Project/Program Design Senior Manager

Renesas Electronics•Austin, TX

1d•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, delivery performance, and portfolio-wide visibility and accountability. The position requires automotive semiconductor experience, program and portfolio management expertise, functional safety knowledge, and coordination across engineering, operations, quality, functional safety, finance, and customer teams. The PMO leader will define the PMO vision, governance, processes, tools, and team composition; establish portfolio reviews and resource allocation practices; and guide execution across concurrent design, development, validation, and production programs. The role oversees schedule, budget, resources, risk, and functional safety compliance, including embedding safety reviews and tracking compliance evidence throughout program lifecycles. It also leads programs through customer design-ins, pilot production, and volume ramps, while establishing portfolio metrics, reporting, and continuous improvement. Renesas is an embedded semiconductor solution provider with a global team of over 21,000 engineers and problem solvers in more than 30 countries. Its culture, TAGIE, is grounded in being Transparent, Agile, Global, Innovative, and Entrepreneurial. The company offers a competitive benefits package; more information will be provided during the hiring process. Renesas is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. The company handles dual-use technology subject to U.S. export controls; a U.S. government export license may be required before technology is released to certain persons, at the company’s discretion.

Requirements

12+ 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 phases.
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 platforms 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 skills across all levels.
Track record of driving on-time, on-budget delivery and building accountability 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 related 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, including 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 supporting 15–25 concurrent programs.
Develop PMO operating standards and playbooks aligned with automotive industry best practices.
Establish portfolio governance, including quarterly portfolio reviews, go/no-go decision frameworks, and resource allocation processes.
Create visibility into program status, risks, dependencies, and critical-path items, and align portfolio strategy with business objectives.
Partner with program leads and cross-functional teams to define milestones, deliverables, dependencies, and success criteria.
Implement stage-gate processes aligned with the product development lifecycle and track program health across schedule, budget, scope, quality, and risk.
Establish program estimating and planning processes; monitor budget execution and forecasts across the portfolio.
Manage resource conflicts and optimize allocation; escalate critical resource or budget constraints to leadership.
Establish functional safety management processes aligned with ISO 26262 and SOTIF, embedding safety reviews in stage gates and design milestones.
Track functional safety metrics, including ASIL classifications, safety case development, and FMEA/FTA completion; collaborate with functional safety and quality teams to maintain compliance evidence.
Establish enterprise-wide risk management processes for risk identification, quantification, mitigation planning, and tracking.
Facilitate cross-functional resolution of critical issues and escalate high-impact risks and interdependencies threatening schedule, cost, quality, or functional safety objectives.
Maintain risk dashboards that prominently show functional safety risk status.
Lead programs through customer design-ins, pilot production, and volume ramps; ensure disciplined execution of NPI processes.
Establish accountability for delivery commitments and metrics for on-time delivery performance 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.
Serve as a 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 cadence and dashboards for executive, functional, and cross-functional stakeholders.
Drive continuous improvement in PMO processes and tool effectiveness.