Sr Director, Program Management

Description

Summary

The Sr. Director of Program Management owns the Program Management Office for Switchback Medical – Minneapolis and leads a team of program and project management direct reports. The role carries three areas of accountability: leading and developing the PMO team; owning the strategy, structure and standards of program management across the site; and serving as the internal owner of the customer experience across the portfolio, from new product development through design transfer and sustaining work.

This is a leader-of-leaders role. Success is measured less by the execution of any single program and more by the strength of the PM team, the consistency of how programs are run, and the willingness of customers to bring Switchback their next project. The role sets the standard for program and project management practice everywhere it happens at the site, and much of its impact comes through influence rather than direct authority: the person in this seat brings portfolio-level visibility to the leadership team and shapes decisions in functions they do not manage. The role partners closely with Operations, Quality, Engineering, Finance and Business Development, and serves as a senior voice of the customer inside the business.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities (not limited to):

Leadership and Development of the PMO Team

• Directly lead the PMO team — Program Directors, Program Managers and Project Managers — including hiring, onboarding, performance management, compensation recommendations and succession planning.
• Set clear expectations by level and build development plans that move people from Project Manager through Program Director, including those coming into program management from technical functions.
• Assign programs based on complexity, customer profile and individual development goals, balancing workload and utilization across the team.
• Coach PMs through difficult customer conversations, cross-functional conflict and recovery planning rather than taking the work over, supported by a regular cadence of one-on-ones, program reviews and peer learning.
• Hold a consistent performance bar — recognize strong work visibly and address underperformance directly and early.

Ownership of the Program Management Function

• Drive program management excellence across SBM-MN: set the bar for how programs are planned, run and reported, and build capability through training, mentoring and coaching for everyone leading program or project work, including those who do not report into this role.
• Own the PMO for Switchback Medical – Minneapolis, including its charter, structure, staffing model and standards, as the single accountable owner of how program management is practiced at the site.
• Define and execute the strategy for the program management organization, aligned to site priorities and business objectives, including structure, staffing model and capability roadmap.
• Own the standard way programs are run — phase gates, design control deliverables, planning standards, risk management, change control and escalation paths — and drive continuous improvement in the tools, templates and training that support it.
• Establish the metrics the function is run by (schedule and budget performance, gate quality, revenue against plan, resource utilization) and report portfolio health, risk and recommendations to leadership on a regular cadence.
• Partner with Finance on program financials: estimates, quoting inputs, scope and budget tracking, change orders and forecast accuracy.
• Lead portfolio-level resource planning in partnership with Engineering, Operations and Quality; surface capacity constraints early and frame the tradeoff decisions they require for the leadership team.
• Represent Minneapolis in corporate efforts to align program management practice across sister entities (LightningCath, Proto Lase, Costa Rica), and support programs that cross entities.
• Shape how the site operates beyond the PM organization: bring portfolio-level data, customer insight and recommendations to the leadership team, and influence priorities, capacity decisions and process improvements in functions this role does not directly manage.

Customer Satisfaction and Program Performance

• Own the measurement of customer satisfaction across the portfolio (new product development, development services, design transfer and sustaining programs) through structured feedback such as surveys, program retrospectives and executive check-ins; bring what it shows to the leadership team and drive the actions that follow.
• Build and maintain executive-level relationships at key customers, independent of the day-to-day program team.
• Serve as the senior point of escalation for customers; engage directly when a program is at risk, coordinate the recovery plan with the responsible functions, and own the communication to the customer.
• Provide program management input to how programs are scoped, quoted and contracted so that both the customer and Switchback are set up for success; identify scope changes early and work with Business Development and Finance to address them promptly and transparently.
• Partner with Operations, Engineering, Quality and Regulatory to deliver technically sound product and process development on time and on budget, in full compliance with design control and the quality system, and so that deliverables support the customer’s submission timelines.
• Translate customer needs and market feedback into internal priorities, and surface follow-on opportunities within existing programs to Business Development.

Requirements

Technical Skills:

• Extensive program management experience in the medical device industry, with a proven record of delivering complex development programs on cost, schedule and performance.
• Strong knowledge of medical device regulations, quality systems and product development processes (FDA regulations, ISO 13485, design control, risk management).
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop a team of program managers, including experienced and senior individuals.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen — program budgets, quoting, change orders, margin and utilization.
• Experience in a CDMO, contract development or other customer-facing development environment strongly preferred.
• Excellent strategic thinking and decision-making, with communication and presentation skills that carry credibility in front of customer executives.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence — building alignment and driving outcomes across functions and leaders outside the direct reporting line.
• Highly proficient with MS Office (Word, Excel, Project, PowerPoint) and program management / ERP systems.

Conceptual Skills:

• Sound judgment under incomplete information; comfortable making and owning decisions.
• Creative problem solver who can move between portfolio strategy and program detail.
• Positive, flexible outlook in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities.
• Ability to hold a high standard while developing people toward it.

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (engineering, life sciences, or equivalent). Advanced degree (MBA, MS, PhD) preferred.
• Minimum of ten years of project/program management experience in a regulated environment, including at least five years directly managing program or project managers.
• Experience in process design, development, testing and validation.
• This is a full-time, on-site position at the Minneapolis facility. The role requires daily presence with the program teams and customers who visit the site. Occasional travel to customer sites and sister facilities is expected.

Summary of Benefits

• Group health & welfare benefits: Options for Medical, Dental and Vision insurance, Health Savings Account (requires participation in eligible medical plan).
• Company-paid benefits: Employee Life Insurance & Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D), Long Term Disability (LTD), Short Term Disability (STD).
• 401(k) Plan with company match
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Parental Leave
• Paid Holidays
• Benefits and incentive compensation may be subject to generally applicable eligibility, waiting period, contribution, and other requirements and conditions.

Compensation

• The typical base pay range for this role is between $175,000-225,000/year. Actual compensation will be based on individual job-related knowledge, skills, expertise, and experience.

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