
Define portfolio-health KPIs, including on-time delivery, schedule variance, budget variance, risk resolution, and quality metrics; establish reporting cadences and dashboards for executive and stakeholder groups; and continuously improve PMO processes and tools.