Program Manager - Manufacturing transformation

Ascentt; Lexington (VA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Ascentt seeks a seasoned Program Manager to lead a major manufacturing transformation program for a enterprise client in the Lexington, KY area with a secondary location in Plano, TX.

The role requires 15+ years of experience (20+ preferred), hands-on governance, planning, and execution across manufacturing initiatives, and strong stakeholder management across business and technology. Onsite/offshore delivery experience is essential.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of professional experience in technology, consulting, or manufacturing transformation.
• Experience leading large, cross-functional programs end to end.
• Manufacturing operations knowledge or experience delivering manufacturing transformation.

Responsibilities

• Lead program management across multiple manufacturing transformation workstreams including planning, governance, execution, and value tracking.
• Engage senior stakeholders across business and technology to align priorities and drive decisions.
• Establish program governance, cadence, RAID, and escalation paths.
• Develop integrated plans with milestones, dependencies, resources, risks, and outcomes.
• Coordinate across plant operations, data teams, analytics, and offshore delivery to maintain alignment.
• Facilitate workshops, planning sessions, and executive updates.
• Translate transformation goals into actionable execution plans and track progress.
• Define KPIs and value realization milestones; report to executives.
• Collaborate with onsite and offshore teams to sustain momentum and accountability.

Skills

Program management

Stakeholder management

Manufacturing domain knowledge

Executive communication

Ambiguity tolerance

Onsite/offshore delivery

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business/engineering/related field

Equivalent experience

Job description

Program Manager

Manufacturing Transformation

Location: Lexington, KY (preferred) | Plano, TX

Employment Type: Full-Time

Experience: 15+ years overall (20+ preferred)

ABOUT ASCENTT

Ascentt is a technology and consulting firm that helps enterprise clients modernize their business processes, data platforms, and digital capabilities through practical, outcome-driven transformation. We work closely with automotive and manufacturing clients across data, AI/ML, analytics, enterprise applications, and digital operations.

We are hiring a seasoned, hands-on Program Manager to lead a manufacturing transformation program for a major enterprise client in the Lexington, KY area. This is a client-facing role for someone who operates confidently with senior stakeholders, stays close to execution, and brings structure and discipline to a fast-moving transformation environment.

ROLE OVERVIEW

The Program Manager will plan, govern, and drive execution across manufacturing transformation initiatives. You will work closely with client business and technology stakeholders, plant and operations teams, Ascentt delivery teams, product owners, data teams, and offshore delivery partners to ensure objectives are clearly defined, workstreams stay coordinated, risks are managed early, and measurable business outcomes are delivered.

This is a hands-on role. You will own all aspects of program management, governance, planning, execution, and value tracking, while staying close enough to execution to unblock teams, resolve dependencies, and keep delivery moving. Success depends on deep manufacturing domain understanding, strong program management discipline, and the ability to manage senior stakeholders across both business and technology.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead all aspects of program management across multiple manufacturing transformation workstreams — planning, governance, execution, and value tracking.
• Manage stakeholders across business and technology functions, engaging senior managers and above to align priorities, drive decisions, and resolve escalations.
• Establish and run program governance, operating cadence, status reporting, RAID management, and escalation paths.
• Build and maintain integrated program plans spanning scope, milestones, dependencies, resources, risks, and business outcomes.
• Coordinate across business, technology, plant operations, data, analytics, and delivery teams to maintain alignment and execution discipline.
• Facilitate workshops, planning sessions, status reviews, and executive updates.
• Translate business priorities and transformation goals into actionable execution plans.
• Track progress against timelines, deliverables, success metrics, and stakeholder commitments.
• Define and monitor KPIs, value measures, adoption goals, and roadmap priorities.
• Prepare executive-ready artifacts — status updates, roadmap views, milestone plans, risk summaries, and value-realization updates.
• Work effectively across onsite and offshore teams to sustain delivery momentum and accountability.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 15+ years of professional experience across technology, consulting, operations, manufacturing, enterprise applications, data, or digital transformation (20+ years preferred).
• Substantial, proven program management experience running large, complex, cross-functional programs end to end.
• Manufacturing domain experience — functional knowledge of manufacturing operations and/or a track record delivering manufacturing transformation programs; experience running manufacturing shop-floor engagements is ideal.
• Demonstrated stakeholder management across both business and technology, engaging senior managers and above (directors and executives) to align priorities and drive decisions.
• Command of all aspects of program management — planning, governance, status reporting, risk and dependency management, value tracking, and roadmap management.
• Strong executive communication skills, including the ability to produce executive-level updates and facilitate decision-making.
• Ability to operate in ambiguous environments and bring structure, clarity, and focus.
• Experience working with onsite/offshore delivery teams.Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, manufacturing, industrial engineering, information systems, computer science, or a related field — or equivalent experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in automotive or other complex, discrete manufacturing and industrial environments.
• Experience with digital transformation, manufacturing systems (MES/SCADA), Industry 4.0/smart manufacturing, data platforms, analytics, AI/ML, or enterprise applications.
• Familiarity with Agile, hybrid delivery, product operating models, or scaled program governance.
• PMP, PgMP, SAFe, Scrum, Lean Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing/TPM, or related certifications.
• Master’s degree or MBA.

IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE

A seasoned, practical, client-facing program manager — typically 20+ years of experience — with strong manufacturing domain grounding, who is confident managing senior stakeholders across business and technology, comfortable with ambiguity, close to execution, and able to turn transformation intent into measurable delivery.