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Location: Addison, IL (Greater Chicago Area) | Schedule: Full-time, on-site

Overview

A well-established global precision manufacturing organization specializing in capital equipment is seeking an experienced Program Manager to own complex, cross-functional manufacturing programs from initial planning and engineering through production, delivery, and customer implementation. This is a hands-on, onsite role based in the northwest Chicago suburbs, with no relocation assistance provided. The organization is entering a period of significant growth, including a move into a new purpose-built manufacturing facility, an expansion from one shift to two, and active pursuit of acquisition, making this a highly visible position reporting into executive leadership.

What you'll do

• Own complex manufacturing and engineered-equipment programs from concept through production, delivery, and customer implementation
• Serve as the primary program contact for the customer, managing expectations, communicating status and risk, and leading program reviews
• Build and manage program schedules, budgets, milestones, resources, and deliverables, making tradeoff decisions required to protect commitments
• Drive alignment across Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Quality, holding functional partners accountable to program dates
• Identify program risks early, remove roadblocks, and drive corrective action before schedule impact occurs
• Manage multiple concurrent programs and deliver clear, direct status reporting to executive leadership
• Lead new product development activity through a Stage-Gate or comparable phased-gate process
• Own the transition of engineered products and equipment from design into manufacturing
• Work on the plant floor alongside engineering and production teams in a hands-on capacity
• Ensure customer requirements, technical specifications, quality standards, and delivery commitments are met
• Drive continuous improvement in program execution, communication, and project management practice

Required qualifications

• Direct experience owning engineered-to-order or custom machine builds from customer PO through factory acceptance test and delivery, in a machine tool, capital equipment, automation, or fabrication environment
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Business, or another technical discipline
• Minimum 5 years of manufacturing project management experience overall
• Minimum 2 years in a full lifecycle Program Manager role, owning programs from concept through customer delivery
• Stage-Gate or comparable phased-gate new product development experience
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and how Engineering and Operations interact
• Demonstrated experience managing complex, cross-functional technical programs
• Direct customer-facing experience, including leading program reviews and managing customer expectations through change and risk
• Proven command of program schedules, budgets, resources, risk, and deliverables
• Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills
• Experience with Microsoft Project or comparable program management tools

Preferred qualifications

• Background in industrial machinery, automation, robotics, machine tools, engineered-to-order equipment, or capital equipment manufacturing

Why this role

This is a highly visible role reporting into executive leadership at an organization entering a period of significant growth, where the Program Manager has real influence over how programs are run rather than inheriting a process they simply administer.