Job Description

As a member of Safran Seats, you contribute to providing over one million seats to airlines worldwide, ensuring superior quality, comfort, and innovation. Your role involves collaborating with a team to develop high-value solutions for passengers and crews. Safran is one of the few OEMs offering a comprehensive range of passenger seats, from economy to first class, allowing you to take pride in creating impressive seating options for various needs.

1. Occupational Summary (Position Objective & Authorities)

Objective:

The Senior Programs Manager is the primary company point of contact for assigned external OEM's and is responsible for the execution of highly complex, high volume and mixed end users. Works in direct interface with Airlines, OEMs supporting line fit and retrofit.

Manages programs from sales transition handover through delivery of the final aircraft and closure of any open items. In addition, the Senior Programs Manager is responsible for developing, building and strengthening loyal relationships between the company and the assigned airframe OEM organization

The Senior Program Manager is responsible for contribution margin of the production phase. Must keep the program in scope or to properly negotiate time and budget when the scope increases or to refuse the scope increase if it is not practical. This position works independently.

2. Essential Functions (Duties and Responsibilities)

A) Maintain and build exceptional relationships through-out the assigned Customers and OEMs.

B) Responsible for leading their integrated product team (IPT) and operational teams in the daily execution of program activities and deliverables.

C) Responsible for implementing a product matching 100% to the one used for the cost base in the bid and to make him/her self-knowledgeable of all elements of the bid including the cost base.

D) Monitor the status of programs awarded to ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction.

E) Develop and implement best practices that support and fulfill the assigned accounts' business requirements.

F) Organize and coordinate executive and meetings while supporting project, program and quality meetings.

G) Help the departmental team develop goals, action plans and time tables, while building positive energy and results.

H) Clarifies RFQ scope of work expected by the customer with sales team and/or customer.

I) Coordinates with estimator on pricing package assumptions.

J) Coordinates with engineering for drawing and technical proposal support.

K) Follows up proposal submission with customer and/or salesperson.

L) Kicks off new programs, establish expectations, and identify pacing items.

M) Manages the project scope, budget, timeline and risks.

N) Leads program status meetings and work bottlenecks.

O) Communicates program status to Airframers customers, salespeople, and upper management like COOs, on weekly basis.

Job Requirements

P) Sets expectations and facilitates clear and open lines of communication both internally and externally.

Q) Monitors all open action items to customer to ensure timely closure.

R) Monitors the submission of required data items required by the customer.

S) Coordinates resources between divisions for programs involving multiple locations.

T) Monitors budget status on all programs with senior management.

U) Monitors the scope of work and initiate formal changes when necessary to obtain proper concessions on prices, weights and lead times, where appropriate.

V) Coordinates the resolution of field service issues for new products delivered.

W) Participates in contract negotiations as required.

X) Teams with estimating team and/or salesperson on developing and presenting proposals.

Y) Communicates results of negotiating sessions to senior management.

Z) Monitors the scope of work and initiate formal changes when necessary to obtain proper concessions on prices, weights and lead times, where appropriate.

AA) Tracks, manages and reports non-recurring expenses to operate within budget limits.

BB) Tracks, manages and reports recurring costs at standard to operate within the quotation parameters and achieve the bid contribution margins.

margins of the program, both for the non-recurring and recurring portions.

DD) Provides mentorship to less senior Program Managers

EE) Performs other duties as assigned.

3. Qualification Requirements

A. Education & Qualification-

  • Requires a Bachelor's degree in a related business management or related engineering discipline or 6 years related experience in lieu of Bachelor's level degree to meet the education requirement. OR Requires an Associate's degree in a related business management or related engineering discipline and 3 years related experience in lieu of Bachelor's level degree to meet the education requirement.
  • PMP certification is preferred.

B. Work Experience - Technical knowledge-

  • In addition to meeting the education requirement, requires an additional 8 years' experience in a project or program team environment with 5 of the 8 years being in one or a combination of the following:

o Managing programs (program manager).

o OR in a senior level manager with responsibility directly interfacing with customer and executive leadership in one

o OR a combination of the following areas: P&L responsibility; contract development and negotiation; supply chain management; engineering management or operations oversight.

C. Professional Skills-

  • Understand customer technical, schedule and programmatic requirements, as well as the technology and product development necessary to carry out the program to meet customer expectations.
  • Must have the skills and experience to effectively inter-act with the customer
  • In-depth knowledge of program management and relationships between line functions.

Safran Seats USA is an equal opportunity employer.

But what else? (advantages, specific features, etc.)

  • Must have excellent negotiating skills and be very comfortable in adversarial business environments.
  • Requires in depth comprehension of technical customer management and engineering.
  • Understand customer technical, schedule and programmatic requirements, as well as the technology and product development necessary to carry out the program to meet customer expectations.
  • Must be fully accountable and properly present to manage a good estimate in order to compete for the completion of the NRC phase of the program. In particular, after the expense on the program has reached 25% to 35% of the initial quote, sufficient knowledge of the program must have been gained for the program manager to be able to display the ultimate estimate at completion with an error margin of no more than plus or minus 15%.
  • Must have a very good working knowledge of the standard suite of office software products (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Project, et al.)

D. Behavioral Skills-

  • Demonstrated effective leadership and timely communication skills in a fast paced environment.
  • Must be well organized with solid judgement; able to multi task and adjust to changing priorities.

E. Desirable Aspects-

  • Strong contract and negotiating skills.

4. Travel-

Must be willing and able to travel domestically and internationally for business as required; max 30 % of their time.

Safran Seats USA is an equal opportunity employer.

Company Information

Safran is an international high-technology group, operating in the aviation (propulsion, equipment and interiors), defense and space markets. Its core purpose is to contribute to a safer, more sustainable world, where air transport is more environmentally friendly, comfortable and accessible. Safran has a global presence, with 100,000 employees and sales of 27.3 billion euros in 2024, and holds, alone or in partnership, world or regional leadership positions in its core markets.

Safran is in the 2nd place in the aerospace and defense industry in TIME magazine's "World's best companies 2024" ranking.

Safran Seats is one of the world's leading manufacturers of aircraft seats, for both crew and passengers. 1 million Safran Seats-manufactured aircraft seats are currently in service with air fleets around the world.

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Confirmed 9 hours ago. Posted a day ago.

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