Program Manager – Automotive

Overall responsibilities and duties:

The Program Manager is in charge of delivering the customer contract in time and within
validated budget. From the award until the handover to the production site, their key
responsibilities include:

o Leading the program team as a functional manager with an entrepreneurial mindset.
o Ensuring customer satisfaction by delivering on time, maintaining quality, managing costs, and ensuring product performance.
o Meeting financial targets such as Operating Income, Cash, Internal Rate of Return, and Upfront.
o Planning and executing all activities that contribute to the program's success.
o Anticipating risks and driving proper Risk Management.
o Validating internal and external change requests.
o Ensuring compliance with the code of ethics and code of management, and escalating non-compliance items according to guidelines.
o Protecting Faurecia's interests and image.

The main missions of the role are:

Leading the Program Team

o Secure and validate staffing of core team members on time all along the program development, confirm resource changes with Function Leads.
o Secure and validate hours & expenses booking (no function overbooking).
o Take part of core team onboarding.
o Participate and give final validation of core team members' objectives and inputs to STAR for core team members.
o Build and monitor the Master Schedule.
o Manage operationally program team, controlling deliverables on time, ensuring the right coordination of activities across program team members, with Functions and the plants.
o Drive the program operational & financial performance within the frame of the customer contract and program internal contract.
o Ensure that program experience is capitalized in knowledge management to improve future programs’ performance.
o Manage directly Deputy Program Managers when relevant.

Customer Satisfaction

o Is one of the main interfaces with the customers and suppliers regarding all Program topics throughout all development time.
o Is aware of all elements of all negotiations with the customers.
o Support and can lead commercial negotiations for contract evolutions.

Financial Targets

o Achieve program financial targets (PIC, BP, overall budget, etc.) through on time development & deployment of program roadmaps.
o Use the Business Plan to monitor convergence to financial expectations continuously.
o Manage cash topics with accuracy.
o Is involved in plant budget definition (launch cost, cross region), approval workflow and budget forecast (CAPEX, launch cost,..).

Program Execution

o Apply the Program Management System with successful and on-time achievement of work packages and key program milestones.
o Validate target costs and is responsible to ensure objectives by Work Package.
o Set up all-hand mandatory governance with all the functions (e.g. prepare and animate Program meetings-PRCs).
o Take decisions and arbitration to ensure program performance (D&D expenses, CAPEX, tooling, etc.).
o If needed, ensure escalation in collaboration with Functions.
o Has a voice in: supplier selection (inhouse or external supplier), footprint change, transfer of BOPs or assemblies – Raise/Escalate Program alerts in instances in case of significant impacts on the BP (e.g. footprint change, transfer of BOPs or assemblies).
o Validate the launch team structure (MOI) and MOD ramp up plan.
o Communicate and report relevant program status to secure proper management support on program issues.

Complexity, Risk & Opportunities, Issue Management

o Perform Program complexity assessment at acquisition handover.
o Identify risks and opportunities and secure associated mitigation plan. Ensure risk management (escalation) and alert process.
o Arbitrate top issues internally or externally within the program.

Change Requests

o Assess the impact of the changes and validate internal and external change requests.

Max Salary: 12M annual + 12% performance bonus

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have/be :

• Minimum Education Level: Bachelor or Master degree in Eng./Economics/Management.

Experience :

• Minimum 10 years of experience in Automotive Industry.
• Light/Low Complexity: Experience as a program team member would be an advantage. Skills assessment results for the position will play a critical role.
• International experience is an advantage.

Skills and competencies :

Leadership skills:

• Cultivates Innovation
• Manages Complexity
• Customer Focus
• Drives Results
• Develops Talent
• Collaborates with others
• Builds effective and diverse teams
• Engages and energises team
• Communication with impact
• Adapting to change

Technical skills:

Customer Relations

• Customer development process
• Business negotiation

Finance

• P&L and budgeting
• RFQ, Business Plan, Simulation
• CARgo NG
• SAP

Product & process knowledge

• BG Product Technologies
• BG Process Technologies

Operation / industrial knowledge

• 8 Quality Basics in Production
• Production management
• HSE basics

Program management knowledge and skills

• PMS
• Risk management
• Change management
• Gantt Charts & Critical Path Methodology
• 10-Quality-Basics in Engineering & Development
• FES Standards & Program Audit
• PM tool
• Agile Methodologies (e.g. Kanban)

Quality

• AMS
• Process of D-FMEA, P-FMEA
• APQP

IT Software

• Strong knowledge in Microsoft 365 tools (Excel, PowerPoint, Power BI and AI-powered tools).

Language

• Fluency in both Japanese and English required.