Program Manager, Engineering

About the role

Summit Polymers is a leading global supplier of automotive interior systems, delivering engineering and product excellence to customers for over 50 years. As a Program Manager, you will oversee the development and design of components, manage program budgets and timelines, and serve as the primary liaison between customers, sales, design, engineering, estimating, accounting, quality, and manufacturing teams.

Responsibilities

• Participate in pre-production feasibility reviews to determine if new products meet manufacturing standards.
• Participate in the development and review of quotes.
• Generate Engineering Change Request documents for changes impacting tooling or product pricing.
• Maintain the program’s overall budget and track all Sales Orders for the program.
• Work with Sales and Manufacturing to resolve production piece price amendments (3PAs), sales orders (S.O.s), and other debits affecting profitability.
• Ensure the program is completed within agreed-upon design, engineering, and tooling budgets.
• Manage Program Engineers (PEs), Manufacturing Engineers (MEs), Quality Engineers (QEs), and Designers regarding program timing, budget, quality, customer satisfaction, APQP, and launch activities.
• Maintain documentation of all program activity in SharePoint.
• Serve as the primary customer contact and technical liaison between internal teams and external customers.
• Maintain the program timeline, track critical path, establish priorities, and lead weekly White Board meetings to review and resolve open issues.
• Support part design using SET-based options, Kaizens, and A3 development activities.
• Participate in customer meetings to address concerns, propose cost-saving suggestions, and maintain strong working relationships.
• Ensure on-time delivery of all customer requirements as defined in the statement of work or equivalent.
• Oversee part submissions, ensuring approval by the required customer date, and manage open issues related to submissions.
• Attend customer builds as requested.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• B.S. degree in engineering and 2 years of automotive project engineering experience, or some college instruction (preferably in engineering) and 7 years of progressive manufacturing/engineering experience, including 2 years of automotive project engineering.
• Ability to gather and analyze information and make decisions with limited options.
• Minimum score of 50 on the Wonderlic Contemporary Cognitive Ability Test (traditional score of 26 on the cognitive portion).

Schedule

This position typically requires up to 25% travel.