Associate Program Manager (EMS/CM)

About the role

The Associate Program Manager is responsible for the execution of customer strategies related to one or more customers including all products/programs from new product introduction through volume production. He/she is responsible for achieving high customer satisfaction, driving profitable business relationships and sales growth and providing strong leadership to the customer focus teams to ensure achievement of customer commitments.

Responsibilities

• Leader of the Customer Focus Team (CFT). Prioritize and monitors all CFT activities. Acts as primary day-to-day customer point of contact and functions as the primary Customer contact in resolution management and responsible for the overall health of the customer relationship.
  • ENSURES SUCCESSFUL NEW PRODUCT INTRODUCTION: Executes to NPI standard process. Understands and monitors S&OP. Identifies and secures skills needed for effective transitions. Sets appropriate expectations with customers. Manages pricing and ECO prioritization during the process. Understands and maintains customer product knowledge and roadmap. Gains understanding of customer market and competition. Establishes and monitors KPI's related to E&O, PPV and inventory turns. Manages recurring pricing activities. Uses contract, pricing model and updated costs to present new pricing to customers. Negotiates to successful completion. Monitors and investigates technical, scheduling, financial and quality metrics, which deviate from established requirements; determines cause, and, takes corrective action.
• Schedules Executive Business Reviews (EBR) and Quarterly Business Reviews (QBR). Ensures appropriate attendees are well prepared for meeting, understanding data and issues. Sets meeting objectives, develops agendas and tools to accomplish objective. Prepares internal teams for meeting. Aligns topics and presentations with customer prior to meeting. Provides timely notification to goods manufacturing and global program managers of critical problems encountered, action taken, and anticipated effect on project objectives.
• Accountable for driving objectives related to continuous improvements. Accountable to ensure the build and delivery schedules by working with the customer, internal supply chain, and operations. Works with SCA to ensure resolution of excess and obsolete inventory issues. Ensures the recovery for costs related to ECO activity, Non-Recurring Expenses (NRE) and other miscellaneous.
• Maintains customer demand in accordance with contract, site inventory objectives, equipment and personnel capacity. Ensures customer demand (PO and Forecast) is managed and well understood by CFT members. Communicates updated data to close gap between customer request and Benchmark commitment (manage expectations). Tracks, trends and reports On-Time Delivery to customer request and Benchmark commitment Monitors customer revenue plan through demand outlook.
• Understands contractual obligations of the contract related to flexibility allowances and manages requests for pull-ins and push-outs or cancellations. Payment terms and invoicing. Any potential penalties from customer. Cost reduction obligations/targets and communicates to organization. Excess and obsolete terms, recovery and escalation path as required. Warranty terms, recall and epidemic failure qualifiers. Ensures execution to contract terms and conditions to meet Benchmark's obligations. Communicates contract requirements internally.
• Executes customer quotation requests. Assesses risk utilizing and the Risk/Liability Tool. Ensures accuracy of quotations to protect gross margin. Validates the establishment of quotes to actuals costs comparisons. Coordinates with procurement organization to develop supply chain strategy which aligns with customer contract and site goals. Identifies risk of inventory exposure, coordinates reserve with site controller. Manages inventory days of sales. Establish standard cost for parts based on customer's influence, material, labor standard changes or inventory days. Ensures Positive Price Variances alignment to site goals at the point of sale. Reviews Supply Chain data related to component lead-time, MOQ, and impacts to total inventory exposure. Develops an understanding of DFx philosophy including Design for manufacturing, Design for Test, and Design for BOM or Cost and promotes with the customer and coordinates with the appropriate Benchmark function.
• Coordinates collection and distribution of customer quality data. Ensures ECO process and impacts are captured and reported to customer. Monitors customer DPPM, DPU or DPMO with customer focus team to ensure quality measurements are within contract and customer required limits. Monitors customer escapes events and lead customer focus team to root cause and corrective action driving closer of issues. Monitors customer COPQ and works with CFT to reduce. Participates in MRB activities to drive rapid resolution of issues.
• Embraces change and adapts quickly to a new way of working. Actively uses analytical skills to solve problems by gathering data, analyzing it and drawing concise solutions. Actively uses, applies and promotes problem solving tools (root cause, 8D, 5 Why's, 6Ms, etc.) in daily activities to recognize and define problems, analyze data, develop and implement solutions, and evaluate outcome. Possess sound negotiating ability. Effectively explores alternatives and positions to reach mutually beneficial sales agreements that gain customers' acceptance and commitment.
• Effectively explores alternatives to reach mutually beneficial agreements that gain customers' acceptance and commitment. Exhibits solid understanding of the concepts and how to positively impact OI and RONA levers. Where applicable, recruits, interviews and hires team members. Continuously assesses individual and team strengths and development needs. Coaches and mentor subordinates. Creates and manages succession plans. Establishes clear measurable goals and objectives by which to assess individual and team results (i.e. metrics, results against project timelines, training documentation, knowledge of roles and responsibilities, personal development goals).
• Drives individuals and teams to continuously improve in key metrics and the achievement of organizational goals. Ensures that the responsibilities, authorities, and accountability of all direct subordinates are defined and understood. Drives a lean culture. Identifies creative ways to reduce cost by streamlining processes and systems (i.e. modification of responsibilities or consolidation of tasks, elimination of non-value-added processes, or complete re-engineering of processes and systems).

Qualifications

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Effective interpersonal skills
• Effective multitasking skills and the ability to take on additional responsibilities as required
• Effective organization and prioritization skills
• Demonstrate high attention to detail
• Ability to work with diverse groups
• Discretion: Erroneous decisions or failure to achieve results will jeopardize the site's quarterly revenue or operating income
• Interaction: Regularly interacts with customers, and/or functional peer group managers. Leads cooperative effort among members of CFT
• Supervision: Does not have direct reports. May be assigned as a mentor to newly hired PMs

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• 4-year degree in engineering discipline or business
• Experience within an Electronics Manufacturing Service (EMS) or Contract Manufacturer (CM)
• Experience in productivity tools, including Microsoft Office products and Team's conferencing software
• Experience in supporting a global business operation
• Enthusiastic and motivational communicator with multi-cultural experience
• Available for travel up to 25% of the time, including day, overnight and internationally, as required.