Sr. Program Manager, Automation

Dorman Products•Warsaw, KY

7d•$83,900 - $124,800•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Program Manager – Automation Programs oversees Dorman’s automation portfolio as an integrated program — ensuring all initiatives align with corporate strategy, network design, and long-term ROI targets. This role translates executive vision into a unified program roadmap that connects design, implementation, and sustainment across multiple distribution centers. It balances resources, timelines, and interdependencies across sites to ensure the network evolves in a cohesive, high-return way. Acting as the operational command center between Operations, Engineering, IT, Maintenance, Finance, and site OPEX, the Senior Program Manager brings clarity to complexity — connecting strategic intent with disciplined execution. This position directly manages the Automation Project Manager and Automation Specialist, and partners closely with the Technical Product Manager and site OPEX leadership to ensure consistency, visibility, and sustainment across all automation programs.

Requirements

Proven experience integrating advanced material handling or automation systems (G2P, AMRs, AS/RS, VLMs, etc.) within high-volume environments.
Strong understanding of program governance, capital management, and cross-functional leadership.
Exceptional ability to translate between technical and executive audiences.
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Management, Supply Chain, or related field (Master’s preferred).
5–8 years of experience in distribution, operations, or manufacturing, including 3+ years leading multi-site programs or automation portfolios.

Nice To Haves

PMP, Lean, or Six Sigma certification preferred.
Willingness to travel 10–20% to project sites and vendor facilities.

Responsibilities

Ensure all automation efforts ladder up to enterprise capacity, cost, and service goals.
Translate long-term strategy into an actionable multi-site program roadmap.
Partner with senior leadership to align capital planning, sequencing, and future design decisions with strategic objectives.
Oversee multiple automation projects as a unified portfolio, balancing budgets, resources, and timelines.
Manage interdependencies between initiatives, identifying conflicts and synergies across sites.
Provide executive-level visibility into program health, milestones, and risk posture.
Establish and enforce program governance — including playbooks, templates, and stage-gate standards — to drive consistency across all projects.
Build scalable processes that improve delivery speed, predictability, and quality.
Lead cross-functional reviews to ensure accountability, transparency, and decision readiness.
Own the post-launch sustainment phase of all automation programs, monitoring throughput, uptime, labor, and ROI targets.
Partner with site OPEX and maintenance teams to identify optimization opportunities and ensure target realization over time.
Institutionalize lessons learned into future designs and standards.
Serve as the primary point of contact for automation vendors and executive stakeholders.
“Speak both languages” — technical with vendors and integrators, financial with leadership.
Manage vendor relationships to ensure scope, cost, and technical performance align with enterprise goals.
Directly manage and mentor the Automation Project Manager(s) and Automation Specialist(s).
Build a culture of proactive communication, disciplined execution, and continuous improvement across all automation initiatives.