Customer Program Manager Jobs in Austin, TX

The Senior Manager, Project Management provides strategic leadership for a portfolio of advanced product development and proof of concept programs within Data and Devices. This role directs a project management function across complex, cross functional initiatives and is accountable for launch performance, budget, product cost, quality, resource planning, risk management, stakeholder alignment, and organizational capability development. The role partners with engineering, architecture, manufacturing, supply chain, product management, and senior leadership to translate business strategy into executable project plans and drive delivery across multiple sub functions.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the project management operating strategy for N+1 and exploratory product development programs, ensuring alignment with TE business objectives, customer needs, technology roadmaps, and portfolio priorities.
• Lead a complex project management organization responsible for socket, high speed connector, cable assembly, and related data communication solutions for switches, servers, storage, and next generation architectures.
• Direct experienced project managers and cross functional leaders, including performance management, coaching, development planning, workload balance, and talent pipeline planning.
• Establish project governance, operating mechanisms, escalation paths, and decision criteria that improve schedule predictability, cost control, quality outcomes, and organizational efficiency.
• Own portfolio level planning for schedules, budgets, resource requirements, staffing priorities, and expense decisions across multiple projects and sub functions.
• Drive execution of large, complex programs from concept through technology handoff and product development, with accountability for launch on time, launch on budget, product cost, quality, and customer readiness.
• Partner with System Architecture, Signal Integrity COE, Advanced Development, Product Development Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Product Management, Marketing, and Sales to resolve cross functional priorities and accelerate innovation cycles.
• Lead risk, issue, and dependency management across the portfolio, including mitigation plans for technical feasibility, commercial impact, supply chain readiness, manufacturing feasibility, and compliance needs.
• Guide iterative development, rapid prototyping, simulation, prototype build, and validation plans to enable early learning while maintaining disciplined project controls.
• Ensure effective technology transfer from AST and advanced development teams to responsible Product Development Engineering teams, with clear deliverables, ownership, knowledge transfer, and readiness criteria.
• Provide executive level communication, including portfolio reviews, business updates, project dashboards, decision requests, and clear escalation of tradeoffs and risks.
• Implement and improve project management processes, Stage Gate practices, communication plans, responsibility matrices, and standard work to support consistency across programs and teams.
• Influence senior stakeholders and cross functional partners to gain alignment on priorities, tradeoffs, resource needs, and departmental outcomes.
• Assess risk and compliance across the area of accountability and ensure project teams understand and follow applicable TE policies, procedures, product development practices, and business requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement in project management capability, including tools, metrics, training, best practice sharing, and development of project management talent.

What your background should look like

Skills, Experience and Education

• Typically requires a minimum of 13 years of related experience with a bachelor degree, 10 years with a master degree, 6 years with a PhD, or equivalent experience.
• Generally requires at least 5 years of progressive leadership and people management experience, including leadership of experienced professionals, managers, or cross functional project leaders.
• Preferred 18 or more years of experience in engineering, product development, or hardware program management within industrial, data communication, connector, cable assembly, server, switch, storage, or related technology domains.
• 8 or more years of project or program management experience in product development, preferably with responsibility for complex hardware platforms, proof of concept work, and new product introduction.
• Demonstrated experience managing distributed and multicultural teams, portfolio governance, resource planning, budget management, senior stakeholder communication, and executive level decision forums.
• Experience leading programs that require technical feasibility assessment, manufacturing readiness, supply chain input, cost management, and customer aligned delivery.

Competencies

• Advanced understanding of product development, Toll Gate, Stage Gate, and new product introduction processes.
• Strong project and portfolio management capability, including planning, execution, governance, risk management, change control, metrics, and escalation management.
• Proven ability to lead and develop project management teams and influence cross functional leaders without relying only on formal authority.
• Strong stakeholder management, requirement management, prioritization, and tradeoff decision skills.
• Ability to evaluate complex business and technical factors, identify key risks, and recommend actions that support medium term business results.
• Experience with manufacturing processes, design for manufacturability, supply chain readiness, prototype builds, validation, and product cost management.
• Excellent executive communication skills, including concise written updates, clear presentations, and effective communication across global internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to operate in ambiguity, drive decisions, hold teams accountable, and deliver results across multiple functions and organizational levels.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools and project management tools used for schedules, dashboards, financial tracking, and communication.
• Strong problem solving, critical thinking, and facilitation skills with cross functional teams.

Preferrable

• PMP or equivalent project, program, or portfolio management certification.
• Exposure to Agile project management methods in hardware or hybrid development environments.
• Experience in terminal, connector, high speed interconnect, cable assembly, data communication, server, switch, storage, or related products.
• Exposure to regulatory approval processes such as UL, CSA, CQC, VDE, or similar standards.
• Experience developing project management standard work, training, metrics, and organizational capability improvements.

Competencies