Engineering Program Manager, New Product Introduction

What You'll Do

Thermal constraints limit AI infrastructure, semiconductor equipment, power electronics, and defense systems. JCI removes those constraints. Enabled by the Stack Forging™ process, JCI produces high-performance thermal components and cooling loop solutions — purpose-built for direct integration into AI, HPC, and mission-critical systems. JCI has built the industry's leading thermal management platform for the applications that demand it most.

As a Builder on the Stack Forging Thermal Solutions team at Johnson Controls, you'll join a team of sleeve-rollers who set a high bar for themselves and their co-workers. We foster a collaborative culture with no silos, where everyone is encouraged to think out loud. If you are passionate about your craft and don't give up until you've found a way, you will make an ideal Builder!

As an Engineering Program Manager for New Product Introduction, you will own the path from concept through full production release — including the large, complex industrial machines that make up our Stack Forging process. You will work with an interdisciplinary team spanning engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and commercial functions to plan, sequence, and drive execution of new product and new machine programs. You will shepherd hardware programs through ambiguous, fast-moving development cycles, and you will provide structure without slowing down the pace of a startup-like environment.  You will regularly manage multiple complex, concurrent projects with competing priorities and shifting timelines, keeping each one moving without letting the others slip. You take full ownership of your programs, driving them forward independently while maintaining a strong sense of urgency.

This position is based in Burlington, MA. Candidates must be commuting distance to the facility, or able to relocate. Various relocation packages are available. Applicants must be US Citizens and/or Permanent Residents of the US, since sponsorship is not available for this position.

Who You Are

You are a hands-on program manager who enjoys untangling complex, cross-functional problems and taking ownership of a product's journey from first prototype to volume production. You have experience building and managing program schedules, risk registers, and stage-gate processes for physical hardware products, including large-scale industrial machinery and capital equipment. You are comfortable working directly with engineers, technicians, vendors, and executives to keep programs on time and on budget.  You are equally comfortable juggling several high-stakes programs at once as you are running point on a single critical launch. You thrive in a fast-paced environment, apply a first-principles mindset to every roadblock, and are driven to continuously improve how the organization launches new products and brings new machines online. You know when to pivot, prioritize, and adapt to shifting demands to keep progress on track.

How you will do it

• Manage the NPI process from end-to-end, starting with concept and design review through pilot builds, qualification, and production ramp up, for both products and large industrial machines.

• Drive manufacturing readiness activities across programs, including tooling and fixture readiness, work instructions, line layout, and capacity planning ahead of ramp.

• Partner with manufacturing engineering to plan and execute the installation, commissioning, and qualification of new large-scale machines on the production floor.

• Manage multiple complex programs simultaneously, balancing shared resources, overlapping timelines, and competing priorities across the portfolio.

• Build and maintain integrated program schedules, tracking critical path, dependencies, and risk across engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain workstreams.

• Own the engineering change order (ECO) process for programs in flight — initiating, routing, and tracking ECOs, and coordinating impact assessments across engineering, manufacturing, quality, and supply chain.

• Evaluate the cost, schedule, and technical impact of proposed design changes, and drive timely disposition decisions with stakeholders.

• Communicate project updates to engineering teams and management teams. 

• Work cross-functionally to gather input and drive alignment from many different stakeholders across multiple systems and teams.

• Write and maintain program documentation including stage-gate criteria, program plans, ECO logs, manufacturing readiness checklists, and status reporting for leadership.

• Coordinate design reviews, build reviews, manufacturing readiness reviews, and other readiness gates, and drive closure of open action items.

• Work with 3rd party vendors, machine builders, and contract manufacturers to align timelines, tooling, and quality requirements.

• Contribute to failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) and risk assessments alongside the engineering team.

• Identify bottlenecks early and drive pragmatic trade-off decisions to keep programs moving.

What you will need
Required

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial) or a related technical field, or equivalent experience
• 5+ years of industry experience in program or project management for hardware/physical products

• Experience taking products through the full NPI lifecycle, from prototype through production launch

• Experience managing programs involving large industrial machines or capital equipment, including installation, commissioning, and ramp
• Direct experience managing engineering change orders (ECOs), including impact analysis, approval routing, and implementation tracking

• Industry experience building program schedules, stage-gate documentation, and risk registers

• Experience working with cross-functional teams including engineering, manufacturing, and quality

• Experience working with a range of vendors, contract manufacturers, machine builders, and suppliers
• Understanding of core hardware development processes (design reviews, DFM/DFA, qualification testing, change control)

Preferred

• Experience with large-scale automated or semi-automated industrial machinery in a production environment

• Experience with program management tools (e.g., MS Project, Smartsheet, Jira)

• PMP certification or equivalent formal program management training

• Experience with capital equipment, industrial machinery, or thermal/mechanical systems

• Familiarity with Lean/Six Sigma or similar continuous improvement methodologies

Export Control Requirement: This position may require access to information, technology, technical data, software, or other items subject to U.S. export control laws and regulations. Any offer of employment for this position may be contingent upon the candidate's ability to obtain and maintain any required export authorization or eligibility to access controlled items.

SALARY RANGE: $120,000 - $165,000 (Salary to be determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data.) This role offers a competitive Bonus plan that will take into account individual, group, and corporate performance.  This position includes a competitive benefits package. The posted salary range reflects the target compensation for this role. However, we recognize that exceptional candidates may bring unique skills and experiences that exceed the typical profile. If you believe your background warrants consideration beyond the stated range, we encourage you to apply. To support an efficient and fair hiring process, we may use technology assisted tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), to help identify and evaluate candidates. All hiring decisions are ultimately made by human reviewers. For details, please visit the About Us tab on the Johnson Controls Careers site at

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