Assistant Customer Program Manager

Celestica; Johor Bahru; On-site; MYR 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Celestica in Johor Bahru, Malaysia seeks a seasoned Customer Program Manager to lead cross-functional program execution and customer alignment across operations, supply chain, quality, and engineering.

You will be the primary interface with customers, manage scope creep, monitor NRE costs and inventory, and report on profitability, delivering tough news with clarity and executive presence. This role requires 8–12 years of experience and the ability to influence teams without direct authority.

Qualifications

• 8-12 years of experience in program management, manufacturing operations, or customer-facing technical account management.

Responsibilities

• Lead matrixed cross-functional teams (Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering) to achieve milestone dates and project deliverables without direct line authority.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for customer accounts; track customer commitments, prevent scope creep, monitor revenue exposure, and ensure continuous alignment between customer forecasts and factory capacity.
• Drive root-cause analysis (RCA) and resolve high-stakes yield, delivery, or quality crises under extreme time constraints while preserving strong customer relationships.
• Actively monitor program financials by tracking NRE costs, scrap/rework expenses, and inventory levels to minimize excess exposure and protect program profitability.
• Maintain strong executive presence while communicating tough news (delays, yield issues, capacity bottlenecks) to demanding customer stakeholders while maintaining trust and transparency.
• Host regular status tracking meetings with customer and internal teams. Provide performance reporting and analysis for monthly Operations Reviews and quarterly Customer Performance Reviews (CPRs).
• Support flexible communication hours (20-30% off-shift) as needed to align with global/US customer time zones.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Program management

Customer-facing

Executive communication

RCA / 8D problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Supply Chain, or related field

Job description

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Customer Program Manager (CPM) to lead cross-functional program execution and customer alignment. The CPM acts as the primary interface between the customer and internal teams to manage high-stakes program execution, track commercial risk, and deliver on revenue and margin targets without relying on direct line authority.

Key responsibilities

Lead matrixed cross-functional teams (Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering) to achieve milestone dates and project deliverables without direct line authority.

Serve as the primary point of contact for customer accounts; track customer commitments, prevent scope creep, monitor revenue exposure, and ensure continuous alignment between customer forecasts and factory capacity.

Drive root-cause analysis (RCA) and resolve high-stakes yield, delivery, or quality crises under extreme time constraints while preserving strong customer relationships.

Actively monitor program financials by tracking NRE (Non-Recurring Engineering) costs, scrap/rework expenses, and inventory levels to minimize excess exposure and protect program profitability.

Maintain strong executive presence while communicating tough news (delays, yield issues, capacity bottlenecks) to demanding customer stakeholders while maintaining trust and transparency.

Host regular status tracking meetings with customer and internal teams. Provide performance reporting and analysis for monthly Operations Reviews and quarterly Customer Performance Reviews (CPRs).

Support flexible communication hours (20-30% off-shift) as needed to align with global/US customer time zones.

About you

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Supply Chain, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).

8-12 years of experience in program management, manufacturing operations, or customer-facing technical account management. Preferred candidate's with Contract Manufacturing / OEM experience.

Proven track record of leading complex, cross-functional teams in a matrixed organization without direct supervisory authority.

Demonstrated ability in managing scope creep, tracking NRE costs, scrap/rework expenses, excess inventory, and understanding contract pricing structures.

Demonstrated experience navigating high-pressure delivery or quality crises using structured problem-solving (e.g., RCA, 8D) and executive-level de-escalation skills.

Exceptional verbal, written, and presentation skills with an ability to build trust with aggressive or demanding customer teams.