Program Manager Contract Jobs in Minnesota (NOW HIRING)

Headquartered in Eden Prairie, MN, Williams AV designs and manufactures assistive communication technology. Initially known for its assistive listening products, the company has since expanded its offerings for solutions that address audio challenges in various environments and applications.At our core lies a commitment to empower connections, guided by what we stand for: Lead with Curiosity, Win Together, Own It, and Be There. By embracing these values, we forge meaningful connections that fuel our success and cultivate an environment where ideas thrive and individuals are empowered.Summary: The Technical Program Manager serves as the engineering organization's dedicated program leader for active New Product Development projects and select continuation engineering efforts, driving cross-functional execution from planning through launch. The Technical Program Manager runs and continuously improves the phase-gate NPD process, including right-sized approaches for projects with varying scope, complexity, and external partner involvement, while helping integrate Agile software and firmware execution into broader phase-gate governance. Using technical acumen, data-driven judgment, and clear, audience-aware communication, this role clarifies trade-offs, drives decisions, coordinates stakeholders at all levels of the organization, and keeps teams and leaders informed and aligned on priorities, risks, decisions, and next steps.Responsibilities: Lead multiple New Product Development (NPD) and continuation engineering projects from planning through launch, managing scope, schedule, budget, quality, manufacturability, resource constraints, and launch readinessDrive alignment across engineering, product management, operations, manufacturing, quality, suppliers and executive stakeholders to ensure timely decisions, effective trade-off management and successful product deliveryMaintain project plans, resource forecasts, risk registers, and dependency maps that provide visibility into ownership, risks, decisions and execution across engineering, product management, operations, quality, manufacturing, suppliers, and other stakeholdersFacilitate project meetings, reviews, and decision-making forums, ensuring clear ownership, action items, and timely follow-upUse technical acumen and data-driven judgement to identify product architecture trade-offs, cross-functional dependencies, and technical, schedule, business, or resource risks translating them into clear business impacts, escalation paths, and actionable recommendations, communicated with the right level of detail and cadence for each audienceDevelop and maintain project management standards, templates, metrics, dashboards, and reporting tools that improve visibility, predictability, and execution without adding unnecessary process burdenMonitor portfolio capacity and resource constraints to support data-driven prioritization and investment decisionsLead project risk assessments, gate reviews, and post-launch retrospectives to improve execution and organizational learningChampion project management best practices and a culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement across the organizationQualifications:Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent technical product development experience5+ years of experience in technical program or project management, including hands-on engineering experience in a related technical disciplineProven track record leading a physical/electronic hardware product development projects from concept through launch including prototype builds, testing, and manufacturing hand-offProven success leading multiple cross-functional product development projects as the primary ownerExperience working within phase-gate product development processes and hybrid development environments that integrate Agile execution within broader phase-gate governanceExceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build alignment, drive decisions, and maintain trust across cross-functional teams and leadershipStrong analytical and data-driven decision-making skills, including experience using project metrics to improve predictability, execution, and prioritization.Experience coordinating external suppliers, development partners, contract manufacturers, or third-party technology providers, including dependency management, issue escalation, and launch readiness follow-throughProficiency with project planning, collaboration, reporting, and analytics tools such as MS Project, Jira, etc.