Commercial Program Manager - Filtration Group Corp

Filtran, part of the Filtration Group, is a global leader in advanced filtration technology for the automotive industry. Specializing in automatic transmission filters, our engineered solutions allow OEM’s to meet ever-increasing system cleanliness requirements that result in higher efficiency vehicles which exceed environmental standards.

Filtran is Headquartered in Des Plaines, Illinois and our sister company, IBS Filtran, in located in Morsbach Germany. With our global manufacturing footprint, Filtran is positioned to serve the global automotive market from localized facilities creating significant value for our customers.

The Commercial Program Manager is the face of the Filtran organization to the customer.  The Commercial Program Manager facilitates open communication between multiple internal departments, including  research and development, manufacturing, prototyping, lab testing, and sourcing. Coordinating relationships with large automotive companies and supporting project level activity to ensure the program objectives are completed to reach deliverable goals and deadlines. The individual needs to work collaboratively with a range of internal departments to support the customer and their needs in alignment with Filtran’s strategic objectives.               

• Lead the APQP requirements specific to each customer
• Own the production launch process upon program assignment at phase 3 of 5 phase system that Filtran uses to launch new OEM/OES products to market
• Support kick off review with Strategic Account Director and outline program milestones and launch expectations
• Regularly report out on progress for each program to Strategic Account Director and communicate any risks and concerns of on-time launching
• Work with Supply Chain to Kick off Production Suppliers on new programs
• Coordinate with Packaging Engineering that includes fleet calculator for returnable design, dunnage design and customer approval, and backup consumable packaging approval
• Manage Supplier production timelines that includes production tooling and component/sample availability, supplier PPAP timeline, and PPAP sample coordination in the plant.
• Coordinate Tooling/Component and Dimensional Improvements with engineering, quality, and prototyping.
• Support ECO and BOM confirmation in KBM that includes implementation of part number, ensure all supplier PPAP approved prior to production launch orders, and pricing approvals with Sales Managers.
• Coordinate Manufacturing review, follow up on internal run at rate completions and Filtran Readiness Assessment
• Coordinate Validation Testing Activities, confirm test target completion date and alignment with launch time
• Provide PPAP Support by following up with Filtran quality of PPAP completion tasks, and follow up with manufacturing process documents
• Facilitate and manage face-to-face customer interaction with all Filtran departments, including support with certification and customer audits
• Maintenance of engineering and purchasing relationships at all levels of the customer
• Creation, maintenance, and monitoring of project launch plans
• Agreement and coordination of technical topics with sub-suppliers
• Monitor major project activities using customer relationship management (CRM) tool which includes pipeline tracking, major project update/review, and data cleanliness of contact and project database
• Coordination of project subcontractors together with the Filtran purchasing department
• Initiation of sample/amendment requests

• Bachelor of Science or Arts degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Sales, or Economics
• 3-5+ years of automotive sales and program management experience
• Extremely detailed oriented
• Excellent communication and analytical skills required
• Strong relationship and organizational skills
• “Team” focused
• Proficient in Microsoft Office products, especially Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Project
• Ability to travel 25%+

Metrics:

• Launch projects on time as defined by the customer’s SOP date
• Launching projects under budget
• Project pipeline data accuracy

Filtran is part of Filtration Group. Filtration Group is a global market-leading provider of filtration consumables that are designed to drive innovation and deliver solutions across a broad spectrum of applications and end-markets, with a focus on life sciences, indoor air quality and industrial technologies.  With a global workforce of nearly 10,000 dedicated team members and a footprint that spans 27 countries, we are committed to partnering closely with our customers to further our mission to make the world safer, healthier and more productive.  Cultivating Talent and building strong Teams are critical to our success. We know that fulfilling our mission is only possible when we foster an entrepreneurial culture built on a foundation of trust, in which our leaders exhibit a strong bias for action. Join us as we build a truly remarkable company that will long outlast us!