Senior Program Manager, Manufacturing Transfers

Forj Medical•Saint Paul, MN

About The Position

The Senior Program Manager will build and lead Forj Medical’s manufacturing transfer program from the ground up. Based within Operations, the role owns planning and execution of production line transfers, site transfers, and site decommissioning activities, including transfers to the Costa Rica facility and other locations outside the United States. The position establishes how transfer programs are planned, tracked, and executed, with the opportunity to scale the function and help hire a team as the portfolio grows. The role is primarily internally focused, aligning sending and receiving sites with engineering, production, quality, regulatory, supply chain, facilities, information systems, HR, Finance, and Forj Medical leadership. It partners closely with the customer-facing Program Management Office, which owns customer communication. The position leads concurrent transfer programs from strategy through stabilization, develops realistic plans, manages execution and risks, and reports status and recommendations to Operations leadership. Approximately 30% travel, including international travel, is expected. Minnesota is preferred; candidates based in Costa Rica will also be considered.

Requirements

B.S. or M.S. degree; a technical, engineering, operations, or related field is preferred.
At least 8 years of project or program management experience in medical device manufacturing, either OEM or contract manufacturing.
Demonstrated experience leading production line transfers, site transfers, or production ramp activities, including transfers involving multiple facilities or locations outside the United States.
Proven ability to build and manage complex project plans in MS Project/Planner or comparable project management software; spreadsheet-based tracking alone is not sufficient.
Strong technical and operational understanding of manufacturing equipment, processes, and training needs sufficient to validate timelines and resource requirements.
Track record of driving results through strong stakeholder management, organization, and attention to detail.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain technical and business concepts clearly to leadership, engineers, and production teams.
Understanding of FDA, ISO 9001, and ISO 13485.
Ability to travel approximately 30%, including internationally.

Nice To Haves

PMP certification.
Experience building or scaling a program management function, process, or team.
Location in Minnesota; candidates based in Costa Rica will also be considered.

Responsibilities

Build the transfer program function, including its standard approach, tools, templates, and governance for production line and site transfers.
Lead multiple concurrent transfer programs end to end, covering transfer strategy, stakeholder alignment, knowledge transfer, documentation readiness, equipment and process transition, validation support, training, production ramp, and post-transfer stabilization.
Develop realistic, defensible schedules based on knowledge of equipment, processes, and operator and assembler learning curves.
Assess and challenge estimates from sending and receiving sites, including during site closures when information may be incomplete or overly optimistic.
Develop and own detailed program plans using MS Project/Planner or comparable project management software, including schedules, resource allocation, budgets, and milestones.
Direct program execution with minimal oversight, managing schedule adherence, budget, scope changes, risks, issues, and escalation of matters affecting schedule, quality, cost, or regulatory expectations.
Lead cross-site and international transfer activities, including coordination with the Costa Rica site and communication across time zones.
Lead cross-functional teams in a matrixed environment while balancing urgency and accountability with empathy for employees affected by site transitions and closures.
Report program status, risks, and recommendations to Operations leadership.
Partner with the customer-facing Program Management Office to keep customer commitments aligned with transfer plans.
Continuously improve transfer processes and define the future-state structure of the transfer program function.