Cullerton Group has a new opportunity for a Program Manager - Electronics Category, in Peoria, IL. The work will be done onsite. This is a long term contract. It can lead to permanent employment with our customer. Compensation is $60/hr W2 + overtime pay, including full benefits, vision, dental, health insurance, and 401K. Cullerton Group will provide H1B Sponsorship.

Program Manager – APQP & Cost Negotiations

Location: Must reside in the US or have at least 5 years of US residency and be willing to relocate to Peoria.

Industry Preference: Electronics.

Role Overview:

The Program Manager will lead supplier collaboration efforts to optimize design for manufacturability, assembly, and cost while ensuring strict adherence to APQP guidelines. The role involves managing cost models, setting target costs, and driving alignment across cross-functional teams to achieve performance, quality, and cost objectives throughout the product lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities:

• Supplier Collaboration: Partner with suppliers and procurement teams to ensure early engagement in design discussions and alignment on manufacturability, assembly processes, and cost targets.
• Cost Modeling: Lead detailed cost modeling activities to establish and manage target costs, ensuring value optimization while maintaining quality and performance.
• APQP Adherence: Ensure suppliers adhere to APQP guidelines, driving compliance throughout the development and production phases.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Lead diverse teams, including engineering, procurement, quality, and manufacturing, in balancing competing priorities such as performance, quality, velocity, and cost.
• Supplier Selection: Oversee supplier selection for parts and components, ensuring alignment with category strategies and value chain goals.
• Tooling Validation: Manage supplier tooling validation processes, ensuring readiness and adherence to design specifications.
• Design Optimization: Facilitate design trade-off discussions, promoting design for manufacturability and assembly principles while meeting cost and performance goals.
• Cost Opportunity Identification: Identify and capitalize on cost-saving opportunities through supplier negotiations and internal collaboration.
• PFEP Requirements: Define and implement Plan for Every Part (PFEP) requirements to optimize engineered value chains.
• Problem Solving: Analyze complex challenges, develop innovative solutions, and forecast future costs to ensure stability and predictability.
• Travel: Conduct regular site visits to suppliers and stakeholders (approximately one week per month).

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Engineering, Computer Science, or Materials Science.
• 9+ years of experience in manufacturing or engineering, preferably in the electronics industry.
• Strong expertise in APQP, manufacturing processes, and cost management.
• Six Sigma Black Belt certification preferred.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Exceptional interpersonal, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

This position requires a proactive leader with the ability to navigate complex negotiations, foster collaboration, and deliver cost-effective, high-quality solutions in a fast-paced environment.