Senior Program Manager

JB Poindexter & Co•Elkhart, IN

23d

About The Position

J.B. Poindexter & Co., Inc. (JBPCO) is a privately held, diversified manufacturing company forecasting over $2.5 billion in annual revenues and employing over 8,000 team members. Its six operating subsidiaries, across 60 locations, produce commercial truck bodies, step-vans, utility trucks, ambulances, electric and alternative fuel vehicles, and expandable foam plastic packaging. The Senior Program Manager leads automation projects from concept through implementation across JBPCO manufacturing sites. The work includes identifying opportunities, developing and justifying concepts, defining scopes of work, selecting vendors or system integrators, preparing and presenting business cases, validating designs, ensuring compliance with JBPCO standards, and launching solutions at plants. The role may manage multiple projects simultaneously at different North American facilities, covering processes such as chassis-frame welding, fiberglass layup, machine tending, and general assembly. The position advances manufacturing process improvements through automation and cross-functional collaboration. It leads the concept-to-commissioning process, supports capital investment proposals, develops equipment specifications, oversees design reviews and acceptance testing, maintains project controls and documentation, and provides project updates to leadership and stakeholders. It also supports safe and effective operation of automation through risk assessment, training, maintenance planning, and mentoring junior engineers. The role partners with site engineers, operations leaders, and corporate stakeholders to deploy best practices and assess emerging manufacturing technologies. The role requires a bachelor’s degree in mechanical, industrial, or electrical engineering, or equivalent, and at least 10 years of directly related manufacturing engineering or advanced manufacturing experience, including at least five years in program or project leadership. Travel expectation is 35–50%. A valid driver’s license and passport are required.

Requirements

Self-starter with strong project leadership experience.
Experience leading projects that transform traditional low-volume/high-mix manual manufacturing environments through automation.
Demonstrated ability to lead manufacturing projects of varying sizes and achieve measurable improvements in cost, quality, safety, or delivery.
Experience with different types of automation, automation vendors, and automation applications.
Experience in a high-volume, complex manufacturing environment and/or a high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environment.
Ability to communicate, collaborate, and build rapport with personnel at all levels in a manufacturing environment.
Understanding of manufacturing design elements, tools, systems, processes, and regulatory requirements.
Understanding of design principles and methods such as data analysis, DOE, FMEA, and DFM/DFA.
Strong automation, electrical, and mechanical aptitude.
Ability to work collaboratively within a team and independently.
Strong working knowledge of and commitment to safety, workplace organization, continuous improvement, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and Lean implementation.
Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Microsoft Project or Smartsheet, and JD Edwards.
Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, industrial, or electrical engineering, or equivalent.
At least 10 years of directly related experience in manufacturing engineering or advanced manufacturing.
At least five years of program or project leadership experience.
Travel expectation of 35–50%.
Valid driver’s license and passport.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a multi-site or complex manufacturing environment.
Professional Engineer (PE), Lean Six Sigma, PMP, or other relevant engineering credentials.
3D CAD competency; SolidWorks, Draftsite, or similar software preferred.
Visual Basic programming, Ladder Logic, or other programming knowledge.

Responsibilities

Lead manufacturing process-improvement initiatives through targeted automation that advances safety, quality, cost, and throughput metrics.
Lead automation systems through the concept-to-commissioning process with internal manufacturing customers and external system integrators.
Help define business processes that support transformation and automation of JBPCO’s manufacturing footprint.
Drive cross-functional engagement and stakeholder alignment, including formulation, justification, and presentation of capital investment proposals and business cases.
Work with planning and design staff on product design and tooling to support efficient Lean production methods.
Coordinate with management, engineering, and other staff on manufacturing capabilities, production schedules, throughput ramp-up plans, and related production considerations.
Lead collaboration with subject matter experts to assess manufacturing requirements, develop process solutions, evaluate project costs, and establish manufacturing practices.
Collaborate on standardized work instructions, PFMEAs, and other control plans.
Develop equipment specifications and RFQs, negotiate equipment and materials purchases, and evaluate equipment against specifications and quality standards through design reviews and gated acceptance testing.
Work with business units on production times, staffing requirements, and related costs to inform stakeholder decisions.
Support customer-focused quality and continuous-improvement activities, and comply with JBPCO and industry safety standards.
Conduct concept-development workshops with manufacturing sites and produce outputs such as base processes, automation selections, man-machine charts, cardboard mockups, and cost estimates.
Maintain project control over budgets, timelines, resources, document control, and purchase-order issuance.
Create and maintain JBPCO project documentation, including solid models, drawings, procedures, and work instructions.
Lead supplier design reviews, build validation, factory acceptance testing (FAT), and site acceptance testing (SAT), ensuring JBPCO representation is integrated into the process.
Provide leadership and cross-functional stakeholders with project updates on progress, risks, dependencies, and mitigation strategies.
Lead enterprise training to enable manufacturing operations teams to run, maintain, and modify automation systems.
Execute or assist vendors and integrators with standardized task-based risk assessments in accordance with A3 and JBPCO requirements (ANSI/RIA TR R15.306).
Work with maintenance on policies, procedures, and spare parts.
Lead and train business units on mechanical and electrical automation safety standards.
Coach and mentor junior engineers to develop enterprise project-management capabilities.
Partner with site-level engineers, operations leaders, and corporate stakeholders to deploy best practices, standards, and advanced technologies.
Conduct process capability analysis, time studies, and value stream mapping to identify and eliminate waste.
Serve as a technical resource for new product introductions, manufacturing cell designs, and layout optimization.
Monitor emerging manufacturing technologies, including Industry 4.0, robotics, and additive manufacturing, and assess their applicability.
Maintain current project-management standards and technical skills to support JBPCO business units.