Apqp Program Manager Jobs in Madison, WI (NOW HIRING)

Position Summary:

The Engineering Manager serves as a technical leader responsible for guiding the design, development, and launch of pressure and ultrasonic sensing products. This role combines deep engineering expertise with team leadership to advance sensor technologies from concept through production.

The position provides technical direction for engineers developing oil-filled piezoresistive, ceramic capacitive, and thin-film pressure sensors, as well as ultrasonic level and fluid quality sensing systems. In addition to leading a team, the manager plays a hands-on role in shaping architecture, solving complex technical challenges, and ensuring robust product performance in demanding applications.

This role is accountable for delivering innovative, reliable, and manufacturable products that meet customer, quality, cost, and performance requirements while developing engineering talent and strengthening product development practices.

Position Requirements:

1. Engineering Leadership & Engineering Execution
   1. Lead and develop a team of product development engineers across mechanical, electrical, and systems disciplines
   2. Provide technical direction on product architecture, design approaches, and engineering tradeoffs
   3. Own execution of new product development programs from concept through validation and launch
   4. Drive disciplined engineering practices in requirements definition, design reviews, verification, and validation
   5. Serve as a hands-on technical resource in sensor design, packaging, and system integration
2. Sensor Technology & Design Oversight
   1. Oversee development of oil-filled piezoresistive pressure sensors, ceramic capacitive sensors, thin-film pressure sensors, and ultrasonic sensing systems
   2. Guide critical architecture decisions including sensing element selection, media isolation, sealing strategies, and electronics integration
   3. Ensure robust designs for harsh environments involving vibration, temperature extremes, and chemical exposure
   4. Drive design for manufacturability, assembly robustness, and scalable production
3. Customer & Application Focus
   1. Work directly with customers to understand operating environments and translate real-world needs into engineering requirements
   2. Support prototype evaluations, technical reviews, and issue resolution
   3. Ensure product designs are aligned to actual application demands in agriculture, industrial, and commercial vehicle environments
4. Cross-Functional Technical Collaboration
   1. Partner with manufacturing engineering to develop capable and repeatable production processes
   2. Collaborate with quality teams on APQP activities including DFMEA, PFMEA, validation, and PPAP
   3. Work with sourcing and suppliers on critical components and materials
   4. Interface with global engineering teams as needed
5. Validation, Reliability & Problem Solving
   1. Define and oversee validation strategies for environmental, durability, and application-specific testing
   2. Drive corrective actions and continuous design improvements
   3. Establish best practices for rugged sensor design, reliability, and validation
6. Individuals directed by management to operate a vehicle for work purposes will observe the requirements of the Fleet Safety Program.
7. Support, promote, and perform in a manner consistent with continuous improvement goals and the values of SSI Technologies, LLC. which includes following the policies, procedures, and requirements of our Quality Management and IS0 14001 Environmental Management Systems.
8. All other duties as assigned by your supervisor.

Professional/Technical Experience, Skills and Education:

1. Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related field (Master’s preferred), required.
2. 7–12+ years of experience in product development engineering, preferably in sensors or harsh-environment systems, required.
3. Demonstrated experience with oil-filled piezoresistive pressure sensor design, required.
4. Working knowledge ceramic capacitive and thin-film sensing technologies, required.
5. Proven experience leading engineering teams and delivering products to production, required.
6. Strong understanding of mechanical design, electronics integration, and environmental protection methods, required.
7. Experience with structured development processes (e.g., stage-gate, APQP), required.
8. Experience with ultrasonic sensing or time-of-flight measurement systems, preferred.
9. Background in agriculture, industrial equipment, or heavy-duty vehicle applications. Familiarity with DEF systems or fluid sensing applications, preferred.
10. Experience with reliability engineering and accelerated life testing, preferred.
11. Exposure to global engineering or offshore support teams, preferred.

Key Attributes:

• Has a high degree of latitude/minor oversight
• Handles the most complex of issues.
• Advanced level of knowledge.
• Acts as a leader.

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.