Program Manager

Verus Aerospace; Wichita (KS); On-site; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aerospace company located in Wichita, Kansas, is seeking a candidate to manage customer contracts and programs from development to production. The role involves communicating with customers, facilitating reviews, and managing contract closure. Candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree in Business and at least five years of experience in production environments. Strong communication and negotiation skills are essential. This position offers the chance to enhance aerospace contract management and improve customer relations.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional experience in a production-manufacturing environment.
• Aerospace industry experience is preferred.
• Lean manufacturing and supply chain management experience is helpful.

Responsibilities

• Manage aerospace customer contracts and programs from new product development to full production execution.
• Support Customer Performance Metrics initiatives for highest supplier ratings.
• Facilitate internal and external customer reviews and coordinate actions.

Skills

Root cause analysis

Problem solving

Communication skills

Negotiation skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business

Tools

MS Excel

MS Word

MS PowerPoint

MRP/ERP systems

Job description

Manage aerospace customer contracts and programs from new product development to full production execution. Work closely with customers to develop, evaluate, and manage statement-of-work definitions, plans, requirements, schedules, and production activities related to assigned programs. Work with functional organizations to evaluate impact of major programs and process changes in support of customer requests. Monitors daily operations to identify and resolve issues with support of other department personnel as required. Works collaboratively with others to drive program performance and lead process improvement initiatives. Maintain communication, visibility, and close coordination with customer and supplier representative(s).

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Support & facilitate Customer Performance Metrics/Customer Excellence initiatives to achieve highest supplier rating as measured by Quality, On-time delivery and Customer Satisfaction.
• Direct customer communications including written correspondence, teleconferences, and customer visits to provide timely communications and internal visibility to assure compliance with all contractual program requirements
• Facilitate internal and external customer reviews (Rate Readiness, Assessments, Standards, Program status, etc.) and coordinate action items with functional managers
• Facilitate and coordinate configuration changes, engineering, product quality issues and daily program performance issues with internal and external customers
• Manage contract closure and negotiate contract termination provisions
• Lead and/or participate in 3P process for new products or significant configuration changes

Position Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business preferred.
• Minimum five (5) years professional experience in a production‑manufacturing environment or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Aerospace industry preferred.
• Lean manufacturing and supply chain management experience helpful.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of contracts terms and conditions
• Demonstrated effective root cause analysis and problem solving involving technically complex issues.
• Finance and accounting, sales and marketing, research and development, manufacturing, and continuous process improvement, supply chain management, new business development, and customer relationship management

Computer Skills

• Computer literate with working knowledge of MS Excel, MS Word, MS Power Point, and MS Project and MRP/ERP systems.

Language Skills

• Superior communication skills involving information exchange via effective listening, written, oral, and presentation techniques
• Facilitate consensus decision-making and cross‑functional team support amongst operations and production manufacturing personnel.
• Monitor, encourage, and support production team on‑time delivery and quality performance metrics
• Issues are proactively communicated to our customers.
• All customer inquiries are addressed in a timely manner.
• Customers are engaged on a day‑to‑day basis

Interpersonal skills, Personality, and Professional Conduct

• Ensure customer satisfaction by cross referencing the timeliness and accuracy of the information they receive.
• Effective time management.
• Artful cross‑functional negotiation skills involving scope, cost, and delivery objectives