Automotive Program Manager: Launch & Production Lead

Lakeside Recruiting Solutions; Birmingham (AL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Lakeside Recruiting Solutions is seeking a Program Manager to lead automotive programs from quotation to production readiness and ongoing support. You will interface with engineering, quality, operations, supply chain, tooling, and leadership to ensure on-time, within-budget delivery aligned with customer requirements.

Responsibilities include creating and maintaining timing plans, coordinating cross-functional activities, managing APQP/PPAP activities, and presenting status reports to customers

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Business, Operations Management, or related field.
• 5 years of automotive manufacturing and program management experience.
• Experience with new product launches, tooling projects, and customer deliverables.

Responsibilities

• Lead assigned automotive manufacturing programs from award through launch, production ramp-up, and ongoing production support.
• Develop, maintain, and communicate program timing plans, milestones, deliverables, open issues, and risk mitigation plans.
• Serve as the primary customer contact for program timing, technical deliverables, launch readiness, engineering changes, commercial issues, and program status updates.
• Coordinate cross-functional activities with engineering, quality, production, maintenance, purchasing, logistics, finance, tooling, and plant operations teams.
• Manage APQP activities, including feasibility reviews, design reviews, process flow, PFMEA, control plans, gage planning, capability studies, run-at-rate activities, PPAP submissions, and customer approvals.
• Track tooling, equipment, fixtures, gauges, packaging, EDI requirements, material readiness, and supplier deliverables to support successful program launch.
• Support engineering change management by evaluating timing, cost, quality, material, tooling, and production impacts.
• Monitor program budgets, capital expenditures, tooling costs, material costs, and change requests to ensure financial targets are achieved.
• Coordinate prototype builds, pre-production trials, process validation, PPAP runs, and launch readiness reviews.
• Support customer visits, audits, launch meetings, technical reviews, and issue-resolution activities.
• Prepare and present program status reports to customers, leadership, and internal stakeholders.

Skills

Program management

Cross-functional collaboration

Project planning

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Manufacturing/Business

Tools

APQP processes

PPAP submissions

Job description

Lakeside Recruiting Solutions is seeking a Program Manager to lead automotive programs from quotation to production readiness and ongoing support. You will interface with engineering, quality, operations, supply chain, tooling, and leadership to ensure on-time, within-budget delivery aligned with customer requirements.

Responsibilities include creating and maintaining timing plans, coordinating cross-functional activities, managing APQP/PPAP activities, and presenting status reports to customers