Director – Program Management & Planning

ICHOR Systems Malaysia Sdn Bhd; Shah Alam; On-site; MYR 300,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

ICHOR Systems Malaysia Sdn Bhd seeks a Director – Program Management & Planning to provide strategic leadership for the organization’s program management and planning activities from initiation through delivery and customer fulfilment.

You will lead a portfolio of customer programs, align demand with capacity and financial targets, manage risks, and partner with senior leadership to drive execution and continuous improvement across the enterprise.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Supply Chain, Operations Management or related field.
• 15+ years of progressive experience in Program Management, Planning, or related functions with leadership.
• Experience leading customer-facing programs in high-technology manufacturing or semiconductor sectors.
• Proven ability to manage cross-functional teams and influence senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic direction for Program Management and Planning with clear objectives and governance.
• Oversee multiple customer programs from initiation to delivery and fulfilment.
• Establish program governance, metrics, and escalation to ensure accountability.
• Ensure on-time delivery within scope, schedule, cost, quality and capacity constraints.
• Maintain strategic relationships with customers and senior stakeholders.
• Drive risk management, contingency planning, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder management

Executive communication

Problem solving

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field

Master's degree (advantage)

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

ERP/MRP systems

Oracle

Job description

Director – Program Management & Planning

The Director – Program Management & Planning is responsible for providing strategic leadership and overall direction for the organization's program management and planning activities, from program initiation through execution, ramp-up, and customer fulfilment.

The role leads a portfolio of customer programs and projects, ensuring alignment between customer demand, business objectives, operational capacity, material availability, resources, and financial targets. The Director works closely with customers and cross-functional stakeholders to establish priorities, manage risks and constraints, drive execution, and ensure programs are delivered on time and in accordance with customer requirements and expectations.

The position serves as a key strategic partner to senior leadership and customers, providing visibility of program performance, demand outlook, capacity requirements, risks, opportunities, and recommended actions.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and direction for the Program Management and Planning organization, establishing clear objectives, priorities, governance, and performance expectations.
• Lead the management of existing programs and new customer projects from initiation through development, production ramp, execution, and customer fulfilment.
• Establish program governance, operating rhythms, performance metrics, and escalation mechanisms to ensure effective execution and accountability.
• Ensure programs are delivered in accordance with agreed scope, schedule, cost, quality, capacity, and customer requirements.
• Oversee the program portfolio and ensure priorities are aligned with overall business strategy and customer commitments.
• Establish and maintain strategic relationships with key customers and stakeholders to understand business needs, demand outlook, priorities, expectations, and potential opportunities.
• Serve as a senior escalation point for significant customer program issues and drive timely resolution.
• Partner with customers to establish realistic demand, delivery, inventory, capacity, and program execution expectations.
• Drive customer satisfaction and ensure achievement of key customer scorecards and performance metrics.
• Build strong relationships with internal leadership and cross-functional teams to ensure alignment and timely decision-making.

3. Planning, Demand & Capacity Management

• Lead the development and review of customer demand forecasts, backlog, capacity requirements, production plans, and resource requirements.
• Translate customer demand into actionable capacity, material, manpower, equipment, and operational requirements.
• Identify potential capacity, material, supply chain, resource, and operational constraints and establish mitigation strategies.
• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Planning, Procurement, Engineering, Quality, Finance, and other functions to ensure appropriate resource and capacity alignment.
• Drive effective backlog management and prioritization based on customer requirements, business priorities, capacity, and commercial considerations.
• Establish appropriate planning processes and performance indicators to improve forecast accuracy, capacity utilization, inventory management, and delivery performance.

4. Cross-Functional Program Execution

• Lead cross-functional teams to achieve critical program milestones, deliverables, and customer commitments.
• Ensure effective collaboration across Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Finance, Procurement, Planning, and other relevant functions.
• Drive resolution of complex issues that may impact program schedule, delivery, quality, cost, capacity, or customer satisfaction.
• Establish clear ownership, accountability, timelines, and escalation paths for critical program activities.
• Ensure timely communication of program status, risks, opportunities, and required decisions to senior leadership.

