Program Manager (Customer & Account Management)

Celestica; Kulai; On-site; MYR 78,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Celestica in Kulai, Malaysia seeks a seasoned Customer Program Manager to lead cross-functional program execution and customer alignment. The CPM acts as primary interface between customer and internal teams to manage programs, track commercial risk, and protect profitability.

Responsibilities include leading matrixed teams, managing commitments and scope, resolving crises, and reporting performance in monthly and quarterly reviews, with some off-shift support for global time zones.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Supply Chain, or related field.
• 8–10 years of program management experience in manufacturing operations or customer-facing roles.
• Preferred experience in Contract Manufacturing.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams without direct supervisory authority.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen with experience in scope creep, NRE costs, and pricing.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional matrix teams (Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering) to meet milestones.
• Act as primary customer contact to align forecasts with factory capacity and commitments.
• Drive RCA and resolve high-stakes delivery or quality crises under time pressure.
• Monitor program financials, including NRE costs and inventory levels.
• Communicate delays or issues to executives with clear, trusted messaging.
• Host status meetings and provide performance reporting for reviews.
• Coordinate with global teams across time zones (20–30% off-shift).

Skills

Leadership

Commercial & Financial Acumen

Crisis & Conflict Resolution

Communication

Education

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

Job description

Monthly Salary: RM 7,000 – RM 9,000 per month

Role Overview

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

• Cross-Functional Leadership & Matrix Management: Lead matrixed cross-functional teams (Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering) to achieve milestone dates and project deliverables without direct line authority.
• Customer & Commercial Management: 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.
• Crisis Management & Problem Solving: Drive root-cause analysis (RCA) and resolve high-stakes yield, delivery, or quality crises under extreme time constraints while preserving strong customer relationships.
• Financial Control & Exposure Management: 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.
• Executive Communication & De-escalation: Maintain strong executive presence while communicating tough news (delays, yield issues, capacity bottlenecks) to demanding customer stakeholders while maintaining trust and transparency.
• Program Reviews & Operations Alignment: 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).
• Global Support Alignment: Support flexible communication hours (20–30% off-shift) as needed to align with global/US customer time zones.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Supply Chain, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Experience: 8–10 years of experience in program management, manufacturing operations, or customer-facing technical account management. Preferred experience in Contract Manufacturing.
• Leadership: Proven track record of leading complex, cross-functional teams in a matrixed organization without direct supervisory authority.
• Commercial & Financial Acumen: Demonstrated ability in managing scope creep, tracking NRE costs, scrap/rework expenses, excess inventory, and understanding contract pricing structures.
• Crisis & Conflict Resolution: Demonstrated experience navigating high-pressure delivery or quality crises using structured problem-solving (e.g., RCA, 8D) and executive-level de-escalation skills.
• Communication: Exceptional verbal, written, and presentation skills with an ability to build trust with aggressive or demanding customer teams.