Factory Operations Program Manager

Factory Operations Program Manager

Do you want to join a team that's changing the world? Do you have a strong background as a Factory Operations Program Manager? Then we're looking for you! Join us at Panasonic Energy as we expand to De Soto, Kansas, where we're building the world's largest lithium-ion battery factory. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career while contributing to the future of electric vehicles. As part of our team, you'll help push the limits of battery technology, enhancing performance and efficiency in sustainable transportation. Our state-of-the-art facility, just outside the Kansas City Metro, will be a hub for innovation in green energy solutions. If you're passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute to the electric vehicle revolution, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team. Join us and make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation.

The Factory Operations Program Manager leads a portfolio of factory operationsfocused programs and projects that drive strategic initiatives, operational efficiency, and capital expansion within a high-volume lithium-ion battery manufacturing environment. This role is accountable for program-level execution, ensuring projects are planned, prioritized, and delivered with a strong focus on on-time, on-budget outcomes. In addition to overseeing interdependent initiatives, the Program Manager provides direct people leadership to Project Managers and PMO Analysts and serves as a key partner to Factory Operations, Engineering, and Supply Chain leadership. Success in this role requires comfort operating in an agile, ambiguous, and fast-paced manufacturing environment, strong judgment, and the ability to balance strategic leadership with execution-focused oversight.

Essential Duties :

• Functional Leadership & Operations :
• Proactively partner with Factory Operations and project leadership to develop detailed execution plans, resource strategies, and critical path analyses that support on-time delivery
• Drive hands-on program execution rigor, ensuring projects remain focused on schedule adherence, cost control, and operational readiness
• Support short-term, high-impact problem-solving or "consulting-style" engagements as needed to remove barriers to factory execution
• Define and manage program scope, success criteria, deliverables, budgets, and resource plans across a portfolio of interrelated projects
• Create, maintain, and govern integrated master schedules to ensure alignment across engineering, operations, procurement, and construction activities
• Track and report program-level KPIs, ensuring timely milestone delivery, issue resolution, and performance transparency
• Optimize resource allocation and sequencing to balance capacity, cost, and schedule constraints while maximizing program outcomes
• Strategic Alignment & Continuous Improvement :
• Operate effectively in ambiguous and rapidly evolving environments by continuously reprioritizing work based on factory needs, risk, and business impact
• Design, iterate, and implement scalable planning, prioritization, execution, and sustainment mechanisms to support factory operations programs
• Provide thought leadership in program and portfolio management, influencing best practices and driving adoption across factory-facing teams
• Identify and manage program interdependencies, prioritizing initiatives to align with strategic objectives and operational timelines
• Apply program-level insights, metrics, and lessons learned to continuously refine project delivery approaches and PMO best practices
• Support long-term planning by aligning program execution with evolving business needs and capital strategy
• Team Development & Knowledge Sharing :
• Lead, coach, and develop Project Managers and PMO Analysts through performance management, goal setting, and career development planning
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement across program and project teams
• Ensure consistent application of PMO standards, tools, templates, and methodologies across all managed projects
• Promote knowledge sharing and capability building within the PMO to strengthen program delivery maturity
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement :
• Build strong working relationships with Factory Operations leaders, geographically distributed teams, and external vendors to enable effective collaboration and delivery
• Communicate clearly and consistently on program status, risks, scope changes, and process impacts to stakeholders at all organizational levels
• Serve as the primary liaison between program teams and senior leadership, providing clear, data-driven program status and performance updates
• Facilitate steering committee meetings, stakeholder reviews, and executive briefings
• Translate complex technical and operational information into clear, actionable communications for diverse audiences
• Quality, Safety, Compliance, & Risk Management :
• Proactively identify and manage program risks, scope changes, and execution issues, escalating appropriately and implementing mitigation strategies
• Ensure project documentation, requirements, and deliverables are clearly defined, approved, and aligned with operational expectations
• Ensure program execution complies with company policies, regulatory requirements, and EHS standards
• Maintain program documentation, governance artifacts, and audit readiness to support internal and external reviews
• Reinforce a strong safety, quality, and compliance mindset across all program activities
• Supervisory Responsibilities :
• Provides direct supervision to Project Managers and PMO Analysts, including work assignment, performance oversight, training, and adherence to safety and operational standards
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements :
• To ensure health and safety in the workplace and for employee protection, wearing PPE is required and includes equipment such as a full Tyvek suit, safety shoes, gloves, safety glasses, face mask, and a full hazmat suit that includes a respirator. A respirator fit test will be required based on functional area.

Qualifications :

Qualifications - Required and / or Preferred

Required :

Preferred :

Essential Qualifications :

Preferred Qualifications :

Physical Demands :

Physical Activities :