Director, Technical Project/Program Management

Rheem Manufacturing Company; Fort Smith (AR); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Rheem Manufacturing Company is seeking a Director, Technical Project/Program Management to own strategic programs and lead a team of program managers. The role emphasizes delivering key KPIs, customer-centric solutions, and cross-functional leadership in a fast-paced environment.

The position is hybrid and can be located in Atlanta, GA, Fort Smith, AR, Lewisville, TX, or Indianapolis, IN, with in-office Mon–Thu and remote on Fridays.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field is required.
• 10+ years of experience in product development or project management.
• 5+ years of experience leading business or functional teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong execution skills to drive schedules, remove barriers, and deliver on time, on budget, and at quality targets.
• Experience translating product strategies into executable program plans using PLM and resource management tools.
• Strong analytical and financial acumen for tracking costs and ROI.
• Experience navigating matrixed teams and working with department leaders to drive initiatives.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with attention to detail.
• Ability to present clearly to senior leadership and influence at multiple levels.

Responsibilities

• Execute the program management vision and strategy aligned with corporate objectives and market trends.
• Lead and coach a high-performing team of program managers.
• Drive multi-year product roadmaps across multiple categories.
• Collaborate with finance and operations to align investments with long-term objectives.
• Monitor metrics, identify risks, and implement corrective actions to maintain schedule, cost, and quality.
• Provide program updates to senior leadership and conduct post-launch reviews.
• Optimize resource allocation by coordinating with functional leaders to balance workload.
• Ensure manufacturing readiness and successful production ramp-up.
• Develop and coach team members to strengthen problem-solving and communication skills.

Skills

Executive leadership

Program management

Stakeholder communication

Financial acumen

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Job description

Job Description A Director, Technical Project/Program Management, is responsible for owning the execution of their assigned strategic projects or programs, as well as leading a team of other program managers. Emphasis is on delivering to key KPI’s, with a focus on team leadership and customer-centric solutions.

This position will serve Rheem North America, and can be located in Atlanta, GA, Fort Smith, AR, Lewisville, TX, or Indianapolis, IN. This role follows our hybrid work arrangement, with team members working in the office Monday through Thursday and remotely on Fridays.

Responsibilities

• Execute the program management vision and strategy aligned with corporate objectives and market trends, while helping to maximize efficiency.
• Utilize and champion the implementation of programs following Navigator process to manufacturing acceptance and full production.
• Provide leadership to coach, develop, mentor a high-performing team, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration and excellence.
• Lead and execute programs for talent retention, succession planning, and employee engagement.
• Actively demonstrate commitment to coaching and development of your leaders and employees by allocating time and resources to build capabilities, strengthen engagement, and cultivate a sustainable leadership pipeline.
• Manage and execute the multi-year product roadmaps across multiple categories
• Guide the development of the strategic annual plans for NPI execution to ensure alignment with the financial forecast, budget, commercialization, and training implementation.
• Collaborate with finance and operations to align product investments with long-term business objectives.
• Lead cross-functional program teams to deliver programs that meet customer, business, and manufacturing requirements, following Navigator guidelines through manufacturing acceptance and full production.
• Drive accountability for program performance by monitoring metrics, identifying risks and issues, and implementing corrective actions to maintain schedule, cost, and quality targets.
• Provide clear, concise program updates to senior leadership and conduct structured post-launch reviews to capture lessons learned and drive continuous improvement.
• Drive priority alignment by collaborating with functional leadership to maintain focus on critical program objectives. Optimize resource allocation by partnering with functional leaders to balance workload, remove bottlenecks, and ensure teams are positioned for on-time delivery.
• Align and motivate teams by applying strong negotiation and communication skills to keep stakeholders informed, engaged, and committed to program goals. Oversee the product life cycle and manages the development, profitability, and market share growth of assigned product portfolio to meet/exceed KPIs.
• Lead core teams or value stream teams to operationalize product strategies and deliver against cost, quality, and performance commitments.
• Provide program execution insights including feasibility, timing, risks, and financial considerations to inform Product Management decisions and roadmap adjustments. Facilitate cross-functional problem solving with engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, finance, and purchasing to address constraints, evaluate trade-offs, and accelerate decision-making.
• Lead plant-related program activities by organizing, scheduling, and controlling execution with site and functional leaders to ensure launches meet timing, budget, and quality expectations.
• Ensure organization-wide clarity by proactively communicating expectations, deliverables, milestones, and changes that impact program execution
• Manage capital and tooling progress to keep investments, equipment readiness, and tooling milestones aligned with program requirements. Work with functional managers to communicate and prioritize resource requirements and expectations.
• Ensure manufacturing readiness through validation of equipment, processes, and capability, ensuring operations are prepared for seamless production ramp-up.
• Advance speed-to-market and quality outcomes by identifying improvement opportunities and drive cross-functional initiatives that streamline program delivery.
• Develop and coach team members to enhance program management capability, strengthen communication and problem-solving skills, and foster a high-performance culture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in product development or project management
• 5+ years of experience leading business or functional teams members in a fast-paced environment. Strong knowledge of product development stage gate processes including design, pricing, manufacturing, and sourcing.
• Strong execution skills with the ability to drive schedules, remove barriers, and deliver on time, on budget, and at quality targets.
• Proven ability to translate product strategies into executable program plans utilizing PLM and resource management tools.
• Strong analytical and financial acumen with the ability to track program costs, monitor capital/tooling spending, assess ROI and cost-benefit implications.
• Experience with navigating matrixed teams and working cross functionally with department leaders to develop, influence and execute on project initiatives and goals.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Demonstrated ability to present clearly to senior leadership and translate complex issues into actionable information
• Strong professional presence and ability to build relationships and influence at multiple levels of the organization.