Program Manager, Transformation Office

Company / Location Information

A.O. Smith is a global leader applying innovative technologies and energy-efficient solutions to products manufactured and marketed worldwide. The company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of residential and commercial water heating equipment and boilers, as well as a manufacturer of water treatment products for residential and light commercial applications. A. O. Smith is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with approximately 12,000 employees at operations in the United States, Canada, China, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

Primary Function

The Program Manager- Transformation Office will operate across the transformation portfolio rather than manage individual projects. This person will connect initiatives, strengthen program structure and governance, anticipate cross-program risks and dependencies, and ensure the right stakeholders and capabilities are engaged. The ideal candidate combines structured problem solving, systems thinking, executive communication, and disciplined program leadership, with experience in industrial goods or manufacturing environments.

Responsibilities

• Maintain an integrated view of the transformation portfolio, including objectives, major milestones, value targets, resource requirements, decision points, and overall health.

• Partner with initiative leaders to ensure programs are appropriately structured, with clear scope, outcomes, workstreams, ownership, governance, and measures of success.

• Identify cross-initiative risks, interdependencies, resource conflicts, and sequencing requirements; develop mitigation paths and escalate issues requiring leadership intervention.

• Determine the functions, subject-matter experts, decision-makers, and capabilities that need to be involved, and facilitate alignment on roles, responsibilities, and decision rights.

• Establish consistent governance routines and execution standards across the portfolio, while avoiding unnecessary process or duplication of project-level management.

• Synthesize complex program information into concise executive updates focused on progress, value delivery, material risks, dependencies, trade-offs, and decisions required.

• Challenge assumptions, identify gaps in plans, and help initiative leaders develop recovery actions when work is off track or insufficiently defined.

• Build trusted relationships across Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, Commercial, Finance, IT, HR, and business-unit leadership to drive accountability without direct authority.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or other advanced degree is a plus.

• 3-5 years of post-bachelor’s experience for candidates from a top-tier strategy or management consulting firm; 5+ years for candidates from industry or other professional backgrounds.

• Experience supporting industrial goods, manufacturing, building products, durable goods, industrial distribution, or related sectors; direct manufacturing transformation exposure preferred.

• Demonstrated ability to structure ambiguous problems, connect multiple workstreams, and identify risks and interdependencies before they become execution barriers.

• Strong executive communication and analytical skills, including the ability to create clear PowerPoint materials and use Excel to support fact-based decision making.

• Experience with SAP a plus

• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead cross-functional teams without formal authority. PMP or formal program-management certification is valued but not required.

• Willingness to travel to manufacturing facilities and business locations as needed.

We Offer

Competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits plans which include medical and dental insurance, company-sponsored life insurance, retirement security savings plan, short- and long-term disability programs and tuition assistance. 
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ADA Statement & EEO Statement

In developing this job description care was taken to include all competencies needed to successfully perform in this position. However, for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) purposes, the essential functions of the job may or may not have been described for purposes of ADA reasonable accommodation. All reasonable accommodation requests will be reviewed and evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

We consider all applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, gender identity and expression, marital or military status. We also provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state and local law.