Director Program Management Jobs in Manitowoc, WI

Under the direction of the Director of Engineering, and in close collaboration with the Chief Technology Officer, the Engineering Program Manager leads engineering execution and cross-functional coordination from concept and design through industrialization, launch, and successful transition to serial production. This position owns the integrated program schedule, engineering deliverables, technical issue resolution, and alignment of resources across concurrent programs.

This role works closely with Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, Manufacturing, Program Management, Purchasing, Sales, suppliers, and customers to ensure programs are delivered on time, within approved scope and cost, to specification, and ready for sustained production. The Engineering Program Manager does not directly supervise design engineers on a day-to-day basis, but is accountable for planning, sequencing, and coordinating engineering resources and deliverables; facilitating technical decisions; and identifying the timing, tooling, validation, manufacturing, supplier, and commercial impact of engineering changes before implementation.

1. 
   Engineering Program Leadership and Design Coordination
   
   
   
   • Lead the planning and coordination of engineering resources and priorities across concurrent new product programs, working with Engineering leadership to plan capacity, sequence deliverables, resolve resource conflicts, and maintain accountability for commitments.
   
   
   • Develop and maintain integrated program schedules covering concept, design, prototype, tooling, verification and validation, design freeze, industrialization, PPAP, launch, and post-launch stabilization milestones.
   
   
   • Track engineering deliverables, including CAD data, drawings, specifications, BOMs, DFMEAs, DVP&Rs, test plans, and release documentation, against schedule and proactively communicate risks, recovery actions, and required decisions.
   
   
   • Lead design reviews, technical reviews, and gate reviews, ensuring the appropriate mechanical, electrical, optical, software, quality, manufacturing, supplier, and commercial stakeholders are engaged at the correct stage of development.
   
   
   • Lead Engineering Change Request and Engineering Change Notice activities resulting from testing, customer direction, supplier input, manufacturability concerns, or design improvement. Ensure each change is documented, reviewed, approved, and communicated, including evaluation of piece-price, tooling, capital, validation, timing, manufacturing, inventory, supplier, and customer impacts prior to implementation.
   
   
   • Provide technical leadership during program execution by identifying engineering issues, facilitating tradeoff discussions, assigning corrective actions, and driving timely closure of design, manufacturing, supplier, validation, and customer concerns.
   
   
   
   


2. 
   Industrialization and New Product Launch
   
   
   
   • Lead the transition of new designs from Engineering into Manufacturing Engineering and Manufacturing, ensuring design for manufacturability and assembly, tooling, equipment, process, capacity, quality, and cost requirements are identified and addressed early in development.
   
   
   • Own and maintain the cross-functional launch plan (e.g., APQP/PPAP or equivalent stage-gate process), integrating design, tooling, process validation, and quality milestones into a single program timeline.
   
   
   • Plan and lead prototype builds, engineering builds, pilot runs, and production trials with Manufacturing Engineering and Manufacturing, ensuring issues are documented, assigned, resolved, and verified before launch.
   
   
   • Own launch-readiness tracking for tooling, equipment, purchased components, work instructions, quality documentation, validation, capacity, staffing, and training; establish recovery plans and elevate unresolved risks to the Director of Engineering and CTO.
   
   
   • Coordinate engineering activities with suppliers to ensure timely delivery and approval of prototype parts, production tooling, purchased components, validation samples, and production‑intent materials.
   
   
   • Support post-launch stabilization, coordinating engineering support for early production issues until the program is formally handed off to sustaining/Manufacturing teams.
   
   
   
   


3. 
   Cross-Functional Relationship Management
   
   
   
   • Serve as the primary Engineering point of contact for Quality on new product programs, coordinating DFMEAs, PFMEAs, control plans, inspection criteria, validation requirements, corrective actions, and design-related quality concerns.
   
   
   • Partner with Manufacturing Engineering on process design, tooling, fixturing, and manufacturability feedback, ensuring input is incorporated into the design before design freeze where practical.
   
   
   • Coordinate with Manufacturing on line/cell readiness, staffing, training needs, and production trial support ahead of launch.
   
   
   • Align with Program Management, Sales, and Finance on program scope, timing, customer commitments, commercial assumptions, and change impacts, ensuring engineering and industrialization plans support the approved business case and customer requirements.
   
   
   • Communicate program status, technical risks, cost impacts, timing concerns, decisions, and recovery plans clearly and consistently across Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, Manufacturing, Program Management, Purchasing, Sales, suppliers, and customers.
   
   
   • Participate in technical discussions with OEM and Tier 1 customers, being accountable for presenting design status, engineering changes, validation results, open issues, risks, and recovery plans in support of Design Engineers.
   
   
   
   


4. 
   Program Management and Reporting
   
   
   
   • Provide regular program status updates to the Director of Engineering and maintain close, collaborative communication with the CTO, including schedule, risk, and resource status.
   
   
   • Maintain program documentation, action item logs, and decision records for assigned new product programs.
   
   
   • Proactively identify and drive resolution of technical, commercial, manufacturing, supplier, validation, cost, and schedule risks. Develop mitigation and recovery plans and elevate promptly when issues cannot be resolved at the working level.
   
   
   • Assess product and process maturity to determine readiness for prototype builds, customer demonstrations, tooling release, DV/PV testing, PPAP, and production launch.
   
   
   • Support continuous improvement of the design-to-launch process, incorporating lessons learned from completed programs.
   
   
   
   

This list of duties and responsibilities is not all inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities as deemed necessary.

• Demonstrated proficiency leading complex, cross-functional automotive engineering programs from concept and design through validation, industrialization, PPAP, launch, and post-launch stabilization.


• B.S. in Engineering (Mechanical or Electrical preferred) with 7-10 years of related automotive product-development experience in engineering design, manufacturing, validation, industrialization, or new product launch.


• Experience coordinating industrialization activities (tooling, process validation, pilot builds) with Manufacturing Engineering and Manufacturing.


• Strong working knowledge of automotive product-development and launch disciplines, including APQP, PPAP, DFMEA, PFMEA, DVP&Rs, DV/PV, design reviews, GD&T, DFM/DFA, corrective action, and engineering change control.


• Proficient in project scheduling tools such as Microsoft Project or equivalent, with sufficient CAD and PLM capability to review engineering data, releases, and change status using Teamcenter, CATIA, NX, SolidWorks, or equivalent systems.


• Ability to understand technical issues across mechanical, electrical, optical, software, manufacturing, and validation disciplines and to facilitate fact-based tradeoff decisions.


• Demonstrated ability to evaluate ECR/ECN impacts, including piece price, tooling, capital, supplier cost, validation, inventory, manufacturing, timing, and customer-commercial implications.


• Proficient in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.


• Strong communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to align Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, Manufacturing, Program Management, and Design Engineering around a common plan.


• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage and prioritize multiple concurrent programs.


• PMP certification or equivalent project management training is a plus.


• Previous experience directing or coordinating the work of design engineers, without formal supervisory authority, is preferred but not required.

• Competitive wages.


• Clean, safe and climate-controlled environment.


• Paid time off.


• Paid holidays.


• Company provided STD, LTD and life insurance.


• Employee Assistance Program provides 100% confidential 24/7 support, resources, and referrals for work and personal life challenges at no cost to employees and family members.


• 401(K) with company match.


• Onsite fitness center.


• Employee game room.


• Tuition assistance program.


• Employee referral program.


• Monthly employee appreciation anniversary day.


• Offsite wellness center.


• Summer picnic and winter holiday party.


• Free soda and coffee!

If you’re ready to contribute to an innovative company that values quality and safety, apply today to become part of the Muth Company family!