Associate Director, Program Management

Salary Range: $ To $ Annually

The Associate Director, Program Management provides strategic and operational leadership for SMC's Program Management organization and is accountable for the successful execution of the company's customer program portfolio.

This position leads the Program Management team and establishes the processes, systems, standards, and operating practices necessary to consistently deliver complex customer programs from program award through new product development, tooling, process development, validation, manufacturing launch, and sustaining production.

The Associate Director is responsible for ensuring programs are effectively planned, resourced, scheduled, financially managed, and executed in alignment with customer expectations, SMC's quality standards, operational capabilities, contractual commitments, and business objectives.

The position works closely with Sales, Engineering, Tooling, Quality, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, and other functional leaders to establish cross-functional alignment and drive successful program execution. The Associate Director serves as a senior leader for customer programs and is responsible for proactively identifying and resolving program risks, issues, resource constraints, and execution challenges.

The Associate Director is also responsible for building a high-performing Program Management organization through effective leadership, coaching, development, accountability, and continuous improvement.

The position requires strong business acumen, customer focus, organizational leadership, and the ability to effectively balance scope, schedule, cost, quality, resources, risk, and customer commitments.

• Lead, develop, and manage the Program Management organization, including Program Managers and other Program Management personnel as assigned.
• Establish clear expectations, priorities, accountability, and performance standards for the Program Management team.
• Provide consistent leadership and direction across the customer program portfolio.
• Ensure Program Managers have the tools, processes, information, and organizational support required to successfully execute their programs.
• Establish and maintain consistent program management practices across SMC.
• Serve as a role model for accountability, customer focus, collaboration, transparency, and operational excellence.

• Provide operational leadership for customer programs from program award through development, tooling, process development, validation, manufacturing launch, and sustaining production.
• Ensure programs are effectively planned and executed against approved scope, schedule, budget, quality requirements, and customer commitments.
• Establish program execution expectations and ensure Program Managers maintain appropriate schedules, milestones, deliverables, and action plans.
• Monitor overall program performance and proactively identify risks, opportunities, and potential impacts to customer commitments.
• Drive timely resolution of program issues and ensure appropriate escalation when issues cannot be resolved within the program team.
• Ensure effective transition of programs through development, validation, manufacturing launch, and sustaining production.
• Establish expectations for effective financial management across the Program Management organization.
• Ensure Program Managers maintain accurate program budgets, forecasts, costs, change orders, and financial projections.
• Monitor program financial performance and identify opportunities to improve profitability.
• Partner with Finance and Program Managers to understand program financial performance and address unfavorable trends.
• Ensure changes in scope, customer requirements, schedule, or execution are appropriately evaluated for financial impact.
• Support commercial discussions and scope-change management with Sales and customers as appropriate.

• Work with Program Managers and functional leaders to identify resource requirements and capacity constraints.
• Monitor resource requirements across the program portfolio and proactively identify conflicts or capacity risks.
• Facilitate cross-functional prioritization of program activities to support customer commitments and business objectives.
• Identify resource gaps and develop recommendations for staffing, outsourcing, scheduling, or other actions required to maintain program performance.
• Maintain visibility to upcoming program resource…