Hourly Program Manager Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Monoprice is seeking an experienced Program Manager to own and drive the New Product Introduction (NPI) stage-gate portfolio across multiple product categories. The Program Manager is the process owner for NPI: responsible for gate approvals, RFQ package assembly, schedule integrity, and continuous process improvement across a portfolio of concurrent projects. In this role, the Program Manager provides strategic guidance to Product Managers and tactical support to keep products moving through each stage on time, on budget, and to approved specifications.

The ideal candidate is a strong leader with experience managing direct and indirect cross-functional teams across geographically diverse locations, including offshore and time zone-separated partners. The role is AI-forward: the Program Manager deploys AI agents for document production, reviews and QA’s AI-generated work products, and drives continuous improvement of the tools and workflows the team relies on.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own and maintain the NPI stage gate process, including gate approval authority, operating template governance in Asana, and process improvement across the portfolio
• Serve as the primary process approver: validate PRD completion, confirm project tier classification (Express or Full), and hold gates for Concept Inception, PO Release, and Industry/Technology Compliance
• Assemble and deliver RFQ/RFP packages (PRD, RFQ letter, pricing worksheet) to Sourcing; facilitate vendor cost chart review and present findings to Supply Chain and Purchasing for vendor selection
• Work closely with Product Managers, Sourcing, Compliance, Finance, Sales, and Supply Chain to keep projects moving through each stage gate on schedule and within the approved cost baseline
• Own the portfolio review cadence: compile KPI reports covering schedule variance, cost variance, holds, and gate completion; facilitate recovery discussions for at-risk projects; escalate resource conflicts to leadership
• Track schedule baselines from Go-To-Development (GTD) Approval; monitor the cost variance flag and HOLD triggers; take proactive steps to minimize delays in delivery
• Direct and develop the Project Coordinator pool (Manila-based): set standards for Asana data quality, AI agent operation, and status digest compilation; provide escalation support across all active portfolios
• Forecast potential schedule delays and develop recovery plans with the cross-functional team; track on-time, on-budget, and on-spec KPIs against GTD-frozen baselines
• Oversee multiple project teams with a mix of direct and indirect reports across time zones to ensure program goals are reached
• Apply change, risk, and resource management; maintain gate approval records and compliance documentation in SharePoint
• Assess program performance; lead post-mortem reviews and drive quarterly process improvement cycles
• Prepare portfolio status reports and gate review packages for NPI project stakeholders and executive sponsors
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, the employee must satisfactorily perform each essential duty. The requirements listed below represent the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Proven experience as a Program Manager or other managerial position
• Thorough understanding of project/program management techniques and methods
• Demonstrated experience in new product introduction within the consumer electronics and/or consumer audio space is a must
• Motivated self-starter with high attention to detail; able to critically evaluate and QA AI-generated documentation before it advances in the process
• Demonstrated experience managing cross-functional teams in geographically diverse locations
• Excellent knowledge of project performance evaluation and change management principles
• Working proficiency in Asana, or similar platforms, for portfolio and project management is required; experience with AI productivity tools (Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, or comparable agents) is required; MS Office proficiency expected
• Proven, excellent communication skills, meeting organization, and management
• Excellent problem-solving ability
• Curious, driven, and respectful
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience