Sr. Program Management Specialist

Who We Are:
Challenge’s mission is to manufacture with operational excellence by empowering our employee-owners. As a leading tier 1 supplier of complex metal assemblies for the global automotive industry, we drive innovative solutions for future mobility. We believe the best ideas come from individual unique perspectives. These ideas combined with the teamwork of industry leaders allow us to accomplish any challenge. Our team members take pride in the work we do and embody our core values of safety, ownership, and teamwork every day; they are the true driving force in our operations.

Challenge is proud to be one of the largest employee-owned automotive companies in North America. One of the many benefits of joining the Challenge team is the ESOP program. This program allows Challenge to give shares of the Company to all employee-owners annually. These shares are an additional retirement benefit that will continue to grow during your time at Challenge. Being part of an ESOP means our employee-owners share in Challenge’s success!

Together we own Safety! Challenge is #QualityDriven and #PeoplePowered!

Who We Want:

The Sr. Program Management Specialist acts in a leadership capacity to ensure that all aspects of the program management launch process meet internal and external customer requirements across a wide boundary area.

What You'll Do:

• Reporting level program status updates to the executive team. Including timing, quality and cost KPI’s
• Develop effective KPI’s to monitor teams launch status and performance.
• Provide project leadership and drive all aspects of program launch
• Lead a cross functional team to bring product design to production
• Mentor and/or supervise Project Managers and Program Managers.
• Manage large scale projects in support of the department needs.
• Serve as key customer contact for engineering, quality and launch teams
• Ensure customer deliverables and program timing are met
• Establish and maintain an open issues report and timeline
• Establish and maintain program files and retain in an orderly manner
• Facilitate and manage scope change activity
• Minimize project risk and inform Management appropriately
• Facilitates lessons-learned session at the conclusion of the launch as part of continuous improvement

When and Where:
This will be a 8 AM - 5 PM M-F position located at our Corporate Office in Walker, MI. 
Occasionally, this may require you to arrive early, stay late, or work on weekends, outside of our regular hours, to ensure we successfully meet customer needs, deadlines, or urgent requests.

What You Need to Have:

• Minimum of ten years’ experience in the automotive industry, preferably in stamping, welding, or assembly operations.
• Bachelor’s Degree required, a degree in Mechanical, Electrical/Controls, Industrial or Manufacturing Engineering is preferred.
• Minimum of ten years of experience as a program manager or equivalent.
• Minimum of five years of experience leading and mentoring a team.
• Experience as a tier-1 automotive supplier to Honda required.
• Experience with estimating complex stamping and welding processes.
• A proven track record of successfully launching large scale program on time and under budget.
• Extensive experience with APQP, PAPP, PFMEA, Control Plans and GD&T
• Experience with launching programs for multiple OEMs as a tier 1
• Experience with Microsoft Office and Project required
• Has high standards of performance for self and others.
• Takes responsibility for actions, results, and mistakes.
• Is thorough, accurate, and reliable when performing and completing job tasks; demonstrates honesty and integrity in all aspects of work.
• Takes positive action to objectively resolve conflict by listening, staying focused on issue to find resolution, and monitoring progress.
• Maintains positive relationships by constructively resolving conflicts.
• Uses feedback from others to continuously improve performance and work relationships.
• Moves within own and/or other work areas (flexes) to support plant flow.
• Works with sense of urgency to meet needs of customers.
• Has necessary experience, skills, and knowledge to perform all aspects of job; rotates through all job responsibilities.
• Maintains knowledge and skills to perform job effectively.
• Has ability to focus on benefits of change and see it as positive; approaches change or newness in constructive/objective manner; views change as learning opportunity.
• Looks for good in others; works collaboratively with others; shares information and knowledge.