Technical Program Manager

Job Title Technical Program Manager Job Description This Technical Program Manager role leads cross‑functional development programs across the full product lifecycle, acting as the primary customer contact for complex engineering projects. The position drives project planning, execution, and financial performance while coordinating with engineering, manufacturing, and support teams to deliver high‑quality products on time and within budget across multiple industries, including aerospace, defense, advanced computing, telecommunications, industrial, medical, and semiconductor equipment. Responsibilities Serve as the primary day‑to‑day contact for customers, managing development activities for small to large programs with varying complexity and multiple challenges. Lead cross‑functional development teams to meet design requirements, program budgets, schedules, and quality targets while ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction. Interact directly with customers on schedule, quality, cost, engineering changes, and evolving business conditions, ensuring clear communication and responsiveness. Generate proposed Statements of Work, including detailed project schedules, deliverables, dependencies, and resource needs, incorporating input from relevant stakeholders. Prepare bids and proposals that are market competitive and profitable, and present them effectively to customers. Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans covering schedule, resources, and financials, and ensure adherence throughout the program lifecycle. Identify, document, and manage changes in customer requirements, scope, design requirements, and internal resource needs, escalating issues as appropriate. Coordinate program deliverables with internal new product introduction and manufacturing organizations to ensure smooth design transfer and production readiness. Analyze and manage program financial performance, including budgets, forecasts, and profitability, to meet company objectives. Update program management tools on a weekly basis to support resource planning and to predict financial performance at a program and portfolio level. Identify and respond to new business opportunities within existing and new customers, including the need for quotations for new opportunities and scope changes. Develop a strong understanding of customers’ products, applications, strategies, and requirements to support product launches and ongoing business development. Communicate project needs to development resource managers for technical and business resources, highlighting areas of concern and ensuring alignment with business objectives. Assist other development team members as needed to ensure customer needs and business unit objectives are met, bringing issues forward for escalation when required. Collaborate with manufacturing support groups to understand production environment requirements and ensure development activities align with manufacturing capabilities. Promote Design for Excellence (DFX) principles with customers and internal teams to improve product quality, manufacturability, and lifecycle performance. Interface with customer and supplier engineering groups to convey technical data, resolve technical issues, and support collaborative problem‑solving. Lead or participate in continuous improvement initiatives, ensuring complete documentation and conducting follow‑up reviews and presentations with the team. Monitor all phases of assigned programs from award through completion, directing necessary changes to enhance team performance and program outcomes. Manage individuals assigned to the program, providing direction, feedback, and support to build team capacity and deliver results. Act as an expert risk manager by identifying, assessing, and mitigating program risks and implementing appropriate contingency plans. Articulate a compelling vision and strategy for programs that motivates and aligns cross‑functional teams toward common goals. Support select inter‑business unit activities, contributing to broader organizational initiatives and collaboration across sites. Review contracts, terms, and conditions with oversight, and attend and participate in customer negotiations under guided direction. Ensure all work meets or exceeds quality expectations and contributes to overall customer satisfaction. Essential Skills Minimum of 8+ years of program management experience in an engineering or technical product environment. Minimum of 8+ years of experience managing projects ranging from $250K to $10M in value. Minimum of 8+ years of experience managing 4–8 projects simultaneously. Minimum of 8+ years of experience using Microsoft Office products. Minimum of 8+ years of experience utilizing a project portfolio management (PPM) tool such as Daptive, Change Point, Microsoft Project, or Project Server. Minimum of 5+ years of experience preparing and presenting proposals to customers or stakeholders. Minimum of 5+ years of experience managing project financials and performing risk analysis. Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering (ME) or Electrical Engineering (EE). Strong program and project management skills, including planning, scheduling, resource allocation, and scope management. Solid engineering acumen and the ability to work effectively with mechanical, electrical, and production engineering teams. Proficiency with project management tools and methodologies for tracking schedules, budgets, and deliverables. Excellent written and verbal communication skills for customer‑facing and internal stakeholder interactions. Effective interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships and collaborate across functions and levels. Proven multitasking skills with the ability to handle multiple projects and priorities simultaneously. Strong organization and prioritization skills to manage complex workloads and deadlines. Demonstrated ability to take on additional responsibilities as required and adapt to changing business needs. Demonstrated ability to manage risk and drive issues to resolution. Ability to present program status, metrics, and proposals clearly to management and customers. Additional Skills & Qualifications Master’s degree in a relevant field is preferred. Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is preferred. Six Sigma Green Belt certification is a plus. Experience with design, production, and manufacturing processes for complex products. Experience preparing detailed customer quotations for new business opportunities and scope changes. Experience working across multiple industries such as aerospace, defense, telecommunications, industrial, medical, and semiconductor equipment. Ability to promote and apply Design for Excellence (DFX) principles. Capability to lead continuous improvement initiatives and present outcomes to cross‑functional teams. Ability to articulate a clear vision and strategy that motivates and aligns teams. Basic understanding of contracts, terms, and conditions, and experience participating in negotiations with oversight. Work Environment The role operates in a highly collaborative, cross‑functional environment, working closely with other program managers, engineers, manufacturing support teams, and customer representatives. You will spend significant time coordinating with internal engineering and new product introduction teams, as well as engaging directly with customers to quote bids, discuss proposals, and manage ongoing program activities. The work involves regular use of project management and PPM tools, Microsoft Office, and communication platforms to track schedules, financials, and deliverables. The environment is fast‑paced and project‑driven, with multiple concurrent programs and frequent interaction across different functional groups and business units. Job Type & Location Contract to Hire position based out of Rochester, MN. Pay And Benefits The pay range for this position is $55.00 - $65.00/hr. Benefits Medical, dental & vision Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre‑tax and Roth post‑tax contributions available Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) Short and long‑term disability Health Spending Account (HSA) Transportation benefits Employee Assistance Program Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave) Workplace Type This is a fully onsite position in Rochester, MN. Application Deadline This position is anticipated to close on Jun 1, 2026. About Actalent Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 30,000 consultants and more than 4,500 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law. If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on click.appcast.io for other accommodation options. San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Massachusetts Lie Detector It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools. #J-18808-Ljbffr