Software Program Manager

Software Program Manager

Southfield, MI

Pay: $68.99 - $84.81 per hour

The Software Program Manager is responsible for leading embedded software development programs from initiation through delivery while ensuring alignment with project schedules, customer requirements, quality standards, and business objectives. This role serves as the primary point of coordination between software engineering teams, cross‑functional stakeholders, customers, and leadership to ensure the successful execution of complex software development projects. The Software Program Manager oversees project planning, risk management, resource coordination, and software delivery activities while driving continuous improvement within software development and project management processes.

• Lead embedded software development programs through all phases of the project lifecycle.
• Develop and maintain project scope, work breakdown structures (WBS), schedules, milestones, and delivery plans.
• Coordinate software development activities with hardware development, testing, manufacturing, and customer timelines.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for customers and stakeholders regarding program status, risks, and deliverables.
• Lead project review meetings, steering committee discussions, and status reporting activities.
• Identify, assess, and manage technical, resource, schedule, and project risks while developing mitigation strategies.
• Escalate critical issues and risks to leadership when necessary.
• Manage customer change requests and evaluate impacts to scope, schedule, budget, and resources.
• Coordinate software releases, testing activities, and product validation efforts.
• Facilitate collaboration among software engineers, systems engineers, quality teams, product owners, Scrum Masters, and cross‑functional stakeholders.
• Support Agile development practices, including Sprint Planning, Daily Standups, Retrospectives, and other project management activities.
• Ensure software development processes comply with applicable quality, safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives related to software development life cycles, project execution, and process efficiency.
• Develop and present project status reports, technical updates, and executive‑level presentations.
• Lead global and cross‑functional teams to achieve project objectives and deliverables.
• Support project estimation, proposal development, and new business opportunities as needed.

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum of 5 years of project or program management experience supporting embedded software development projects.
• Strong understanding of software development life cycles, project management methodologies, and product development processes.
• Experience leading cross‑functional and geographically dispersed project teams.
• Experience managing project schedules, budgets, risks, resources, and deliverables.
• Knowledge of Agile methodologies, Scrum practices, and traditional project management approaches.
• Experience coordinating software development activities with testing, validation, and hardware development teams.
• Strong customer‑facing communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and leadership skills.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and problem‑solving abilities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Project, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast‑paced environment.

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline required.
• Master's degree, MBA, or other advanced degree preferred.

• Minimum of 5 years of experience managing embedded software development projects or programs.
• Experience with in automotive, transportation, industrial automation, embedded systems, or related engineering environments preferred.
• Experience with requirements management, change management, and configuration management processes preferred.
• Experience supporting software testing,…