Sr. IT Program Manager; Manufacturing

Overview

Senior Program Manager – Manufacturing Digital Transformation

Location:
Detroit Metropolitan Area (Local candidates only)

Work Model: Hybrid (Onsite preferred; limited remote flexibility after ramp-up)

Long Term Contract

This position seeks a Senior Program Manager to lead large-scale manufacturing digital transformation initiatives
, with a focus on Smart Factory / Industry 4.0 programs
. This role is responsible for providing end-to-end program leadership
, governance, and value realization across multiple manufacturing sites and digital work streams.

This is a hands-on, transformational leadership role
—ideal for someone who has successfully led complex manufacturing programs, understands plant-floor operations, and can guide organizations through the transition from traditional waterfall delivery to Agile execution models
.

The role reports directly to senior manufacturing digital leadership and partners closely with plant leadership, IT, and external vendors.

• Lead program and portfolio management (PPM) for manufacturing digitalization initiatives, including:
• MES / MOM platforms
• SCADA and machine connectivity
• Traceability solutions
• Manufacturing data platforms and analytics
• Own program-level planning and execution
  , coordinating multiple projects, vendors, and work streams across plants, regions, and central teams
• Establish and operate a structured program management framework
  , including:
• Demand intake and prioritization
• Funding and financial governance
• Delivery cadence and milestones
• Risk, issue, and dependency management

• Facilitate regular program and portfolio reviews with business and IT leadership to assess progress, risks, and corrective actions
• Enforce delivery standards and controls
  , including SDLC alignment, change control, release governance, and documentation
• Drive value realization by ensuring digital initiatives deliver measurable improvements in manufacturing performance, stability, and scalability
• Enable scalable rollouts of digital solutions across multiple plants while balancing standardization with local operational constraints

• Lead and support the organization’s transition from Waterfall to Agile delivery models
• Partner with business stakeholders to introduce Agile thinking, planning, and execution practices
• Ensure consistent Agile execution across projects while maintaining strong governance and accountability
• Oversee system integrators and vendors
  , holding them accountable for quality, schedule, and cost
• Budget planning and forecasting
• Spend tracking and variance analysis
• PO oversight and financial controls
• Utilize PPM tools (e.g.,
  Planview – nice to have) to maintain transparency and executive-level reporting
• Provide guidance and oversight to 2–3 Project Managers
  , Analysts, and Digital Product Owners
• Act as a collaborative leader in a flat, cross-functional environment
• Proactively resolve program-level risks, escalations, and cross-plant impacts

• Program or Project leadership experience with heavy exposure to manufacturing environments
• Proven success leading large-scale manufacturing transformations (Smart Factory / Industry 4.0)
• Strong understanding of plant-floor operations, manufacturing processes, and terminology
• Experience overseeing MES implementations (specific platform experience not required - they are implementing Apprise Deso systems)
• Exposure to SCADA, machine connectivity, and manufacturing systems integration
• Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-site manufacturing programs
• Strong financial and budget management capabilities at the program level
• Experience working with Agile / Scrum delivery models in enterprise environments
• Ability to hold business stakeholders and vendors accountable while maintaining strong partnerships

• Exposure to ERP integrations (SAP exposure helpful but not required)
• Experience with Planview or similar PPM platforms
• Background in industries beyond automotive (automotive experience not required)
• Prior experience leading organizational change from Waterfall to Agile