Manufacturing Design Program Manager
Apple is where individual imaginations gather together, committing to the values that lead to great work. Every new product we build, service we create, or Apple Store experience we deliver is the result of us making each other’s ideas stronger. That happens because every one of us shares a belief that we can make something wonderful and share it with the world, changing lives for the better. It’s the diversity of our people and their thinking that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do. When we bring everybody in, we can do the best work of our lives. Here, you’ll do more than join something — you’ll add something.
The Manufacturing Design Program Manager (MDPM) is responsible for managing and guiding development activities of highly skilled process development, operations, and quality teams within Apple’s Manufacturing Design group. The MDPM will lead the team to develop processes for building extraordinary products depending on the business needs. The MDPM should possess a blend of business and technical knowledge, allowing for big-picture vision and the ability to dive deep into specific challenges. MDPM team members operate autonomously, demonstrate strong leadership capabilities, and juggle competing priorities with ease.
The MDPM manages innovation within the manufacturing design team by challenging the technical team to implement new processes while maintaining timely readiness for mass production. To succeed, the Manufacturing Design program manager is relationship-focused, able to engage with a talented engineering team, the executive leadership team, and an international supply chain.
Key responsibilities include, but not limited to:
- Assessing vendor readiness for upcoming milestones, including equipment, tools, labor, factory space and team-member skillsets
- Maintaining and publishing vendor schedules to highlight critical checkpoints and mitigations
- Driving phase gate check-ins on a weekly basis with vendors, and with Apple x-functional teams on the required milestones
- Training vendors on all PM-related processes and standards
- Facilitating necessary meetings to drive discussion or solutions for open items on the program, for example with Product Design or Reliability teams
- Meeting frequently with GSM leads in different lines of business to understand roadmaps and program requirements and help with prioritization at vendors
- Bachelor of Engineering / science degree
- 8+ years of experience in program management
- General understanding of manufacturing -> operations management, and supply chain management
- Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English
- Familiar with Office software / spreadsheets
- Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 50%
- Leadership abilities
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
- Experienced working with multi-disciplinary groups, driving schedule and task prioritization
- Experience leading team meetings/syncs
- Ability to lead without authority, foster trust, build credibility
- Self-motivated and enthusiastic with demonstrated critical thinking capabilities
- Experience presenting to executive level management on program status, recommendations, and priorities
- MS/MBA degree or equivalent is preferred