Sr Program Manager (Pacifico Plant)

Schneider Electric has an opportunity for a Material Productivity Leader in Tijuana location.

The Material Productivity Leader provides strategic direction and is in charge of developing, leading, and executing all initiatives for the direct material cost-out activities in the plant. They are also responsible for supporting operational relations with suppliers based on the strategy defined by the commodity management and Procurement departments, including activities like ensuring the correct respect of contracts in the plant, supporting RFQ processes including creation and follow-up, as well as participating in the negotiation process regarding price definition, quantity of products, quality, and logistics level. Tracking and reporting key elements/data on supplier performance is also a key responsibility.

The Material Productivity Leader is a procurement leader responsible for:

1. Leading a project portfolio of cost reduction initiatives for direct material in the assigned plant.
2. Developing, selling, leading, and executing cost reduction projects in a cross-functional environment aligned to the North America region strategy. Initiatives include change of supplier, quality & value engineering changes, supply base optimization, and supply risk mitigation among others.
3. Building and supporting a solid pipeline of projects through new ideas that secure productivity year over year.
4. Coaching, disrupting, and leading the procurement organization in project management/agile best practices.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Ensuring the correct deployment of the general Purchasing Strategy of cost reduction initiatives in the cluster.
2. Proposing cost reduction projects/ideas (QVE, Rebalancing, etc.) within their perimeter in consistency with the Purchasing strategy goals.
3. Contributing to the correct purchasing database maintenance via regular and constant updates of corresponding data.
4. Supporting the commodity management strategy for supplier consultation & selection including negotiating and managing contracts with local/specific suppliers (price, lead times, pay terms, inventory level, etc.).
5. Supporting and/or leading all activities related to the supply qualification system in the plant according to the responsibility matrix defined.

Job Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

1. Establishing relations with key stakeholders and leading executive presentations with senior leadership. Communicating results and being accountable for plant productivity financials.
2. Driving and ensuring project timelines, deliverables, budget, quality, critical activities, and other important KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are within expectations and forecast.
3. Leading productivity workshops to increase the pipeline of new ideas and business cases for future projects.
4. Developing solid business cases to mature productivity ideas and convert them into projects.
5. Performing risk management to identify and minimize issues in program/project execution, leading discussions, and tracking action plans with proper individuals.

Qualifications:

1. Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Business.
2. Bilingual in English/Spanish – business proficient (written and oral).
3. +3 years proven experience working in Project Management.
4. Previous experience working in Procurement, Engineering, Manufacturing, or Supply Chain areas.
5. Proactive, dynamic, self-driven, results-oriented, passionate about achieving results via influence and great communication skills.
6. Seeking solutions beyond their own frame of reference.
7. Availability to travel internationally (Valid Passport and USA Visa).
8. Supplier Chain knowledge (Supplier Management, Negotiation, Market analysis, Inventory Management, etc.).
9. Financial acumen.
10. Internal Cost and Budget Management knowledge.
11. Oral and written communication skills.
12. Proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint.
13. Database Management skills are a plus.
14. Experience with SAP environment is a plus.

Soft Skills:

1. Good resilience levels in high-pressure work environments.
2. Strong interpersonal and leadership skills.
3. Judgment and Decision Making.
4. Ability to communicate, organize, and work under a cross-functional team environment.
5. Capacity for problem analysis and synthesis.
6. Planning and Strategic Thinking.

Desired Skills:

1. Experience working in electric or electronics manufacturing industry.
2. Interpretation of engineering specs, drawings, BOM (Bill of Material), cost modeling, inventory volumes.
3. PMP Certification.
4. Master’s in Business Administration.
5. Experience implementing and leading Agile (Scrum Master methodology).
6. Experience handling ambiguity and multiple conflicts to effectively prioritize tasks in a fast-paced work environment.
7. Soft skills: Great working under pressure, strong communication skills, strategic thinking, results-oriented.