Customer Program ManagerOwn the schedule. Own the team. Own the outcome.
LOCATIONSt. Louis, MO - On-site
REPORTS TOChief Operating Officer
TEAMEngineers & Designers
The Customer Program Manager is the single accountable owner of a Customer Project Team's book of work - the economics, the design quality, the delivery, and the people. This role folds full project management authority directly into team leadership: the person accountable for the schedule is also the person with authority over the team executing it.
WHAT YOU'LL OWN- Project Economics - Accept or reject each project against as-sold scope and margin, then own total job cost and margin at completion.
- The Customer Relationship - Run every customer meeting, own status reporting, and lead post-mortems that feed the next quote and design.
- Design & Release Quality - Own the release process end to end and ensure Align's engineering standards are met on every project.
- Delivery & FATs - Own project schedules and factory acceptance tests, start to finish (the on-site crew runs separately).
- Your People - Full-authority manager of your team's engineers and designers - hiring input, coaching, reviews, and development.
REAL AUTHORITY, NOT JUST RESPONSIBILITYWithin the approved project budget, you commit spend, select components, release designs for build, and set schedules - without needing prior sign-off. Spend outside budget, delivery-date commitments, and staffing decisions are made jointly with the COO.
WHAT YOU'LL BRING- Project management experience - highly preferred
- Exposure to mechanical engineering design or processes - a plus, especially in custom/engineer-to-order manufacturing
- Comfort owning budget, margin, and schedule performance like a P&L owner
- Experience managing or mentoring engineering/design staff, or readiness to grow into it
- Strong customer-facing communication skills
- Ability to work on-site in St. Louis, MO (not remote-eligible)
**It is required to complete the Predictive Index Assessment to be considered for this position: https://assessment.predictiveindex.com/bo/D7NP/CustomerProgramManager_Aug2026_143222