Senior Project Manager

Proactively mitigate program risks — supply bottlenecks, plant capacity limitations, design changes — ensuring transparent escalation and recovery plan alignment with the PMO Leader before critical customer milestones are jeopardized. Proactively track and escalate delayed customer Engineering Change Requests (ECRs) with global technical centers (OEM North America and international engineering units) to secure timely software and drawing releases.

Our Client, an Automotive Aftermarket company, is looking for a Senior Project Manager for their  Troy, MI/ Carmel, IN location.
 
Responsibilities:

• Cross-Functional Leadership and Global Footprint Alignment
• Drive, align, and facilitate core team activities across Engineering, Quality, Operations, Finance, and Procurement to meet critical project milestones without direct hierarchical authority.
• Lead and actively participate in OEM Hardware/Software Product Development Team (PDT) meetings, ensuring alignment on component architecture changes and design synchronization.
• Establish rigorous communication channels with international manufacturing facilities and offshore engineering centers to synchronize volume forecasting, resource capacity, and global build execution.
• Synthesize day-to-day operational status through routine core team alignments, supplier status evaluations, and emergency troubleshooting sessions.
• Prototype Lifecycle and Material Risk Mitigation
• Own the end-to-end coordination of prototype build events (PPV, APPV, PTB), validating exact build allocations and securing commitments from customer assembly plants.
• Drive material pipeline de-risking; coordinate closely with Production Control and Logistics (PC&L) and international supplier networks to guarantee component pipeline security during parallel, high-volume prototyping and validation phases.
• Oversee the generation and tracking of Internal Build Intake Forms (BIF) across domestic and international manufacturing sites, ensuring facilities are aligned to execute build schedules.
• Drive component and procurement readiness by overseeing the creation of Purchase Requests (PRs) for specialized component fabrication, including prototype PCB suppliers.
• Verify exact material requirements, allocation quantities, and Material Required Dates (MRD) directly with Tier 1 modules and customer seat and assembly plants.
• Engineering Change and Validation Management
• Govern the Engineering Change Management (ECR / ECO) process, accurately assessing and negotiating financial, scheduling, and engineering impacts across all stakeholders.
• Proactively track and escalate delayed customer Engineering Change Requests (ECRs) with global technical centers (OEM North America and international engineering units) to secure timely software and drawing releases.
• Supervise Product Validation (PV) testing milestones, tracking raw material availability, test bench readiness, and supplier component lead times to prevent validation delays.
• Plan, track, and execute Non-Saleable (NS) PPAP timing events, ensuring compliance with customer-specific quality gates.
• Program Governance and Customer Interface
• Act as the primary interface and escalation point for the OEM customer and key Tier 1 partners, securing the timely delivery of prototypes, validation components, and PPAP documentation.
• Utilize Microsoft Project and enterprise PPM tools daily to map project timelines, monitor the critical path, allocate cross functional capacity, and generate executive-level health dashboards for the PMO.
• Track, report, and optimize program KPIs including On-Time Delivery (OTD), budget variances, tooling health, and quality metrics.
• Proactively mitigate program risks — supply bottlenecks, plant capacity limitations, design changes — ensuring transparent escalation and recovery plan alignment with the PMO Leader before critical customer milestones are jeopardized.

 
Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechatronics, Electronics, Mechanical, Industrial) or Business Administration with a strong technical background.
• 7+ years of proven experience in Project or Program Management in a regulated manufacturing environment.
• 5+ years of direct experience in the automotive manufacturing industry.
• Deep knowledge of launch metrics, portals, BIQS quality system, GP-12 containment, and customer specific validation requirements.
• Experience managing programs or collaborating closely with Tier 1 suppliers.
• Comprehensive understanding of automotive product launch frameworks: APQP, PPAP, FMEA (D-FMEA / P-FMEA), Control Plans, and V-Model / ASPICE lifecycles.
• Experience managing complex electrical architecture transitions — platform migrations, component-level hardware and software shifts, and Tier-N supplier modifications.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Project and enterprise lifecycle management and PPM tools for scheduling, critical path analysis, and resource management.
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing program budgets, tooling costs, and tracking project P&L.

 
Why Should You Apply?

• Health Benefits
• Referral Program
• Excellent growth and advancement opportunities