Program Manager

Senior Program Manager
Location: Onsite 4 days a week near Morristown, NJ
Type: 6+ month contract

About the Role

A global consumer products company is launching a multi-year program to introduce a make-to-order and personalization model across its supply chain, manufacturing, product, retail, and compliance functions. We’re looking for a senior program leader to own it end to end: building the plan, running governance across multiple working groups, driving business requirements, and keeping business and IT aligned through go-live.

This is a high-visibility role reporting to a steering committee. You’ll need to be credible with executives from day one, because there’s no ramp-up period.

What You’ll Do

• Own the plan. Build the initial program timeline and manage it through go-live.
• Run governance. Lead multiple cross-functional working groups, present to the steering committee, maintain the decision log, and secure sign-off on decisions on a regular cadence.
• Drive requirements. Complete the end-to-end business process map, then lead detailed business requirements that IT can build from.
• Align business and IT. Make sure every stage of the process has a named business owner, IT owner, and system plan.
• Manage risk. Track risks and dependencies, and escalate decisions that working groups can’t resolve.
• Coordinate key decisions across workstreams, including:
  • Materials supply: storage, reservation of critical components, and tariff impacts
  • Manufacturing: agile production line setup and DDMRP-based planning
  • Retail: the in-store selling journey and tools for sales associates
  • Product: styles, SKUs, master data, and pricing
  • Legal and compliance: returns policy and international shipping
• Serve as the single point of contact for leadership and operating teams.

What You Bring

• Make-to-order experience (top priority). You’ve run or designed a configure-to-order or personalization/customization model
• High-value product background. Experience with premium or high-value goods, ideally with serialized or high-cost components.
• 10+ years leading cross-functional programs, much of it in manufacturing or retail.
• Large-scale program leadership. Multi-year, multi-system programs spanning several departments, with steering committee reporting.
• Supply chain and manufacturing depth, including pull-based planning and DDMRP, critical inventory control, lead times and service levels, and international shipping of high-value goods.
• Hands-on process and requirements skills. You can run workshops, map business processes, and write requirements developers can build from.
• Systems fluency across ERP, warehouse management, planning, and retail selling tools, and comfort working with IT on integrations.
• Executive presence. You lead through influence without direct authority, with a consultant’s polish.
• Global communication skills, with experience working with stakeholders in the US, Europe, and Asia.

Nice to Have

• Retail rollout and change management across a store network, including training and phased launches
• Product master data, bills of materials, and SKU and pricing setup
• Returns policy and compliance work across countries, including EU regulations
• PMP or another program management certification

Technology Environment

• JD Edwards EnterpriseOne (core ERP)
• Blue Yonder (planning)
• Anaplan (pricing)
• Manhattan Active WM (warehouse management)
• IBM Sterling (order management)