Senior Project Manager

Senior Project Manager

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

Responsibilities:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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