Program Manager

The Program Manager owns the end-to-end lifecycle of brake pad New Product Introduction (NPI) programs with full accountability for program financials, timing, and execution. Reporting directly to the Director of Program Management, this role drives cross-functional teams to deliver friction products to Tier-1 caliper manufacturers and OEM OES (Service) channels.

Key focuses include managing brake pad NPIs, VAVE initiatives, executing transfer projects, driving Engineering Change Requests (ECRs), and enforcing strict APQP gateway governance.

Key Responsibilities:

• Drive Full Accountability: Lead programs with business-owner mindset, taking ultimate responsibility for program margins, timeline adherence, and final deliverables.
• Act as Central Interface: Serve as the core coordination point between the OEMs, Tier-1 caliper producers, and internal departments for all project-related deliverables and timelines.
• Lead Cross Functional Team: Drive the coordination amongst sales, application engineering, process engineering, purchasing, finance, quality, launch and operations to create team accountability for project coordination.
• Track Program Financials: Monitor program expenditures, investment and budgets, tooling costs, material cost and manufacturing cost metrics to protect project profitability.
• Enforce APQP Gateways: Ensure strict compliance and disciplined progression through all brake pad launch phases and milestones.
• Manage Risk Proactively: Identify critical path delays or resource bottlenecks early, implementing mitigation strategies.
• Coordinate ECRs: Manage customer-requested and internal cost-saving Engineering Change Requests from a timeline and implementation perspective.
• Lead VAVE Initiatives: Direct VAVE projects, ensuring cross-functional execution to meet piece-price cost reduction or additional profit targets

Requirements:

• Language: Fluent English both written and spoken; + German is preferred
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering. Master’s degree is preferred
• Experience: 5+ years of experience in project/program management, ideally in Tier-1 environment.
• Technical Skills:
• Automotive APQP knowledge + PPAP experience is a must.
• PMP certification is preferred.
• Knowledge of braking products and customers is a plus.
• Soft Skills:
• Strong leadership, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to interface effectively with clients, internal teams and occasionally C-level.
• Portfolio management: proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• High level of organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage ambiguity.