Program Manager (Plastics)

iMPact Business Group; Buffalo (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

The client in Buffalo, NY seeks an experienced Program Manager to lead engineering resources and drive tooling, product launch, and manufacturing projects in a technical production environment.

Ideal candidate brings injection molding, tooling, and program-management background to develop engineering teams and oversee projects from planning to production launch, with 10–25% travel and cross-site support.

Qualifications

• Experience leading engineering teams in a highly technical production environment.
• Strong background in plastic injection molding, tooling, and project management.
• Ability to drive programs from planning through successful production launch.

Responsibilities

• Recruit, develop, and allocate workloads across the project engineering team.
• Identify training and development needs for engineering personnel.
• Lead tooling and product launch projects to meet customer requirements, timelines, and financial objectives.
• Maintain consolidated project tracking and portfolio reporting for launch timing, workload, capacity, resources, risks, and deliverables.
• Prioritize projects and resources while escalating risks, delays, or scope changes.
• Ensure engineering support for scientific molding, assembly-process development, tooling, BOMs, and production transfers.
• Lead evaluation and implementation of new processes and engineering improvements.
• Ensure qualifications and validations are completed; support root-cause investigations and corrective actions.
• Develop procedures to improve engineering services quality and consistency.
• Manage project economics including resource trade-offs, NRE, budgets, and delays.

Skills

Program management

Engineering leadership

Injection molding

Cross-functional collaboration

Project planning

Leadership development

Job description

Our client is seeking an experienced Program Manager to lead engineering resources and the execution of tooling, product launch, and manufacturing projects within a highly technical production environment. This role combines program management, engineering leadership, injection molding expertise, and cross-functional collaboration to ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and in alignment with customer and financial objectives.The ideal candidate brings a strong background in plastic injection molding, tooling, and project or program management, along with the leadership skills to develop engineering teams, manage competing priorities, and drive projects from initial planning through successful production launch.This is a primarily onsite position with approximately 10-25% travel and occasional cross-site support.

Responsibilities

• Recruit, develop, supervise, and allocate workloads across the project engineering team.
• Identify training and development needs and support the ongoing growth of engineering personnel.
• Lead tooling and product launch projects to meet customer requirements, timelines, scope, and financial objectives.
• Maintain consolidated project tracking and portfolio reporting, including launch timing, workload, capacity, resources, risks, and major deliverables.
• Prioritize projects and resources while proactively identifying and escalating risks, delays, or scope changes.
• Ensure appropriate engineering support for scientific molding, assembly-process development, tooling, specifications, bills of material, and production transfers.
• Lead the evaluation and implementation of new processes, technologies, and engineering improvements.
• Ensure appropriate qualifications and validations are completed while supporting root-cause investigations and corrective actions.
• Develop procedures that improve the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of engineering services.
• Manage project economics, including resource trade-offs, NRE, budgets, and the financial impact of delays or scope changes.
• Establish and maintain engineering and launch KPIs, analyze trends, and report portfolio performance to leadership.
• Lead and support continuous improvement initiatives.
• Review dimensional reports and ensure appropriate action plans are developed for tooling improvements.
• Partner with Quality, Tooling, Operations, Sales, Human Resources, and other teams to ensure successful project execution.
• Support Sales and quoting activities as a technical subject-matter expert in injection molding, tooling, manufacturability, and launch requirements.
• Coordinate cross-site activities involving capacity transfers, tooling strategies, supplier escalations, and resource allocation.
• Complete team administration responsibilities, including timecard and PTO approvals.