Apqp Program Manager Jobs in Hartford, CT (NOW HIRING)

New England Expert Technologies (NE-XT) is a precision aerospace manufacturing company located at 545 Marshall Phelps Road. We specialize in the production of high-precision machined components and assemblies for the aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing industries.

Using state-of-the-art CNC machining technology, advanced inspection equipment, and rigorous quality control processes, NE-XT delivers complex, mission-critical components with exceptional accuracy and reliability.

At NE-XT, our employees are the foundation of our success. We foster a culture of teamwork, accountability, professional growth, and continuous improvement while investing in the people, processes, and technologies required to support our customers.

Join NE-XT and help build the components that power the future of aerospace innovation.

The Manager, Supply Chain & Program Management is responsible for leading NE-XT's supply chain organization while providing cross-functional leadership for assigned aerospace customer programs.

This position oversees sourcing, procurement, planning, inventory management, supplier performance, delivery assurance, logistics, and material availability while also coordinating program execution from new product introduction through production.

The successful candidate will work closely with customers, Operations, Engineering, Quality, Finance, and Business Development to ensure program requirements, schedules, costs, risks, and customer commitments are effectively managed.

This is a hands-on leadership position requiring the ability to balance strategic initiatives with the daily execution needs of a growing aerospace manufacturing operation. Aerospace manufacturing and supply chain experience is required.

• Serve as the primary crossfunctional coordinator for assigned customer programs from contract award and NPI through production and delivery.
• Develop and maintain program schedules, milestones, action registers, and customer deliverables.
• Coordinate Engineering, Quality, Operations, Supply Chain, and other functional resources to ensure program requirements and commitments are achieved.
• Lead program kickoff meetings and recurring internal program reviews.
• Monitor program performance against schedule, cost, quality, and delivery objectives.
• Identify program risks, constraints, and opportunities and drive mitigation and recovery plans.
• Coordinate NPI activities including material availability, tooling, outside processing, supplier readiness, FAI requirements, and production launch.
• Support execution and tracking of First Article Inspection (FAI) requirements and customer approval milestones.
• Maintain visibility of customer requirements, priorities, engineering changes, and delivery commitments across the organization.
• Communicate program status, risks, schedule changes, and recovery plans to leadership as appropriate.
• Manage customer requirements and program changes for assigned programs, including purchase order revisions, contractual flowdowns, engineering changes, scope changes, and customer requests; assess impacts to cost, schedule, material, quality, and capacity.
• Coordinate with Business Development, Finance, Quality, and Operations to ensure customer purchase orders, longterm agreements, pricing assumptions, and contractual commitments are accurately translated into executable program plans.
• Facilitate lessons learned and continuous improvement activities throughout the program lifecycle.
Strategic Supply Chain Leadership
• Develop and execute supply chain strategies aligned with company growth, customer, and operational objectives.
• Lead supplier development initiatives and strategic sourcing programs.
• Lead S&OP activities and longrange material and supplier capacity planning.
• Develop supply chain risk mitigation and business continuity plans.
• Establish sourcing strategies for critical materials, outside processing, tooling, and purchased components.
• Support makeversusbuy and capacity planning decisions.
Tactical Supply Chain Leadership
• Manage procurement, planning, inventory control, and logistics activities.
• Review MRP recommendations and ensure alignment with production and customer priorities.
• Expedite critical materials and resolve supplier delivery issues.
• Participate in daily production meetings and support customer delivery commitments.
• Ensure material, outside processing, tooling, and purchasedcomponent requirements support program schedules.
• Coordinate priorities between customer requirements, production schedules, and supplier commitments.
Supplier Quality & Development
• Partner with Quality Assurance to improve supplier quality performance.
• Support supplier audits, SCARs, root cause corrective action, PPAP/APQP, and FAI activities as applicable.
• Monitor supplier quality metrics and drive corrective actions.
• Participate in supplier qualification, capability assessment, and development initiatives.
• Ensure supplier performance supports aerospace quality, delivery, and regulatory requirements.
Delivery Assurance
• Drive supplier ontime delivery performance through KPI management and structured supplier followup.
• Conduct supplier capacity assessments and risk reviews.
• Develop and execute recovery plans for critical suppliers and materials.
• Maintain supplier performance dashboards and reporting metrics.
• Proactively identify material and supplier constraints that could affect customer program milestones.
Continuous Improvement
• Lead Kaizen events, Rapid Improvement Events (RIEs), and Lean initiatives.
• Utilize Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies to improve supply chain and program execution.
• Improve ERP/MRP utilization, data integrity, and planning accuracy.
• Develop scalable supply chain and program management processes and procedures.
• Establish meaningful KPIs for supplier performance, inventory, program execution, customer delivery, and operational effectiveness.
Compliance
• Support compliance with AS9100 quality management system requirements.
• Maintain compliance with ITAR and applicable exportcontrol requirements.
• Support FAR/DFARS requirements and customer flowdowns when applicable.
• Ensure purchasing and supplier controls meet applicable customer, regulatory, and qualitysystem requirements.
• Support configuration and changecontrol requirements affecting suppliers and customer programs.
Compensation & Benefits

Base Salary Range: $125,000 - $155,000 annually, depending on experience, qualifications, and demonstrated aerospace program-management capability.

NE-XT offers a competitive employee benefits package. Benefit eligibility and specific plan terms are subject to applicable company plans and policies.

Required Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, Operations, or related field.
• 6+ years of progressive supply chain experience in aerospace manufacturing.
• 3+ years of leadership experience in aerospace, defense, or another highly regulated manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing crossfunctional projects or customer programs.
• Strong ERP/MRP knowledge and experience.
• Proven supplier management, sourcing, negotiation, and deliveryassurance experience.
• Working knowledge of AS9100 and aerospace quality requirements.
• Experience supporting NPI, FAI, engineering changes, and production launch activities.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and problemsolving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and programs in a fastpaced manufacturing environment.
Preferred Qualifications
• Previous aerospace program management experience.
• PMP certification or demonstrated equivalent experience leading aerospace programs through NPI, FAI, and serial production.
• Experience managing customerfacing aerospace programs from NPI through production.
• Experience with program financial management, including cost, margin, and revenue performance.
• APICS CPIM, CSCP, or CLTD certification.
• CPSM certification.
• Lean Six Sigma certification.
• Familiarity with FAR/DFARS, ITAR, and U.S. Government contracting requirements.
• Experience with aerospace ERP systems and advanced planning tools.