Director Program Management & Planning

The Director – Program Management & Planning is responsible for providing strategic leadership and overall direction for the organization's program management and planning activities, from program initiation through execution, ramp-up, and customer fulfilment.

The role leads a portfolio of customer programs and projects, ensuring alignment between customer demand, business objectives, operational capacity, material availability, resources, and financial targets. The Director works closely with customers and cross-functional stakeholders to establish priorities, manage risks and constraints, drive execution, and ensure programs are delivered on time and in accordance with customer requirements and expectations.

The position serves as a key strategic partner to senior leadership and customers, providing visibility of program performance, demand outlook, capacity requirements, risks, opportunities, and recommended actions.

Key Responsibilities

1. Program Management Leadership

• Provide strategic leadership and direction for the Program Management and Planning organization, establishing clear objectives, priorities, governance, and performance expectations.
• Lead the management of existing programs and new customer projects from initiation through development, production ramp, execution, and customer fulfilment.
• Establish program governance, operating rhythms, performance metrics, and escalation mechanisms to ensure effective execution and accountability.
• Ensure programs are delivered in accordance with agreed scope, schedule, cost, quality, capacity, and customer requirements.
• Oversee the program portfolio and ensure priorities are aligned with overall business strategy and customer commitments.

2. Customer & Stakeholder Management

• Establish and maintain strategic relationships with key customers and stakeholders to understand business needs, demand outlook, priorities, expectations, and potential opportunities.
• Serve as a senior escalation point for significant customer program issues and drive timely resolution.
• Partner with customers to establish realistic demand, delivery, inventory, capacity, and program execution expectations.
• Drive customer satisfaction and ensure achievement of key customer scorecards and performance metrics.
• Build strong relationships with internal leadership and cross-functional teams to ensure alignment and timely decision-making.

3. Planning, Demand & Capacity Management

• Lead the development and review of customer demand forecasts, backlog, capacity requirements, production plans, and resource requirements.
• Translate customer demand into actionable capacity, material, manpower, equipment, and operational requirements.
• Identify potential capacity, material, supply chain, resource, and operational constraints and establish mitigation strategies.
• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Planning, Procurement, Engineering, Quality, Finance, and other functions to ensure appropriate resource and capacity alignment.
• Drive effective backlog management and prioritization based on customer requirements, business priorities, capacity, and commercial considerations.
• Establish appropriate planning processes and performance indicators to improve forecast accuracy, capacity utilization, inventory management, and delivery performance.

4. Cross-Functional Program Execution

• Lead cross-functional teams to achieve critical program milestones, deliverables, and customer commitments.
• Ensure effective collaboration across Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Finance, Procurement, Planning, and other relevant functions.
• Drive resolution of complex issues that may impact program schedule, delivery, quality, cost, capacity, or customer satisfaction.
• Establish clear ownership, accountability, timelines, and escalation paths for critical program activities.
• Ensure timely communication of program status, risks, opportunities, and required decisions to senior leadership.

5. Risk Management & Escalation

• Establish a structured program risk-management process covering demand, capacity, materials, resources, quality, delivery, cost, and customer requirements.
• Proactively identify emerging risks and develop mitigation and contingency plans.
• Lead cross-functional escalation and recovery plans for critical program issues.
• Ensure senior leadership is provided with timely and accurate visibility of major risks and recommended actions.
• Drive scenario planning and contingency strategies for significant changes in customer demand or business conditions.

6. Strategic Planning & Business Growth

• Partner with senior leadership to align program and planning strategies with the company's business growth objectives.
• Support new business opportunities by assessing customer requirements, capacity, resources, timelines, and operational readiness.
• Identify opportunities to improve program execution, planning processes, resource utilization, and customer service.
• Support business expansion, new product introduction, production ramp-up, and major operational transformation initiatives.
• Develop long-term program and capacity strategies based on customer forecasts and business growth plans.

7. Leadership & Organizational Development

• Lead, coach, and develop the Program Management and Planning organization to build a high-performing team.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, objectives, and performance expectations across the organization.
• Develop talent, succession plans, and functional capabilities to support current and future business requirements.
• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, customer focus, and data-driven decision-making.
• Drive standardization and continuous improvement of program management and planning processes across the organization.

8. Systems, Processes & Continuous Improvement

• Drive effective utilization and continuous improvement of ERP/MRP and program management systems.
• Ensure data integrity and availability to support accurate planning, forecasting, reporting, and decision-making.
• Develop and standardize program management, demand planning, capacity planning, reporting, and escalation processes.
• Leverage data analytics and automation to improve visibility, planning accuracy, and operational efficiency.
• Promote the use of Agile and structured project/program management methodologies where appropriate.

9. Other Responsibilities

• Represent Program Management and Planning in management reviews, customer meetings, business reviews, and strategic planning sessions.
• Perform other duties and strategic initiatives as assigned by senior management.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Business, Supply Chain, Operations Management, or a related field.
• Master's Degree in a relevant discipline is an advantage.
• Minimum 15 years of progressive experience in Program Management, Project Management, Planning, Operations, Supply Chain, or related functions, with significant leadership experience.
• Proven experience managing complex, customer-facing programs and multiple projects simultaneously, preferably within the semiconductor, electronics, advanced manufacturing, or other high-technology manufacturing industries.
• Demonstrated experience leading Program Management and/or Planning organizations and managing cross-functional teams.
• Strong understanding of demand planning, capacity planning, production planning, material management, inventory management, supply chain, and customer fulfilment.
• Proven track record of managing customer commitments, OTD performance, customer scorecards, backlog, and operational risks.
• Strong strategic thinking, business acumen, analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to engage effectively with customers, senior executives, and cross-functional leaders.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity, manage competing priorities, and drive results in a fast-paced and high-pressure environment.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and executive-level reporting skills.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and data analytics/reporting tools; experience with Excel Macros or automation is an advantage.
• Strong working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems, preferably Oracle, and program/project management tools.
• Knowledge of Agile, Lean, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement methodologies is an advantage.
• PMP, APICS/CPIM, or equivalent professional certification is an advantage.
• Strong leadership capability with demonstrated experience in building, developing, and retaining high-performing teams.