Director of Program Management

About the Role

This position is a key leadership role within the Program Management team. The Director has strong expertise in building and leading teams and in the many facets of product development. The Director of Program Management is responsible for delivery of all programs and projects in his/her customer group on time, at quality targets, and at budgeted profitability to meet customer and Magna expectations. Playing key roles such as Mentor, Coach, Manager and Team Leader are important in addition to the formal management functions of objective setting, employee appraisals and disciplinary actions.

Your Responsibilities

• Accountable for the execution of all North American programs and meeting defined cost, timing, and quality and performance milestones in accordance with customer and leadership defined requirements.
• Provides team leadership, management support, including coaching and active engagement with direct and extended team.
• Develops and implements program management processes and policies based on program needs.
• Directs the efforts of product steering committees, ensuring adherence to the product development process for all program and project managers.
• Manages escalation path to the executive leadership on critical programs, and provides support (Technical and Leadership) to the project team(s).
• Be aware of the big picture (Technical, Product Space, Financial, Organizational, etc.) and proactively support it.
• Communicates as necessary with other senior executives in Magna on program status, new initiatives, etc.
• Facilities executive-level interaction with Customer and serves as an escalation-tiered company representative of internal and customer issues.
• Works with internal and external resources to maintain strong customer relationships with dedication to customer program schedules.
• Reports on group KPI to senior management and the broader organization.  
• Prepares departmental/project budgets, and put effective controls in place to manage spending within the budget.
• Develops long-term organizational strategies/plans to meet future business needs and growth opportunities.
• Constantly seeks methods to improve program management efficiency and effectiveness.
• Ensures that programs are properly resourced (both quality and quantity) for success, whether through assignment of direct resources, or leverage of external resources as required.
• Supports reviews as required.
• Ensures that teams are aware of and using the appropriate tools and processes.
• Provides supervision and oversight to Managers, Senior Program Managers, Program Managers and Project Managers.
• Interviews, hires, trains, rewards and disciplines, and performance appraisals of direct reports.
• Participates in continuous improvement efforts for products, tools, processes and programs.
• Responsible for the adherence of all processes, tools and methods of the program management team to all applicable standards, laws, rules and regulations.
• Performs other duties as necessary in support of business objectives. Ensures that facilities are in full compliance with all safety regulations.

Who we are looking for

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or business administration – Required
• Master’s degree in business or engineering - Desired
• Management/Leadership training – Required
• Business Finance training – Desired 
• Minimum of 15 years deep and relevant product development experience and manufacturing operations is required.
• Minimum of 10 years of demonstrated experience in a managerial role of a technical team is required.
• Minimum of 10 years related experience in program management with prior project team management responsibility.
• Deep and comprehensive knowledge of key North American automotive OEM product development practices
• Knowledge of the application and delivery of advanced electronic systems into the automotive industry.
• Expert level problem solving skills, risk management, and analytical abilities.

Your preferred qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of MS Office package and fluent in PC applications for cost tracking, budgeting, program management.
• Comprehensive knowledge of analysis and program management tools (i.e. document control and archiving tools, analysis tools, etc.).  
• Ability to travel (domestic and international) 15 – 20% of time
• Good team and people skills, including interpersonal skills that are required to lead, mentor, communicate, and build the technical capabilities of a cross-functional and cross- cultural organization.
• Strong leadership qualities.
• Able to work effectively in a global environment.
• Able to lead and motivate a diverse team.
• Able to represent technical topics internally and externally.
• Able to maintain confidentiality.
• Expert and oral communication. Ability to articulate complex technical concepts, often to nontechnical audiences or senior management.
• Ability to multitask by handling diverse assignments concurrently.
• Self-starter who is able to work in a fast paced and multifaceted environment.
• Strong and effective decision-making skills

What we offer

At Magna, you can expect an engaging and dynamic environment where you can help to develop industry-leading automotive technologies. We invest in our employees, providing them with the support and resources they need to succeed. As a member of our global team, you can expect exciting, varied responsibilities as well as a wide range of development prospects. Because we believe that your career path should be as unique as you are.

Site Benefits

Awareness. Unity. Empowerment.

At Magna, we believe that a diverse workforce is critical to our success. That’s why we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We hire on the basis of experience and qualifications, and in consideration of job requirements, regardless of, in particular, color, ancestry, religion, gender, origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability or gender identity. Magna takes the privacy of your personal information seriously. We discourage you from sending applications via email to comply with GDPR requirements and your local Data Privacy Law.