Program Manager II

Nippon Seiki is a world-class manufacturer of instruments for vehicles, agricultural, and construction equipment. Established in 1945, Nippon Seiki Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Japan, with numerous facilities worldwide. Nippon Seiki North America ("NSNA"), a group company of Nippon Seiki, located in Auburn Hills, MI, is a tier one supplier of instrument clusters and head-up display units for FCA US, General Motors, BMW, Honda, Harley Davidson, Suzuki, Polaris, Arctic Cat and other OEM's.

The Program Manager will lead a multi-disciplined team, from award of business through End of Production (EOP), to ensure that project milestones and deliverables are completed on-time and meet the expectations of internal and external customers. This role will communicate with the customer regarding program deliverables and cascading these expectations throughout the organization as well as managing project budgets to ensure control and compliance.

Top duties or activities in a given year. Not all tasks/steps performed are listed.

• Direct and oversee timely submission of all customer required documents & Customer Specific Requirements (CSR) throughout the product development lifecycle; track and communicate program status to management via the APQP Gate Review process, Launch Readiness checklists and monthly KPI reporting.
• Strong coordination with cross-functional teams to maintain the status of assigned programs and assure compliance with customer portals and other tasks as needed.
• Independently develop program timing including program milestones, phases and objectives for assigned projects, based on the awarded scope and requirements.
• Maintain program timelines through weekly status meetings and open issue tracking, to proactively identify risks, implement mitigation strategies, and execute recovery plans to protect baseline timing.
• Manage high level project specific financial budget(s) for Tooling (budget vs actual) and coordinate cost calculation inputs to report on key items such as operating expenses D&D, capital expenditures, SGA, etc.
• Support program level financial analysis for commercial activities.
• Support OEM Industrialization reporting for RFQs and new business projects to distribute program requirements to cross-functional team members, and coordinate manufacturing feasibility and risk assessments.
• Change Management/VAVE:
  Work directly with Sales, Engineering and Manufacturing to determine feasibility, cost, and engineering hours for new/existing product changes and capacity increase through implementation.
• Ensure compliance with department processes and store required evidence in preparation for internal/external audits, as well as participate in cross-functional process reviews.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Engineering, or related field is preferred.

• 5+ years of program management experience, working with an automotive OEM is prefered.
• Strong management of project timing and ensuring on-time deliverables.
• Ability to mentor and support other team members through extensive experience and knowledge of PM function.
• Subject matter expert on APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, production processes and the OEM development cycle.
• Understanding and significant knowledge of automotive electronics and engineering development.
• Experience leading a successful automotive launch, within budget and similar product complexity to company electronics.
• Advanced proficiency with MS Office programs including:
  Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and MS Project.

• Observation, understanding, and execution of applicable company ISO/TS/IATF certification standards related to the role and impact on the overall organization.
• Accredited Program Management training or certification preferred.

• Adaptation/Flexibility:
  Includes keeping an open mind regarding new ideas and ways of doing things. Willing to consider alternative interpretations or ways of looking at the situation. Demonstrating flexibility.
• Initiative/Results Driven:
  Includes setting high standards of performance for self and others. Striving to accomplish goals even if it means personal…