Program Manager

Location: West Henrietta

Title:

Program Manager

Department:

Program Management

Reports To:

VP of Programs

SEE YOUR CAREER THROUGH A NEW LENS WITH RPO!

RPO is a global leader in precision optics, optical components, and optical assemblies. We specialize in a full spectrum of products & services including - Design and Engineering, Systems Integration, Lens Assembly, Visible and Infrared Components, Glass and Plastic Molded Aspheres, and Thin Film Coating. As one of the fastest growing companies in Rochester, RPO offers exciting career paths and work on market-leading programs.

See below one of many career opportunities to join the RPO team!

Position Overview:

The Program Manager is responsible for leading complex customer programs from contract award through final delivery, ensuring technical, operational, financial, and customer requirements are successfully achieved. Serving as the primary point of coordination between customers and internal teams, our program managers drive program execution across engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and operations. This is a highly visible role that requires a proactive, results-oriented approach to program execution.

The successful candidate will leverage strong technical and business acumen to align cross-functional teams, manage risk, drive accountability, and resolve challenges before they impact performance. This individual will serve as a key driver of program success, ensuring customer commitments, business objectives, and operational goals are achieved through effective leadership and collaboration.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead complex customer programs from contract award through production and final delivery, ensuring commitments related to scope, schedule, cost, quality, and technical performance are achieved.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for customers, maintaining strong relationships and providing clear communication regarding program status, milestones, risks, and deliverables.
• Partner closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Contracts, and Business Development teams to drive successful program execution.
• Translate customer requirements into actionable plans, ensuring all stakeholders understand priorities, deliverables, and expectations.
• Develop and maintain integrated program schedules, resource plans, budgets, and performance metrics to support successful execution.
• Lead cross-functional program reviews, ensuring critical actions, risks, and decisions are identified, communicated, and resolved in a timely manner.
• Proactively identify program risks, resource constraints, and execution challenges, developing mitigation plans before they impact customer commitments.
• Drive accountability across functional teams by removing obstacles, facilitating decision-making, and maintaining focus on program objectives.
• Monitor program performance against established milestones, budgets, and key performance indicators, implementing corrective actions when necessary.
• Manage program scope changes, customer requests, and contract modifications while ensuring impacts to cost, schedule, and resources are properly evaluated and communicated.
• Support proposal development, quoting activities, and program planning efforts by providing schedule, resource, cost, and risk assessments.
• Collaborate with operations and engineering teams to support product development, qualification, transition to production, and ongoing operational success.
• Prepare and present program updates, forecasts, and performance metrics to customers, leadership teams, and executive stakeholders.
• Drive continuous improvement efforts that enhance program execution, customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and overall business performance.
• Maintain accurate program documentation, financial tracking, revenue forecasts, and reporting throughout the program lifecycle.

Required Skills &

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Engineering Technology, Business Administration, Operations Management, Program Management, or a related discipline. An engineering degree is strongly preferred for candidates supporting complex technical programs.
• Minimum 7 years of experience leading customer-facing programs, projects, product development initiatives, or manufacturing operations within a technical, engineering, or manufacturing environment.
• Familiarity with Program Management requirements and standards within a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) contracting environment, government programs, or highly regulated manufacturing industries is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated success managing complex programs involving cross-functional teams, multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, and aggressive schedules.
• Strong ability to understand technical requirements, engineering concepts, manufacturing processes, and customer specifications, and translate them into actionable execution plans.
• Experience managing program schedules, budgets, resources, risks, and deliverables throughout the full program lifecycle.
• Proven ability to lead…