Director of Customer Program Management

Director of Customer Program Management

Position overview

The Director of Customer Program Management (CPM) is accountable for integrated program delivery for assigned strategic customers across multiple product lines, ensuring that Coherent’s businesses and functions align around customer commitments, clear ownership, and timely execution.

As the customer-facing program leader within the Strategic Customer Office, the CPM connects customer requirements and milestones with the plans of the teams responsible for delivery. The role partners closely with Customer BU leadership, Sales, Product BUs, Engineering, Operations, Quality, and Supply Chain to manage dependencies, resolve issues, and provide an accurate, consolidated view of program performance.

Through reliable execution and consistent communication, the CPM strengthens customer trust and supports Coherent’s ability to expand strategic engagements.

Key responsibilities

Integrated customer program delivery

• Own and maintain the integrated customer program plan, translating agreed commitments into milestones, deliverables, accountable owners and acceptance criteria.
• Connect milestones for new product introduction, qualification, supply readiness, and production ramp to customer schedules, including product transfers where applicable.
• Track performance against commitments and drive corrective actions with the teams responsible for execution.

Cross-business alignment and dependency management

• Partner with internal program management functions to identify and manage dependencies across Product BUs, functions, manufacturing sites, and external partners.
• Drive timely resolution of conflicting priorities and resource constraints, escalating tradeoffs to the appropriate decision-makers.
• Bring customer delivery requirements and unresolved conflicts into cross-customer steering discussions.

Program governance and performance visibility

• Establish and run the operating cadence for assigned strategic customers. Lead weekly Customer Ops Reviews focused on commitments, delivery performance, risks, recovery plans, and required decisions.
• Maintain a consolidated, fact-based view of customer program health, including backlog versus delivery, qualification readiness, critical dependencies, and revenue at risk.
• Present program status impartially, ensuring that aggregate reporting does not obscure risks to critical products, sites, or customer milestones.
• Prepare and present program updates and decision materials for executive reviews in partnership with Sales and Customer BU leadership.

Risk management, recovery and escalation

• Maintain a consolidated risk register. Identify risks early, assess customer impact, and establish mitigation and recovery plans with named owners and completion dates.
• Partner with Sales and Finance to quantify revenue at risk and track the effectiveness of recovery actions.
• Serve as the program escalation lead, working with Sales and Customer BU leadership to resolve issues that cross organizational boundaries and coordinate internal and customer-facing escalations.
• Frame escalations around the facts, available options, recommended actions, and required decisions.
• Track issues through verified closure and incorporate lessons learned into future execution.

Aligned customer communication

• Support Sales and Customer BU leadership with timely, accurate, and consistent program communication that reflects one aligned Coherent position.
• Build effective working relationships with customer program and operational counterparts within the agreed engagement model.
• Ensure customer updates explain delivery impact, recovery actions, outstanding decisions, and the timing of the next update.
• Validate new or revised customer commitments with responsible delivery teams and coordinate internal agreement before communicating changes to customer commitments.

Program leadership and continuous improvement

• Lead cross-functional initiatives to improve delivery processes, reduce recurring execution gaps, and scale program management practices as customer requirements grow.
• Coach and mentor program managers and cross-functional team members to strengthen planning, risk management, and escalation discipline.

Success Measures

• On-time delivery against agreed customer commitments, including schedule and quality requirements.
• Early identification of risks and fewer late surprises.
• Timely resolution of cross-functional issues and verified closure of recovery actions.
• Accurate and credible executive and customer status reporting.
• Fewer recurring or avoidable customer escalations, with material risks escalated promptly.
• Visibility into revenue at risk and the effectiveness of recovery plans.
• Customer satisfaction and leadership confidence in coordinated delivery across Coherent.

Qualifications

• At least 15 years of progressive experience in B2B technology program management, operations, or product management, including leadership of complex, customer-facing programs across multiple businesses, functions, or geographies.
• Experience with hardware development, qualification, and production ramps, preferably in photonics, optical communications, semiconductors, lasers, or related technology industries.
• Experience with large strategic customers, new product introductions, product transfers, supply-constrained environments, or multi-site delivery programs is preferred.
• Strong capability in integrated planning, dependency management, risk assessment and recovery execution.
• Proven ability to influence without direct authority and resolve competing priorities constructively, along with experience leading culturally and technically diverse teams across regions.
• Demonstrated leadership of cross-functional initiatives, including coaching or mentoring program managers and other team members.
• Executive presence and the ability to explain the customer impact of technical and operational issues and identify the executive decisions required.
• Sound judgment in ambiguous, high-pressure situations, with a results-oriented approach to customer satisfaction.
• Strong analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with proficiency in using data and analytics to assess performance and support decisions.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical discipline, or equivalent relevant experience. Program management certification is advantageous.

Working conditions

• This is an on-site position.
• Occasional off-site meetings or travel are required.
• Flexibility to support teams and customer operations across multiple time zones is required.
• Regular interaction with internal teams and external contacts is part of the role.

Culture commitment

Demonstrate Coherent’s ICARE values in all aspects of the role.

• Integrity — Create an Environment of Trust
• Collaboration — Innovate Through the Sharing of Ideas
• Accountability — Own the Process and the Outcome
• Respect — Recognize the Value in Everyone
• Enthusiasm — Find a Sense of Purpose in Work

Coherent Corp. is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.