Customer Program Manager

Job Purpose:

The Program Manager will work in a cross-functional role coordinating globally with stakeholders from Sales, Engineering, Marketing, Procurement, and Supply Chain teams. The Program Manager will define program scopes and lead projects from the RFQ stage through implementation, ensuring the on-time execution of customer requirements. This role will be responsible for driving new packaging development for sustainable, user friendly, and cost competitive packaging. Expertise in a variety of packaging disciplines is critical and will be a key focus along with collaboration skills and personal drive.

Job Responsibilities:

● SOW development, project planning, scheduling, progress tracking/monitoring, resource assignment, risk management, scope management, driving the teams, carrying out the projects against committed goals, managing project members and dependencies and presenting to internal teams and where needed, external partners.
● Complete program level documentation and reports such as KPIs, KAIs, and Milestones.
● Negotiate terms/price/conditions in accordance with management objectives understanding trade-offs between scope, quality, time, and cost.
● Proactive identification of programs risks, and development of risk mitigation plans as required.
● Liaise with the customers, establishing and maintaining single point of contact to ascertain satisfaction with progress and performance.
● Monitor the project status, establish, and update plans with actual and forecasted details, coordinate correctives actions to mitigate risk items and prevent deviations from the plan of record.
● Work closely with adjacent functional groups such as Sales, Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Marketing to coordinate interdepartmental activities ensuring the completion of the project on schedule and within the customer parameters.
● Execute new material innovation and sustainability projects to meet customer timeline and requirements.
● Attends and schedules project meetings, and manages the production of agendas and meeting minutes.
● Initiate and support continuous improvements to our processes and workflows.

Additional Responsibilities & Qualifications:

● Minimum 3 years of experience in program management.

● 3+ years of experience in NPI project planning preferably within a manufacturing environment.

● International business experience in China / Southeast Asia / Mexico preferred.

● ⁠Experienced program management practitioner able to work unsupervised.

● Ability to manage multiple projects, work under pressure, and adapt to sudden changes in the work environment.

● Excellent organizational skills in a multi-disciplined and multi-project environment.

● Ability to effectively present information to internal and external partners.

● Motivated, self-directed and demonstrate effective problem-solving skills.

● Ability to present to a wide audience range of corporate customer contacts.

● Stakeholder management skills.

● Conflict resolution and problem-solving skills.

● General knowledge of packaging design, packaging test protocols, international sourcing, supply chain optimization, business case development.

● College degree in related field or equivalent Business experience.

○ Major or Specialty Area: Supply Chain, Packaging, Business Management.

● Formal project management qualification: PMP, CAPM, PMI-ACP certification, or equivalent professional certification.

Work Experience:

● 3-5 years of related job experience.● A thorough understanding of distribution management (customer service, sales, purchasing, warehouse, credit, information systems, and logistics) that is preferably from a large, national, or decentralized organization.● Excellent verbal, written, people, and diplomacy skills are required.● Experience of interpreting strategy and policy in order to set and deliver objectives.● Experience with Salesforce.com or other CRM is preferred.● Experience working with ERP systems, contract management, CRM systems and project management tools preferred.● Strong customer service skills (friendly, courteous and helpful).

Education:

● College Degree Preferred● Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP) - Project Management Institute● Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) - Project Management Institute

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements:

● A significant portion of the job responsibilities will require computer work that involves the continuous use of the fingers, hands, wrists, and sitting for long periods of time.

● The position also requires frequent lifting and/or moving up to 10 pounds.

● The position requires work in an office as well as travel to customers, suppliers, group meetings, etc.

● Non-traditional work hours / flexible work schedule, 15% - 20% time spent coordinating with partners in the China / Southeast Asia region time zones.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of employees assigned to this job, and duties may change from time to time depending on our business needs.

What We Offer

• Engaging and inclusive culture with employee-led Employee Resource Groups, Veritiv Cultural Alliance, recognition platform, etc.
• Extensive training opportunities, professional development programs, career pathing, and mentorship opportunities.
• Collaborative atmosphere with our customers and suppliers to create healthier, safer and more sustainable communities through our responsible operations and innovative solutions.
• Healthcare benefits (including medical, dental, vision, and health savings account), life, AD&D, and disability insurance, 401k, paid time off, tuition reimbursement, employee assistance program, and other fringe benefits.

About Veritiv

Together with its subsidiaries, Veritiv is the leading full-service provider of packaging solutions. Veritiv also provides JanSan, hygiene, print and publishing products and services. Veritiv serves customers in a wide range of industries, through team members around the world helping shape the success of its customers. For more information, visit www.veritiv.com and connect with the Company on LinkedIn.