Program Manager I Jobs in Lowell, MA (NOW HIRING)

Hiring an Operations Program Manager for a large tech company!

Job Description

The Project/Program Manager I is responsible for coordinating and driving the execution of the RMTO Operations Safety Support program across an assigned manufacturing site and shift structure. This role closely supports Operations leadership by managing incident follow-up, corrective action closure, contractor onboarding, behavioral safety audits, PSRM checklist execution, and maintaining a strong presence on the production floor. The position serves as the operational owner for safety execution follow-through, partnering with EHS, Operations, Facilities, Maintenance, Engineering, and Learning and Development to ensure that safety-related actions are clearly documented, prioritized, tracked, and completed. This is a high-visibility role on a ramping robotics production floor that blends hands-on floor work, coaching, and structured program management to reduce recordable incidents and at-risk behaviors while enabling safe, on-plan production.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and drive execution of the RMTO Operations Safety Support program across the assigned site and shift structure.
• Support incident confirmation, initial reporting, and documentation in AUSTIN or equivalent safety systems, ensuring initial reports are completed within the same shift and within defined service-level agreements.
• Coordinate incident investigations and follow-up activities, including fact gathering, timeline development, root cause analysis support, and definition of corrective actions.
• Identify and assign RMTO-owned corrective actions in partnership with Operations Managers and EHS, ensuring clear ownership and expectations.
• Track RMTO-owned action items through closure, monitoring aging actions, identifying blocked actions, and escalating issues as needed to drive timely resolution.
• Support pre-shift safety briefs in partnership with EHS and Operations leadership to reinforce safety priorities and expectations.
• Conduct behavioral safety audits in AUSTIN or equivalent systems, including real-time identification, coaching, and correction of at-risk behaviors on the production floor.
• Oversee contractor onboarding execution, including verifying daily supervision expectations, competency verification, and monitoring contractor performance and safety behavior over the first 90 days.
• Complete or coordinate PSRM checklist execution in accordance with EHS-defined pre-production safety criteria, ensuring checklists are completed before production starts.
• Maintain enhanced floor presence on assigned shifts to verify adherence to standard operating procedures, housekeeping expectations, powered industrial truck (PIT) patterns, and operational safety standards.
• Partner cross-functionally with Operations, EHS, Facilities, Maintenance, Engineering, and Learning and Development to resolve safety-related blockers and improve safety processes.
• Provide Operations leadership with regular summaries of open actions, risks, escalations, trends, and closure performance, using metrics to highlight progress and areas for improvement.
• Apply program and project management discipline to structure daily work into pre-shift briefs, audits, incident follow-up, contractor onboarding, PSRM activities, floor walks, and end-of-day close-out summaries.
• Demonstrate leadership principles such as Bias for Action, Deliver Results, Invent & Simplify, and Ownership in managing safety programs and driving continuous improvement.
• Contribute to a floor-first, safety-as-ownership culture by actively coaching associates and contractors, reinforcing safe behaviors, and helping free up Operations Managers to focus on broader execution.
• Support ramp and new product introduction (NPI) activities by proactively managing safety risk exposure, corrective-action closure, PSRM compliance, contractor onboarding, and behavioral safety initiatives.
• Use clear written and verbal communication to document incidents, actions, and outcomes, and to provide transparent updates to stakeholders.
• Monitor success metrics such as incident documentation timeliness, corrective action on-time closure rate, behavioral audit cadence and trends, PSRM checklist completion, and reductions in recordable incidents and at-risk behaviors.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor’s degree required, with 2 to 4 years of experience in manufacturing operations, safety and EHS support, industrial hygiene, program management, or a related field; equivalent experience in production floor leadership or operational safety coordination may be considered.
• Experience working in a manufacturing or high-volume production floor environment, comfortable operating in an active, fast-paced setting.
• Knowledge of safety and EHS concepts, practices, and procedures, including incident investigation, behavioral-based safety auditing, contractor safety management, and pre-production PSRM safety review.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct incident investigations, gather facts, build timelines, support root cause analysis, and define corrective actions.
• Experience with behavioral-based safety auditing and real-time floor coaching to identify, correct, and reduce at-risk behaviors.
• Working knowledge of powered industrial truck (PIT) operations and standard operating procedure (SOP) housekeeping standards.
• Strong documentation discipline, with the ability to produce clear, accurate, and timely written records and reports.
• Strong verbal communication skills, with the ability to coach, correct, and influence behavior in real time on the production floor.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks in a structured, hour-blocked schedule while reprioritizing in real time based on production and safety needs.
• Comfort working on the production floor, spending significant time on foot, engaging directly with associates, contractors, and leaders.
• Ability to partner effectively with cross-functional teams including Operations, EHS, Facilities, Maintenance, Engineering, and Learning and Development.
• Demonstrated ownership mindset and bias for action, with a track record of delivering results and driving closure on action items.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Preferred familiarity with AUSTIN or an equivalent incident or safety management system.
• Program and project management experience in a manufacturing or operations environment, including coordination of multiple stakeholders and action items.
• Exposure to industrial hygiene or related safety disciplines in a production setting.
• Experience with contractor management, including onboarding, competency verification, and performance monitoring.
• Ability to interpret and apply EHS program criteria and pre-production safety requirements such as PSRM checklists.
• Strong analytical skills to identify trends in incidents, at-risk behaviors, and corrective action performance, and to translate insights into improvement actions.
• Experience working in high-volume, ramping production environments, particularly in robotics or automated manufacturing settings.
• Comfort with metrics-driven work, including tracking incident documentation timeliness, corrective action closure rates, behavioral audit cadence, and recordable incident reduction.
• Demonstrated ability to coach and develop others, contributing to a culture of safety-as-ownership and continuous improvement.
• Interest in career growth toward manufacturing leadership or operations management, leveraging the role as a springboard through exposure to floor program management, root cause analysis, behavioral safety, contractor management, PSRM, and performance metrics.

Work Environment

This role is fully on-site in an active, high-volume robotics production environment with mixed lines and ongoing ramp and new product introduction activity. The daily schedule follows a first-shift window of approximately 6:15 AM to 2:45 PM, Monday through Friday, with 0 to 5 hours of additional time driven by production demand, and an emphasis on on-time start. The workday is typically structured in hour blocks, beginning with pre-shift safety briefs, followed by audits and incident follow-up, contractor onboarding and PSRM activities, floor walks, and end-of-day close-out summaries, with real-time reprioritization as needed. The role is highly collaborative and people-facing, involving regular interaction with Operations Managers, EHS, associates, contractors, Facilities, Maintenance, Engineering, and Learning and Development. The environment is an active production floor with powered industrial truck and material movement, requiring appropriate personal protective equipment and comfort being on your feet for extended periods in a high-tempo ramp setting. The culture emphasizes floor-first engagement, safety as a leadership responsibility, ownership, coaching and development, and a bias for action, with strong support for performance and growth. The position is designed as an ongoing role aligned with ramp activity, with potential for extension and a path to conversion into manufacturing leadership or operations management roles for individuals who demonstrate strong performance and results.

This is a Contract position based out of North Reading, MA.

The pay range for this position is $40.00 - $42.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully onsite position in North Reading,MA.

This position is anticipated to close on Aug 3, 2026.

Aston Carter provides world-class corporate talent solutions to thousands of clients across the globe. Specialized in accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and select administrative professions, we extend the capabilities of industry-leading companies. We draw on our deep recruiting expertise and expansive network to meet the evolving needs of our clients and talent community with agility and excellence. With offices across the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe, Aston Carter serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® Platinum Award winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email astoncarteraccommodation@astoncarter.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.