Program Manager Contract Jobs in Gardner, MA (NOW HIRING)

DRS NPS has an immediate need for an Operations Program Manager who will perform overall operations and functional planning for the execution of assigned program(s). He/she will drive to closure all new product introduction support from an operations standpoint. This includes scheduling the entire program to successfully launch manufacturing operations, working cross functionally with Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing and leading projects and process to drive On Time Delivery.

• Review new bid requirements with the Operations Managers (Production, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, and Warehouse).  Evaluate business forecasts and pinpoint any areas of vulnerability of company requirements.  Establish plans for all development efforts to hit customer milestones business requirements.
• Hold a production kick-off meeting with the Operations team after the initial Kick-Off held by the Program Manager advising of the scope of the award and expectations on the shop floor.  Ensure the appropriate contract flow-downs are identified and passed on to Shipping, Manufacturing, etc.  Drive cross-functionally to ensure manufacturing start dates are met to achieve customer and business objectives.
• Interact with Program Management on Program Cost issues and required details. Monitor Target Costs against Proposal Costs for manufacturing labor and other operational costs.
• Coordinate with Engineering and Quality on a team approach to shop floor management, needed audits and assessments, and all test node pass/fail criteria.  Non-conformance management plan should be created during the development cycle.
• Advise planning, engineering, and drafting of item master errors, updates, or omissions in relation to mil-specs or new or obsolete items.  Monitor creation of manufacturing documentation (PATH documents) during development to ensure readiness for manufacturing.
• Advise planning, engineering and contracts of changes in direct labor or support requirements that produce cost-prohibitive or lead times detrimental to project requirements.
• Assist with communication between manufacturing, manufacturing engineering, quality, and others.  Monitor during weekly Program meetings for any "potential" issues that can be addressed early on.
• Audit BOM's during development to ensure no material was missed and BOM's meet requirements for Production and Material Handling.
• Help expedite critical components to ensure on-time deliveries to achieve manufacturing start date milestones. Be prepared to address any current or potential parts issues
• Look for creative ways to improve Operations' ability to make contributions to the company's goals.  Improve understanding of Operations relationship to the over-all company plans and strategy.
• Research and analyze costing information for cost reduction
• Evaluate dispositioned discrepancy reports, signed off by program engineers and Q.C. engineers, and submitting information to both for re-evaluation.
• Represent Operations during Customer Negotiations and Customer Program reviews, Review and validate any bids, Supply copies of PO's/LOC's, Prepare charts for Customer presentations

• BS degree in operations management, business or engineering.  3+ years demonstrated experience in low volume manufacturing in high technology applications in the aerospace or defense industry.
• Demonstrated knowledge of supply chain management tools and procedures
• Demonstrated leadership and management skills in an operational role, particularly "influence management" and "conflict resolution"
• Experience with metrics for assessing and reporting program and/or operations progress, productivity and variance analysis.
• Experience in finance, engineering, logistics, manufacturing
• Strong customer interface skills
• Demonstrated problem solving skills
• Must have a successful track record in managing complex new product development efforts in high technology industries activities
• Must have excellent oral and written communication skills
• US citizenship required

Additional Desirable Qualifications Skills and Knowledge

• Experience in DoD, ITAR, EAR, FAR, DFAR regulations.