The client is seeking a Director of Customer Programs to serve as a senior leader responsible for strategic customer programs and strategic accounts within a complex manufacturing environment. This role is not a sales position and will focus on customer satisfaction, contractual execution, and cross-functional program delivery. The Director will manage major customer relationships and large-scale programs by aligning customer commitments with manufacturing capabilities, schedule requirements, and quality standards while navigating technical and commercial challenges to achieve successful outcomes for both customers and the business.
As the executive owner for strategic customer relationships, the Director will simultaneously manage multiple complex, high-value customer programs and major contractual commitments, serving as the primary escalation point for customer concerns, program risks, schedule challenges, and execution issues. The role includes building trusted customer partnerships while managing needs, expectations, scope, and contractual requirements; developing and implementing program management processes that align customer commitments with operational constraints and contractual obligations; and partnering closely with Manufacturing, Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Commercial teams to drive accountability for delivery, quality, cost, and customer satisfaction.
The Director will initially lead customer programs directly and is expected to build and lead a Customer Program Management team within the first six months by establishing processes, providing strategic oversight, and developing the organization that will manage day-to-day customer program execution and customer-facing activities. Required qualifications include 15+ years of progressively responsible leadership experience in program management and related areas within an industrial environment, along with proven success managing large-scale, complex customer programs and multiple high-value contracts in regulated or technically demanding manufacturing contexts. The candidate should also demonstrate a track record of balancing customer expectations with operational realities and experience creating execution frameworks aligned to contractual commitments, manufacturing capacity, and production schedules.