Senior Hardware NPI & Production Program Manager

MKS Inc.; Andover (MA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance coverage

401(k) with company match

Paid holidays

Paid vacation days

Parental leave

Job summary

MKS in Andover, MA is seeking a Senior Program Manager to lead complex NPI and advanced development programs across the Vacuum Products division, guiding cross-functional teams from concept through production.

This role reports to the Director of Project Management and requires strong technical curiosity, ability to navigate ambiguity, and proactive upward communication on status, risks, and resource needs.

Travel up to 15% is expected, with onsite work in Andover, MA.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.
• 10+ years of related experience required in a hardware product development environment.
• Demonstrated ability to manage programs consisting of multiple concurrent projects with cross-functional dependenciesStrong working knowledge of stage-gate or similar product development processes
• Knowledge and application of project management tools such as Gantt charts, PERT charts, action items, Scrums, managing to critical path, etc.
• Track record of leading through influence in matrixed organizations where direct authority over functional resources is limited
• Demonstrated ability to manage customer-facing engineering relationships
• Comfortable operating in environments where processes are evolving and the PM is expected to identify and help close gaps rather than just follow established procedures
• Continuous improvement mindset – apply MKS Product Development Process to the project objectives and develop process and teamworking principles to continuously improve outcomes
• Ability to travel up to 15%

Responsibilities

• Manage execution of multi-project programs across the full product development lifecycle, including scope, schedule, budget, and risk management.
• Drive cross-functional coordination across engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and business teams to meet program commitments.
• Develop and maintain integrated program schedules, tracking cross-program dependencies and surfacing conflicts early enough to act on them
• Own program financials including budget development, cost tracking, earned income projections, and variance reporting
• Lead program and gate reviews with senior leadership, providing clear, transparent assessments of delivery health and risk
• Maintain project documentation and deliverable traceability consistent with ISO quality system requirements, including audit-ready records
• Partner with engineering directors and functional managers to resolve resourcing and technical challenges without waiting for direction
• Deliver against aggressive time-to-market targets, pushing execution speed to the edge of the Product Development Process without breaking its intent
• Use judgment to scale the Product Development Process to each program's requirements
• Travel Requirements: up to 15%

Skills

Cross-functional coordination

Project management

Influence in matrixed organizations

Schedule management (Gantt/PERT)

Customer-facing engineering relations

Communication and upward reporting

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

PMP certification

ISO 9001 familiarity

Job description

MKS in Andover, MA is seeking a Senior Program Manager to lead complex NPI and advanced development programs across the Vacuum Products division, guiding cross-functional teams from concept through production.

This role reports to the Director of Project Management and requires strong technical curiosity, ability to navigate ambiguity, and proactive upward communication on status, risks, and resource needs.

Travel up to 15% is expected, with onsite work in Andover, MA.