Program Manager, Customer Programs

Divergent is on a mission to democratize the design and manufacture of vehicles. We want to enable a future where small entrepreneurial teams across the globe will bring increasingly material and energy efficient transportation solutions to market with a fraction of the capital and time.

Divergent has invented a complete manufacturing solution to address system level challenges. The Divergent Adaptive Production System (DAPS) is a complete software hardware solution designed to replace traditional vehicle manufacturing. To make the complex simple, it is a complete modular digital factory for complex structures. Given a set of digital requirements as input, the machine automatically computationally engineers, additively manufactures, and assembles any complex structure. The system is able to move seamlessly between manufacturing different vehicle models.

Purpose of Job

Divergent is a technology company, based in Los Angeles, on a mission to revolutionize manufacturing with its proprietary Divergent Adaptive Production System (DAPS™). We automate the design, manufacture, and assembly of complex structures using non-design specific software, additive manufacturing, and robotic assembly. We actively work with major Automotive OEMS and Aerospace Primes globally, addressing the automotive, aerospace, aviation, transportation, and agricultural industries.

The Project Management Office (PMO) serves as the core point of contact for customers from early market scoping engagement through successful launch of series production programs. As the Customer Program Manager, you will support new business proposals including market research and verification of initial requirements. You will work cross-functionally with key subject matter experts and senior leaders within Divergent to develop solutions that meets customer needs, and your chief responsibility is to coordinate internal resources to support successful execution of all phases of project planning, manufacturing, testing, verification, delivery, and aftersales for multiple Customer Programs simultaneously, inclusive of R&D projects. In this role, you will interface directly with chief designers, head of innovations, and technical directors at world's leading OEMs. This role will report to the Sr. Director of Customer Program Management.

The ideal candidate is self-motivated, detail-oriented, hands-on, and able to respond quickly in a fast-moving environment. We value leadership skills and those who conduct all activities with the highest of integrity.

Essential Job Functions and Performance Standards

•Lead all aspects of customer program management from scoping, quoting, sales order processing, open orders management, manufacturing health, engineering change management, test, verification, delivery, and aftersales.

•Support early market research and proposal development efforts that align new business opportunities with the company's long-term strategic vision.

•Serve as the primary point of contact for your customers, to interpret and flow down technical and commercial requirements, solve problems, conduct contract negotiations, coordinate technical and contractual changes, and build customer confidence in Divergent.

•Create and manage sales and demand signals in the enterprise CRM.

•Lead and conduct regular cross-functional internal review with assigned team leaders to ensure that program deliverables and milestones are defined, scheduled, and executed on time and to budget.

•Coordinate and lead customer PDR, CDR, and MRR, developing content with internal stakeholders to brief customers on program progress, milestone achievements, and obtain customer buy-off on program phase closures to enable payment milestones.

•Partner with Quality Department to oversee the timely execution of corrective and preventive action requests, kaizen sprints, process and product improvement initiatives.

•Responsible stakeholder in the engineering design release process to validate and approve Design for Manufacturing considerations and assist Production Operations Planners in populating component processing details in the Manufacturing Execution (MES) environment.

•Maintain customer progress status, providing regular program reporting, metrics and KPI health, and ad-hoc reporting to Sr. leadership and Executives.

•Manage open order reports so that open order health and delivery forecast is available to end customer.

•Manage component delivery, invoicing, and payment receipt process.

•Support customer onboarding audits, PPAP audits, manufacturing certification audits

•Support engineering teams in proactively analyzing, simplifying, and resolving complex issues by providing trade studies and risk evaluations to steer towards a timely resolution

Basic Qualifications:

•Bachelor's degree in engineering, supply chain, or science discipline

•5+ years of industry experience in technical program management, project management, operations, supply chain, or systems engineering

•Experienced with executing Customer Programs in technical environments, including full product life cycle experience in automotive full vehicle programs, aerospace, aviation, or transportation

Preferred Skills and Experience:

•PMP and Scrummaster certification

•Master's degree in engineering or science discipline

•Master of business administration

•Experienced with project management tools such as MS Projects, scrum boards, gantt, Smartsheet, Confluence and Jira

•Experienced with business analytical tools such as PowerBI, Tableau, and SQL

•Experienced with PLM (Teamcenter), MRP, ERP, MES systems

•Proven track record collaborating with multi-domain internal and external technical teams

•Excellent written and verbal communication skills

•Direct experience with technical and commercial negotiations and conflict resolution

•Highly detail oriented, diligent, hard working with excellent customer interface skills

•Ability to lead in a highly challenging, dynamic, and innovative start-up atmosphere

Physical Demands:

•Must be available to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed to support critical milestones or operations shifts

•Must be willing to travel to customer locations, product launch sites, and other offices as needed.