5. Risk Management & Escalation

• Establish a structured program risk-management process covering demand, capacity, materials, resources, quality, delivery, cost, and customer requirements.
• Proactively identify emerging risks and develop mitigation and contingency plans.
• Lead cross-functional escalation and recovery plans for critical program issues.
• Ensure senior leadership is provided with timely and accurate visibility of major risks and recommended actions.
• Drive scenario planning and contingency strategies for significant changes in customer demand or business conditions.

6. Strategic Planning & Business Growth

• Partner with senior leadership to align program and planning strategies with the company's business growth objectives.
• Support new business opportunities by assessing customer requirements, capacity, resources, timelines, and operational readiness.
• Identify opportunities to improve program execution, planning processes, resource utilization, and customer service.
• Support business expansion, new product introduction, production ramp-up, and major operational transformation initiatives.
• Develop long-term program and capacity strategies based on customer forecasts and business growth plans.
• Lead, coach, and develop the Program Management and Planning organization to build a high-performing team.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, objectives, and performance expectations across the organization.
• Develop talent, succession plans, and functional capabilities to support current and future business requirements.
• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, customer focus, and data-driven decision-making.
• Drive standardization and continuous improvement of program management and planning processes across the organization.
• Drive effective utilization and continuous improvement of ERP/MRP and program management systems.
• Ensure data integrity and availability to support accurate planning, forecasting, reporting, and decision-making.
• Develop and standardize program management, demand planning, capacity planning, reporting, and escalation processes.
• Leverage data analytics and automation to improve visibility, planning accuracy, and operational efficiency.
• Promote the use of Agile and structured project/program management methodologies where appropriate.

9. Other Responsibilities

• Represent Program Management and Planning in management reviews, customer meetings, business reviews, and strategic planning sessions.
• Perform other duties and strategic initiatives as assigned by senior management.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Business, Supply Chain, Operations Management, or a related field.
• Master's Degree in a relevant discipline is an advantage.
• Minimum 15 years of progressive experience in Program Management, Project Management, Planning, Operations, Supply Chain, or related functions, with significant leadership experience.
• Proven experience managing complex, customer-facing programs and multiple projects simultaneously, preferably within the semiconductor, electronics, advanced manufacturing, or other high-technology manufacturing industries.
• Demonstrated experience leading Program Management and/or Planning organizations and managing cross-functional teams.
• Strong understanding of demand planning, capacity planning, production planning, material management, inventory management, supply chain, and customer fulfilment.
• Proven track record of managing customer commitments, OTD performance, customer scorecards, backlog, and operational risks.
• Strong strategic thinking, business acumen, analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to engage effectively with customers, senior executives, and cross-functional leaders.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity, manage competing priorities, and drive results in a fast-paced and high-pressure environment.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and executive-level reporting skills.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and data analytics/reporting tools; experience with Excel Macros or automation is an advantage.
• Strong working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems, preferably Oracle, and program/project management tools.
• Knowledge of Agile, Lean, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement methodologies is an advantage.
• PMP, APICS/CPIM, or equivalent professional certification is an advantage.
• Strong leadership capability with demonstrated experience in building, developing, and retaining high-performing teams.

Ichor offers world-class process engineering, manufacturing, materials management, and testing capabilities. Our 2,500+ employees worldwide are strategically located to provide our customers with the highest level of customer service and support from our program management, sales, engineering, and executive management teams.

Ichor Systems is an equal opportunity employer (EOO) and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Ichor offers world-class process engineering, manufacturing, materials management, and testing capabilities. Our 2,500+ employees worldwide are strategically located to provide our customers with the highest level of customer service and support from our program management, sales, engineering, and executive management teams.

Ichor Systems is an equal opportunity employer (EOO) and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.