Director, Project Management

The position is responsible for leading strategic thermal management initiatives with a strong emphasis on operational execution, project management and manufacturing readiness activities across the business group. 

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

Program Execution, Integrated Scheduling & Deliverable Management

• Own and drive execution of thermal management programs and operational initiatives across the business group. Develop, maintain, and actively manage integrated master schedules, project timelines, milestones, deliverables, dependencies, and execution plans across multiple concurrent programs.
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• Track progress daily against commitments and aggressively drive closure of action items, overdue tasks, bottlenecks, and execution gaps to maintain schedule adherence, production readiness, and customer deliverables. Ensure teams remain focused on critical path activities and operational execution objectives.

Cross-Functional Coordination & Execution Leadership

• Actively coordinate and drive alignment across engineering, manufacturing, operations, supply chain, facilities, procurement, contractors, quality, finance, and commercial teams to ensure program execution remains on track.
   
• Lead recurring execution reviews, project meetings, and operational status updates to identify issues early, escalate risks quickly, resolve roadblocks, and maintain accountability across all functional teams and stakeholders

Financial Accountability and Budget Management 

• Maintain ownership and accountability for program execution relative to approved budgets, capital investments, resource utilization, and operational spending.
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• Partner with finance, operations, and leadership teams to track program costs, forecast spending, support capital planning activities, and identify risks that may impact financial performance or project delivery timelines.

Production readiness & Scale-up Initiatives 

• Lead execution activities associated with manufacturing readiness, production transfers, operational ramp activities, qualification timing, and capacity expansion initiatives supporting thermal product growth.
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• Partner closely with supply chain, facilities, manufacturing, and contractor teams to support material readiness, equipment installation, facility readiness, production scheduling, supplier coordination, and operational ramp activities.
    

Reporting & Escalation Management

• Provide concise and timely updates to leadership regarding execution status, schedule risks, financial impacts, customer commitments, bottlenecks, escalation items, recovery plans Escalated critical issues proactively and drive cross functional resolution efforts with urgency.
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• Maintain highly visible tracking tools including KPI dashboard , schedules, risk registers, production readiness trackers and status reports.
   

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, Manufacturing, Materials Science, or related technical discipline required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 12 years of progressive experience in project management, program management, manufacturing operations, engineering, or production support within a manufacturing or technology environment.
• Proven experience managing highly cross-functional programs involving manufacturing readiness, production transfer, operational scale-up, facility expansion activities, or high-volume production environments.
• Strong experience owning integrated schedules, driving execution follow-through, resolving bottlenecks, managing budgets, and delivering results against aggressive customer-driven timelines.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate across engineering, manufacturing, facilities, contractors, supply chain, finance, and operations organizations in fast-paced environments.
• PMP, CAPM, Lean Six Sigma, or related project management certification preferred.
• Strong proficiency with project management and execution tools including Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Jira, Excel, Power BI, or related systems.

Skills & Other Requirements

• Strong project management skills, including planning, scheduling, tracking, follow-up, and issue resolution
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities at the same time with strong attention to detail
• Experience coordinating cross-functional teams and driving accountability across organizations
• Strong organizational skills and ability to maintain clear, accurate project records
• Ability to identify risks, schedule conflicts, and execution gaps early and drive timely resolution
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including ability to prepare concise status updates for leadership
• Ability to lead project review meetings and keep teams focused on actions and deadlines
• Proficiency with project tracking and planning tools such as Microsoft Project, Excel, PowerPoint, Jira, Smartsheet, or similar systems
• Working knowledge of budgeting, forecasting, and resource planning processes
• Ability to work effectively with engineering, operations, commercial, and leadership teams
• Ability to maintain discipline around schedules, deliverables, and documentation
• In-depth knowledge of, or willingness to learn, relevant industry standards and regulations as applicable

Safety Requirements

All employees are required to follow the site EHS procedures and Coherent Corp. Corporate EHS standards.

Quality and Environmental Responsibilities

Depending on location, this position may be responsible for the execution and maintenance of the ISO 9000, 9001, 14001 and/or other applicable standards that may apply to the relevant roles and responsibilities within the Quality Management System and Environmental Management System.

Culture Commitment

Ensure adherence to company’s values (ICARE) in all aspects of your position at Coherent Corp.:

Integrity – Create an Environment of Trust

Collaboration – Innovate Through the Sharing of Ideas

Accountability – Own the Process and the Outcome

Respect – Recognize the Value in Everyone

Enthusiasm – Find a Sense of Purpose in Work

Coherent Corp. is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.