What are the responsibilities and job description for the Program Manager position at Hanwha Aerospace USA?
Program Manager - Exempt
Hanwha Aerospace USA has long been recognized as a leader in the development and supply of flight critical Aerospace/Defense components and assemblies. Operating out of four state-of-the-art facilities located in Connecticut, Hanwha Aerospace USA offers growth and career development opportunities to enrich your talents.
The preferred candidate will demonstrate exceptional leadership, interpersonal, and team skills, along with strong communication abilities and business acumen. This individual must be able to manage complex aerospace programs while driving continuous improvement across operations.
Location: Cheshire, CT
Reports to: Director, Operational Excellence
Summary
The Program Manager is responsible for end-to-end program ownership across both New Product Introduction (NPI) and production programs for aero-derivative engine components.
This role ensures seamless transition from development into full-rate production while delivering on cost, quality, and schedule commitments. The position will also lead Continuous Improvement (CI) initiatives to enhance program performance, operational efficiency, and profitability.
The Program Manager serves as the primary interface between customers and internal cross-functional teams, driving execution discipline across Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, and Quality.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Program Management
Must be able to lift, push, or pull at least 35 lbs.
Regularly required to sit, stand, reach, bend, and move about our facility
Requirements
Must be a “U.S. Person” as defined by the U.S. Government and able to work without restrictions with ITAR related data
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Industrial Technology, Operations Management, Business, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred).
8–12 years of experience in aerospace manufacturing, program management, or NPI/industrialization
Strong understanding of Lean manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, and operational excellence methodologies.
Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams and influencing without direct authority.
Hanwha Aerospace USA has long been recognized as a leader in the development and supply of flight critical Aerospace/Defense components and assemblies. Operating out of four state-of-the-art facilities located in Connecticut, Hanwha Aerospace USA offers growth and career development opportunities to enrich your talents.
The preferred candidate will demonstrate exceptional leadership, interpersonal, and team skills, along with strong communication abilities and business acumen. This individual must be able to manage complex aerospace programs while driving continuous improvement across operations.
Location: Cheshire, CT
Reports to: Director, Operational Excellence
Summary
The Program Manager is responsible for end-to-end program ownership across both New Product Introduction (NPI) and production programs for aero-derivative engine components.
This role ensures seamless transition from development into full-rate production while delivering on cost, quality, and schedule commitments. The position will also lead Continuous Improvement (CI) initiatives to enhance program performance, operational efficiency, and profitability.
The Program Manager serves as the primary interface between customers and internal cross-functional teams, driving execution discipline across Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, and Quality.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Program Management
- Own full lifecycle program management across NPI, industrialization, and production phases.
- Serve as the primary customer interface for all program-related matters (delivery, cost, quality, and risk).
- Develop and manage integrated program plans including development, industrialization, qualification, and production ramp.
- Lead cross-functional teams to ensure successful launch execution, meeting customer milestones and internal readiness criteria.
- Monitor and report program KPIs including OTD, cost, quality, and launch performance.
- Identify, assess, and mitigate program risks across both development and production phases.
- Lead the transition from engineering release to rate production, ensuring manufacturability and producibility.
- Partner with Engineering to ensure robust process definition, work instructions, and control plans are in place.
- Drive readiness reviews (e.g., stage gates) to ensure alignment on scope, schedule, cost, and risk prior to production release.
- Coordinate with Operations to ensure capacity, tooling, and workforce readiness for production ramp.
- Identify and resolve producibility gaps, including cycle time, yield, and process capability issues.
- Ensure effective execution of first article inspections (FAI) and qualification requirements.
- Support configuration control and change management throughout the NPI lifecycle.
- Own program financial performance including revenue, margin, and cost control across NPI and production phases.
- Identify and execute cost reduction opportunities, particularly during early production stabilization.
- Support pricing strategies, contract changes, and customer negotiations.
- Lead and deploy Continuous Improvement (CI) and Operational Excellence strategy across all business units, establishing standard methodologies, governance, and performance management systems.
- Drive enterprise-wide Lean transformation, including value stream optimization, waste elimination, flow acceleration, and standard work deployment to improve safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
- Own the CI roadmap and execution, ensuring alignment with business priorities, program performance, and financial objectives.
- Build organizational capability through coaching, training, and development of CI competencies across Operations, Engineering, and support functions.
- Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure impact, ensure accountability, and sustain gains across all sites.
Must be able to lift, push, or pull at least 35 lbs.
Regularly required to sit, stand, reach, bend, and move about our facility
Requirements
Must be a “U.S. Person” as defined by the U.S. Government and able to work without restrictions with ITAR related data
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Industrial Technology, Operations Management, Business, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred).
8–12 years of experience in aerospace manufacturing, program management, or NPI/industrialization
Strong understanding of Lean manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, and operational excellence methodologies.
Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams and influencing without direct authority.