Program Director – MES Transformation

TotalTek; Hilbert (WI); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

TotalTek seeks a seasoned Program Director to drive a multi-year MES transformation across five sites in Wisconsin. You will provide executive governance, align stakeholders, and ensure on-time, on-budget delivery with the client and partner teams.

We seek a leader with a proven record of recovering challenged initiatives, managing risk, and delivering complex enterprise programs while maintaining strong executive presence and cross-functional collaboration across IT, manufacturing, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Information Technology, or related field.
• 15+ years leading large-scale enterprise technology programs.
• 10+ years of program leadership for ERP, SAP, MES, manufacturing, or digital transformation initiatives.
• Experience leading multi-million-dollar technology implementations.
• Demonstrated success leading complex, cross-functional programs involving multiple vendors.
• Strong executive presence with exceptional presentation and communication skills.
• Experience working directly with C-suite executives and executive steering committees.
• Proven ability to influence without direct authority.
• Strong financial acumen, governance expertise, and risk management experience.
• Experience managing geographically dispersed teams and multi-site deployments.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the executive leader for the overall MES transformation program.
• Establish credibility and trusted advisor relationships with executive sponsors and senior leadership.
• Provide strategic guidance to the client, implementation partner, and project leadership team.
• Lead executive steering committee meetings and governance forums.
• Drive timely executive decision-making and issue resolution.
• Establish and maintain program governance, operating model, and delivery standards.
• Ensure alignment between business objectives, project scope, budget, schedule, and expected outcomes.
• Monitor overall program health and proactively address delivery risks.
• Maintain executive dashboards, KPIs, and status reporting.
• Drive program execution across multiple workstreams.
• Escalate significant risks with recommended mitigation strategies.
• Foster collaboration across client and vendor teams.

Skills

Executive presence

Stakeholder mgmt

Strategic communication

Governance

Multi-site leadership

Budgeting

Vendor management

ERP/MES/SAP

C-suite exposure

PM methodologies

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

We are seeking a seasoned Program Director to provide executive leadership for a multi-year Manufacturing Execution System (MES) transformation. This individual will serve as the strategic leader responsible for ensuring successful program delivery while partnering closely with client executives, business leaders, and the third-party implementation partner.

The Program Director will provide overall governance, executive oversight, and strategic direction for the implementation of the Solochain Manufacturing Execution System (MES) across five manufacturing sites. This highly visible leadership role requires exceptional executive presence, strong communication skills, and the ability to influence stakeholders at all organizational levels while driving accountability across multiple teams.

The ideal candidate is an accomplished technology transformation leader with a proven track record of recovering challenged initiatives, maintaining executive alignment, proactively managing risk, and delivering complex enterprise programs on time and within budget.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the executive leader for the overall MES transformation program.
• Establish credibility and trusted advisor relationships with executive sponsors and senior leadership.
• Provide strategic guidance to the client, implementation partner, and project leadership team.
• Lead executive steering committee meetings and governance forums.
• Drive timely executive decision-making and issue resolution.

Program Governance

• Establish and maintain program governance, operating model, and delivery standards.
• Ensure alignment between business objectives, project scope, budget, schedule, and expected outcomes.
• Monitor overall program health and proactively address delivery risks.
• Maintain executive dashboards, KPIs, and status reporting.
• Ensure adherence to program governance and quality standards.

Delivery Leadership

• Drive program execution across multiple workstreams.
• Keep the implementation on track by identifying issues early and leading corrective actions.
• Remove organizational roadblocks and facilitate cross-functional collaboration.
• Hold internal teams, client resources, and implementation partners accountable for commitments.
• Monitor critical milestones and dependencies across all project phases.

Executive Communications

• Provide concise, executive-level communications regarding program status, accomplishments, risks, financials, and key decisions.
• Present complex information in a manner that supports informed executive decision-making.
• Prepare materials for executive leadership meetings and steering committees.
• Escalate significant risks and issues with recommended mitigation strategies.
• Partner effectively with the third-party system integrator and client leadership.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performing environment among all project stakeholders.
• Manage executive relationships while balancing competing priorities.
• Ensure alignment across business, IT, manufacturing, and operational leadership.

Risk & Financial Management

• Oversee program budget, forecasts, resource planning, and financial performance.
• Monitor program risks, assumptions, dependencies, and issue resolution.
• Lead recovery planning when schedule, scope, or budget variances occur.
• Ensure program decisions align with strategic business objectives.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Information Technology, or related field.
• 15+ years leading large-scale enterprise technology programs.
• 10+ years of program leadership for ERP, SAP, MES, manufacturing, or digital transformation initiatives.
• Experience leading multi-million-dollar technology implementations.
• Demonstrated success leading complex, cross-functional programs involving multiple vendors.
• Strong executive presence with exceptional presentation and communication skills.
• Experience working directly with C-suite executives and executive steering committees.
• Proven ability to influence without direct authority.
• Strong financial acumen, governance expertise, and risk management experience.
• Experience managing geographically dispersed teams and multi-site deployments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading Manufacturing Execution System (MES) implementations.
• Experience with SAP manufacturing environments.
• Knowledge of manufacturing operations and shop floor processes.
• Experience working within highly regulated or complex manufacturing organizations.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification preferred.
• Experience with Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid delivery methodologies.

Critical Success Factors

• Executive credibility and leadership presence.
• Ability to quickly assess program health and drive corrective action.
• Strong decision-making and conflict resolution skills.
• Excellent negotiation and stakeholder management abilities.
• Strategic thinker with strong operational execution capabilities.
• Ability to communicate effectively with executives while remaining engaged with delivery teams.
• Results-oriented with a focus on accountability, transparency, and successful business outcomes.