Manufacturing Programs Lead — Multi-Site Launch & Coordination

HSM (Hickory Springs Manufacturing) Company; Hickory (NC); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellness

401(k) with company match

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Job summary

HSM in Hickory, NC is seeking a Program Coordinator to bring structure and visibility to complex manufacturing programs across multiple facilities. You will partner with plant and corporate leadership, track milestones, manage risks, and support gate reviews, PPAP timing, and launch readiness. This role offers growth across increasingly complex programs.

This position emphasizes disciplined follow-up, dashboards, and clear documentation to keep projects on track and ready for launch.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, or a related field; equivalent manufacturing or program coordination experience will also be considered.
• 3-6+ years of experience in manufacturing, project coordination, program support, or a similar role.
• Experience supporting multi-site manufacturing operations or coordinating programs across multiple production facilities.
• Exposure to seating, transportation, automotive, commercial vehicle, or similar manufacturing environments.
• Familiarity with ISO 9001, IATF 16949, VDA 6.3, PPAP, production readiness, validation, or launch processes.
• Experience with tools such as Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Power BI, or similar project management/reporting platforms.
• Ability to manage schedules, track deliverables, maintain documentation, and translate technical or operational requirements into actionable tasks.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to partner effectively with plant, functional, and leadership teams.

Responsibilities

• Coordinating program execution across multiple manufacturing facilities to support launch readiness and consistent implementation.
• Serving as a liaison between corporate program leadership, plant leadership, and cross-functional teams.
• Tracking milestones, plant-level deliverables, risks, resource needs, and readiness activities.
• Supporting Gate reviews and Work Package completion through clear documentation and disciplined follow-up.
• Maintaining dashboards and reporting tools that highlight program status, risks, milestones, and launch readiness.
• Helping align program timelines with plant capacity, staffing, equipment, tooling, and operational readiness.
• Supporting manufacturing readiness across processes such as tube fabrication, welding, foam fabrication, upholstery, sewing, assembly, finishing, and final inspection.
• Partnering with Quality and Operations to support production readiness reviews, PPAP timing, validation activities, audit readiness, and customer launch requirements.
• Driving accountability and helping teams resolve issues before they impact launch success.

Skills

Project coordination

Manufacturing

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Documentation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field

Equivalent manufacturing/program coordination experience

Tools

Microsoft Project

Smartsheet

Power BI

Job description

HSM in Hickory, NC is seeking a Program Coordinator to bring structure and visibility to complex manufacturing programs across multiple facilities. You will partner with plant and corporate leadership, track milestones, manage risks, and support gate reviews, PPAP timing, and launch readiness. This role offers growth across increasingly complex programs.

This position emphasizes disciplined follow-up, dashboards, and clear documentation to keep projects on track and ready for launch.