Program Manager Jobs in Auburn, AL (NOW HIRING)

General Summary
The Project Manager role provides strategic leadership for procurement initiatives supporting new model launches, localization programs, and sourcing projects, ensuring achievement of complete vehicles development objectives. This role drives cross-functional collaboration among procurement, engineering, quality, production / manufacturing, and suppliers to ensure supplier readiness, proactive risk mitigation, and successful program execution. The position leads supplier development and continuous improvement efforts focused on quality, cost competitiveness, capacity, and delivery performance, while identifying and implementing localization opportunities that enhance supply chain resiliency, operational efficiency, and long-term business growth.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
• New Model Project Management: Support and lead departmental activities to ensure successful new model and model year launches. Coordinate with procurement PICs and suppliers to request, collect, summarize, and monitor supplier progress reports, milestone achievement status, and change point validation activities.
• Localization Project Management (Support of Localization Manager): Support localization initiatives by summarizing and tracking project progress, monitoring milestone achievement, and coordinating supplier setup, part validation, and process validation activities to ensure successful localization execution.
• Supplier Readiness and Launch Support: Coordinate and monitor supplier readiness activities, including tooling, capacity, manpower, APQP/PPAP, trial builds, and production validation milestones, to ensure successful launch execution and Start of Production (SOP) readiness.
• Supplier Improvement Project Management: Lead and support supplier improvement initiatives driven by Kia Georgia KPI performance requirements, utilizing internal and external data analysis to identify improvement opportunities. Conduct on-site validation of supplier change points and provide formal reporting on project status, findings, and outcomes.
• Engineering Order Change Management: Manage weekly department EO change assignments, ensuring ownership is assigned, progress is monitored, and required actions are completed within established timelines.
• Risk Management and Issue Resolution: Identify, assess, and mitigate supplier and project risks impacting cost, quality, timing, or capacity by developing recovery plans, escalating critical issues, and driving timely resolution.
The above typical duties are characteristic of this job and demonstrate a level of difficulty and are not intended to list or limit the duties that may be required or assigned to a team member in this classification.
Qualifications & Job Requirements
• Bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field and 5+ years of experience in automotive engineering, supplier quality, quality assurance, quality control, development, or supply chain within a manufacturing environment; OEM experience preferred. Equivalent education and experience may be considered.
• Understanding of automotive project development timelines, milestones, and launch processes.
• Familiarity with manufacturing systems, production readiness requirements, and supplier management.
• Project Management experience including managing stakeholder deliverables, timelines, and formal reporting.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment and discretion in both exercising company decisions and carrying out essential job duties that affect efficient business operations and their objectives, policies, practices, and conditions.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to those who are able to perform the essential duties of the job.
Specialized Skills and Knowledge Required
• Develop and deliver compelling, executive-level PowerPoint presentations, utilizing advanced Excel data analysis and visualization techniques to translate complex data into clear, actionable insights and recommendations.
• Demonstrated knowledge of automotive supply chain operations and project management principles, with the ability to support cross-functional coordination and drive project execution.
• Knowledge of Quality Systems such as PPAP, DFMEA, PFMEA, TPS, APQP, ISIR, SPC, 8D and ISO is preferred.
• Knowledge of Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing principles preferred, including familiarity with continuous improvement tools such as DMAIC, root cause analysis, and waste reduction techniques is preferred.