Director, Customer Programs

Master Machine, LLC; Chattanooga, Northern (TN, KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Master Machine LLC in Chattanooga, TN seeks a Director, Customer Programs Manager to lead the company’s customer programs capability as the serialized nuclear fabrication portfolio grows. You will own executive-level customer relationships, define the operating rhythms for Customer Program Managers, and build a structured, high-trust function that delivers repeat business and long-term partnerships.

This role balances strategic leadership with hands-on execution, partnering with Sales,

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive experience in customer-facing leadership roles.
• Experience managing executive-level customer relationships in industrial, energy, defense, or nuclear environments.
• Ability to influence across Manufacturing, Engineering, Sales, and Quality without direct authority.
• Strong executive communication skills, incl. customer presentations and strategic updates.
• Urgency, judgment, and credibility in multi-program, high-accountability environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, or a related field.
• Nuclear industry experience with familiarity with regulated quality and compliance environments (ASME, NQA-1, 10 CFR 50 Appendix B).

Responsibilities

• Own senior customer relationships across major accounts.
• Stand up and lead the customer programs operating model (hiring, coaching, interfaces).
• Build and lead the Customer Programs function as a structured capability.
• Drive follow-on awards, cleaner handoffs, and scalable program growth.
• Represent the customer voice in strategic planning and execution.

Skills

Executive leadership

Customer relationships

Cross-functional collaboration

Nuclear industry experience

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Business/Operations

Job description

• The Director, Customer Programs Manager is a senior leadership role responsible for building and leading Master Machine’s customer programs capability as the business expands its serialized nuclear fabrication portfolio.
• The role owns executive-level customer relationships, establishes the operating rhythms and team structure for Customer Program Managers, and ensures customer trust translates into repeat business, follow-on awards, and long-term strategic partnerships.
• This role is evaluated on two equally weighted dimensions: Competency (what you do) and Culture (how you do it).

Big 3 - Competency // What you'll do

• Customer Relationship Leadership
• Personally own senior customer relationships and ensure each major account experiences a consistent, credible, and proactive Master Machine presence.
• Serve as the senior Master Machine relationship owner for strategic customer accounts, particularly during ramp periods, first-of-a-kind builds, and critical program milestones. Build trust with director-level and above customer counterparts and maintain continuity from award through execution and follow-on opportunity development.
• Stand up and lead the customer programs operating model, including hiring, coaching, and aligning Customer Program Managers around customer outcomes.
• Build and lead the Customer Programs function as a structured capability, not an informal coordination layer. Hire, coach, and develop senior Customer Program Managers while defining clear interfaces with Sales, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Quality.
• Growth and Execution Alignment
• Convert customer trust into follow-on award velocity, cleaner handoffs, stronger cross-functional execution, and scalable program growth.
• Translate strong customer relationships into measurable business outcomes, including follow-on awards, program growth, and improved internal readiness. Represent the customer voice in strategic planning while helping the organization align execution decisions with customer expectations.

Big 5 - Culture // How you'll live our values

• 1. Champion Customer Success - We win when our customers win.
• This role makes customer success structural by ensuring each strategic account has a leader who drives outcomes across every PO, every program, and every key customer interaction.
• What this looks like in this role:
• Frames internal decisions in terms of customer outcomes, not company convenience.
• Advocates for the customer inside Master Machine while preserving clear business judgment.
• Anticipates customer needs before they surface as escalations.
• Measures success through trust, repeat business, and program growth.
• 2. Serve First, Lead Always - Servant leadership, integrity, and transparency in all we do.
• This leader serves customers and internal teams by communicating honestly, removing obstacles, and leading clearly when commitments are under pressure.
• What this looks like in this role:
• Tells customers the real picture when schedule, scope, or quality are at risk.
• Removes barriers that prevent Customer Program Managers from succeeding.
• Owns difficult messages internally and externally without deflection.
• Models integrity in every commitment made on behalf of Master Machine.
• 3. Win, Together - We are becoming, and we are building, a great team.
• The role succeeds by convening peers across functions around the customer’s outcome and ensuring wins are shared across the business rather than isolated within one department.
• What this looks like in this role:
• Partners effectively with Manufacturing, Engineering, Sales, and Quality leaders.
• Builds a customer programs team that other functions trust and respect.
• Shares credit broadly and reinforces enterprise accountability.
• Recruits and develops talent that elevates the full organization.
• 4. Relentlessly Pursue Excellence - We get better every day, in every detail.
• This role raises the bar for how Master Machine manages complex customer programs, from executive communication to program governance to team standards.
• What this looks like in this role:
• Raises performance expectations with every hire and every customer-facing deliverable.
• Sweats the details of reviews, briefings, dashboards, and escalation communication.
• Prevents the function from drifting into low-value administrative work.
• Turns lessons learned into repeatable operating improvements.
• 5. Practice Blameless Accountability - We own the outcome, fix the issue, learn and move forward.
• When customer programs miss, this leader owns recovery, drives practical learning, and ensures confidence is rebuilt through action.
• What this looks like in this role:
• Owns customer-facing recovery when commitments slip.
• Leads post-mortems focused on process, decisions, and system improvement rather than blame.
• Closes the loop with customers on what changed as a result of the issue.
• Models the same accountability posture expected across the team.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive experience in customer-facing leadership, program management, account leadership, or related industrial leadership roles.
• Demonstrated success managing executive-level customer relationships in complex industrial, energy, defense, or nuclear environments.
• Experience leading teams and influencing across Manufacturing, Engineering, Sales, and Quality without direct authority over all participating functions.
• Strong executive communication skills, including customer presentations, strategic updates, and issue-resolution messaging.
• Ability to operate with urgency, judgment, and credibility in multi-program, high-accountability environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, or a related field.
• Nuclear industry experience, including familiarity with regulated quality and compliance environments such as ASME Section III, NQA-1, and 10 CFR 50 Appendix B.

About Master Machine

• Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Chattanooga, TN, Master Machine LLC is a precision machining and fabrication company specializing in high‑specification components for the nuclear, defense, and critical infrastructure sectors.
• As part of Fusion Enterprises - a private company building a best‑in‑class portfolio of businesses serving the nuclear energy industry - Master Machine delivers complex, safety‑related components manufactured to the highest quality standards under a robust nuclear Quality Assurance Program.
• Together with Fusion, we are focused on operational excellence, long‑term customer partnerships, and providing essential solutions that help power and protect our world.