Technical Program Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Possible 3 Month CTH

Role name: Technical Program Manager
Work Location: Palo Alto, CA (Onsite)
Start date: Immediate availability.
Background check MANDATORY

Lead the assessment, optimization, and future-state design of business processes supporting Warranty Operations, RMA (Return Material Authorization), Product Support, and Reverse Logistics within an Automotive Tier 1 environment.
The consultant will work closely with Engineering, Quality, Logistics, Supply Chain, Finance, and Warranty SMEs to document current-state processes, identify improvement opportunities, and design scalable operating models that improve efficiency, governance, and customer satisfaction.
Key Responsibilities
Process Assessment & Analysis
Conduct stakeholder interviews and process discovery workshops.
Document current-state workflows, roles, responsibilities, and decision points.
Assess warranty, RMA, product support, escalation, and reverse logistics processes.
Identify process gaps, bottlenecks, and improvement opportunities.
Future-State Process Design
Facilitate workshops to design future-state business processes.
Develop end-to-end process maps, swimlane diagrams, and operating procedures.
Define process ownership, approval workflows, and handoff points.
Standardized workflows supporting warranty returns, investigations, and customer communications.
Governance & Controls
Develop governance frameworks, RACI matrices, and escalation models.
Establish process controls, business rules, and SOPs.
Support organizational alignment and role definition.
Business Requirements & Technology Enablement
Capture and document business and functional requirements.
Support evaluation of workflow, case management, ERP, and reporting solutions.
Collaborate with architects and SMEs on future-state capabilities.
Performance & Continuous Improvement
Define process KPIs and reporting requirements.
Support development of dashboards and management reporting.
Recommend automation and continuous improvement opportunities.
Key Deliverables
Current-State Assessment Report
Gap Analysis & Process Maturity Assessment
Future-State Process Maps & Swimlanes
Governance Framework & RACI Matrix
SOPs and Process Control Framework
Business Requirements Document (BRD)
KPI Framework & Reporting Requirements
Process Transformation Roadmap
Required Qualifications
Experience
7 years of Business Process Transformation
Experience in Automotive Tier 1, OEM, Manufacturing, Warranty, Service Operations, or Supply Chain environments.
Preferably working experience in Hardware and software development for Tier 1 supplier
Proven track record leading process improvement and transformation initiatives.
Education:
E&E/E&C Engineering
Skills:
Expertise in Business Process Management (BPM), Lean Six Sigma, and Value Stream Mapping.
Strong process modeling skills using Visio, Signavio, ARIS, Lucidchart, or similar tools.
Knowledge of warranty, product support, supply chain, and reverse logistics processes.
Familiarity with SAP, Oracle, ServiceNow, Jira, Power BI, or comparable platforms.
Excellent workshop facilitation, stakeholder management, and executive communication skills
Success Measures
Improved process efficiency and governance.
Well-defined future-state operating model and workflows.
Clear ownership, accountability, and process controls.
Actionable roadmap for process and technology transformation.
Enhanced operational visibility through KPIs and reporting.
Note: This role focuses on process transformation, workflow design, governance, and business requirements, while the Warranty & RMA SME provides domain expertise for warranty operations, RMA policies, failure analysis, and industry best practices.
Success Measures
Improved process efficiency and governance.
Well-defined future-state operating model and workflows.
Clear ownership, accountability, and process controls.
Actionable roadmap for process and technology transformation.
Enhanced operational visibility through KPIs and reporting.
Note: This role focuses on process transformation, workflow design, governance, and business requirements, while the Warranty & RMA SME provides domain expertise for warranty operations, RMA policies, failure analysis, and industry best practices.