Engineering Program Manager

This is a 12 months hybrid role in Fremont, CA, 94538 3 days a week work from office

Role Summary:

• The Program Manager II (L2) leads multiple low-to-moderate complexity sustaining programs, primarily focused on obsolescence replacement and continuity-of-supply initiatives.
• This role drives cross-functional execution from problem statement through qualification and release, coordinating Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Quality, and Suppliers to deliver compliant, producible, serviceable solutions with minimal disruption to factory output and field support.

Key Responsibilities:

Portfolio / Multi-Project Execution

• Manage a portfolio of 6–8 smaller programs simultaneously, balancing priorities, resources, dependencies, and schedules across projects.
• Establish clear scope, success criteria, milestones, and deliverables for each program; maintain integrated plans and action tracking.
• Drive weekly execution cadence (core team meetings, action closure, decision deadlines) and ensure follow-through across functions.

Obsolescence & Lifecycle Program Leadership

• Lead component/system/material obsolescence replacements (e.g., EOL electronics, discontinued mechanical parts, material substitutions, supplier changes).
• Partner with Supply Chain and Product Management to understand PCNs, EOL timing, lead times, LTB needs, alternate sourcing options, and supply risk.
• Coordinate trade studies to select solutions (form-fit-function replacement vs redesign vs material substitution), documenting decisions and impacts.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Drive alignment and execution across: Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Systems/Design, Quality & Reliability, Manufacturing/Operations, Supplier Quality, Service/Spare Parts, Compliance/Regulatory (as applicable).
• Ensure changes consider downstream impacts: manufacturability, tooling/fixtures, documentation, serviceability, spares, and cost.

Qualification, Change Control & Release

• Develop/drive qualification strategy appropriate to the change (test plans, reliability validation, compliance checks, supplier validation).
• Manage change control lifecycle (ECR/ECO), ensuring proper reviews, required documentation, and configuration management.
• Coordinate release readiness including manufacturing implementation plans, cut-in/cut-over strategy, and communication to stakeholders.

Risk, Issue, and Decision Management

• Maintain RAID logs for each program; surface risks early and propose mitigation options.
• Lead structured escalation when needed (schedule risk, technical uncertainty, supplier risk, quality concerns).
• Drive timely decisions by framing options, impacts, and recommendation with supporting data.

Communication & Reporting

• Provide concise portfolio-level reporting (status, top risks, schedule health, upcoming decisions, resource constraints).
• Communicate proactively to engineering leadership and operations stakeholders when priorities shift or constraints emerge.

Typical Projects

• Replace an EOL electrical component with acceptable alternates and execute validation/release.
• Mechanical redesign to address supplier discontinuation, tolerance stack issues, or material availability.
• Material substitution due to compliance or availability constraints, including qualification and documentation updates.
• Minor assembly or subsystem update requiring drawing changes, supplier re-qualification, and manufacturing readiness.

Skills Requirements:

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Materials Science, Operations, or related discipline (or equivalent experience).
• 3–6 years of program/project management experience in a hardware/manufacturing environment (sustaining, NPI support, lifecycle, or operations-focused PM).
• Demonstrated experience coordinating cross-functional teams and driving schedules to closure.
• Working knowledge of change management / configuration control (ECR/ECO) and release processes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with obsolescence management, PCNs/EOL, alternate qualification, LTB/bridge strategies.
• Experience spanning both electrical and mechanical changes (including materials considerations).
• Familiarity with qualification/reliability approaches (fit/function verification, environmental testing, supplier validation).

Skills & Competencies

• Strong execution and prioritization across multiple simultaneous projects.
• Able to influence without authority; effective facilitation and conflict resolution.
• Structured thinking: clear problem statements, decision framing, risk management.
• Strong written/verbal communication and Power Point with crisp status reporting.
• Detail-oriented with disciplined follow-up; comfortable operating with ambiguity.

Success Measures

• Obsolescence projects released on-time with minimal production/service disruption.
• Risks identified early with clear mitigations and timely escalations.
• Clean qualification evidence and change documentation enabling smooth manufacturing cut-in.
• High stakeholder satisfaction: predictable delivery, effective meetings, closed actions.