Project/Program Design Senior Manager

Job Title

Project/Program Design Senior Manager

Role Summary

Lead and establish a Program Management Office (PMO) for a large automotive semiconductor power management organization. Drive portfolio governance, program execution, resource allocation, and cross-functional alignment across design, validation, and production ramp programs.

Implement stage-gate processes that embed functional safety reviews and compliance tracking, and provide executive reporting and risk management to deliver programs on time and on budget.

Experience Level

Senior - requires significant leadership experience; the role requests 12+ years of program and portfolio management experience in semiconductor, automotive electronics, or related complex product development environments.

Responsibilities

The PMO leader will build the PMO organization, establish portfolio governance, and ensure disciplined program execution across design-ins and production ramps.

• Establish PMO vision, governance, processes, tools, operating standards, and team to support 15–25 concurrent programs.
• Implement portfolio-level governance: quarterly reviews, go/no-go decision frameworks, resource allocation, and executive reporting.
• Define stage-gate processes and success criteria; track program health (schedule, budget, scope, quality, risk) with dashboards and steering reviews.
• Manage program estimating, budget monitoring, spending forecasts, and resource conflict resolution; escalate critical constraints.
• Embed functional safety governance into program lifecycle aligned with ISO 26262 and SOTIF; track ASIL, safety case artifacts, FMEA/FTA completion.
• Establish enterprise risk management: identify, quantify, mitigate, track risks and dependencies; facilitate cross-functional issue resolution and escalations.
• Lead NPI through customer design-ins, pilot production, and volume ramp; enforce accountability and on-time delivery metrics.
• Facilitate cross-functional alignment across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance, Supply Chain, and Customers; serve as central hub for program status.
• Define KPIs for portfolio health and drive continuous improvement in PMO processes and tooling.

Requirements

Must-have skills and experience follow; preferred items are listed separately.

• 12+ years of program and portfolio management experience in semiconductor, automotive electronics, or similar complex product environments.
• Proven track record establishing and leading PMO organizations supporting 10+ concurrent programs across design, development, validation, and production.
• Deep experience with automotive NPI, design-in cycles, and production ramp processes.
• Experience building and running stage-gate processes, portfolio governance, and resource planning.
• Proficiency with program management software and tools such as Microsoft Project, JIRA, SAP, and dashboarding for schedule/budget/risk tracking.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills; ability to influence cross-functional leaders without direct authority.
• Proven ability to drive on-time, on-budget delivery and establish accountability within program teams.
• Strong understanding of automotive functional safety requirements and ability to integrate safety governance into program execution (standards noted in education section).

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Project Management, or a related field is stated. Advanced degree or professional certifications (PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent) are preferred.

About the Company

Company: Renesas

Headquarters: Hitachinaka, Japan

Renesas is a global leader in embedded semiconductor solutions, providing high-quality products across automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and IoT sectors. With over 22,000 employees in more than 30 countries, the company focuses on scalable solutions that enhance user experience and drive innovation while committed to sustainability and energy efficiency.