The Nevada Automotive Test Center (NATC) is currently seeking talented candidates for our Program Manager position at our Silver Springs, NV location. At NATC, the Program Manager will work with the various departments within the company and will lead a team of engineers to design, fabricate, and/or test innovative automotive mobility solutions developed by a range of US and international equipment manufacturers to fulfill customer requirements. The Program Manager interfaces directly with the customer’s management and technical personnel as needed through all phases of a project and has overall responsibility for project success in terms of budget, schedule, and performance.
Founded in 1957, the Nevada Automotive Test Center (NATC) is a family owned and operated, independent test, evaluation, design and engineering facility that specializes in the design, build, and test of ground vehicle systems. As an independent third party, NATC is in a unique position to offering engineering consulting services to customers worldwide. We have substantial test and evaluation experience, which allows us to assess products intended for global markets knowledgeably and objectively. NATC is a leading innovator in translating real-world conditions into a validated virtual proving ground simulation and virtual prototyping environment, as well as a controlled physical proving ground environment.
NATC’s location in the great basin of Nevada allows our team to access terrain that can represent 85% of the world within a 150-mile radius, providing an excellent test bed for off-road mobility. NATC’s operational area includes 1200 sq. miles of natural terrain, that when coupled with 6,200 acres of privately owned test area and unique events, create an unparalleled location available to our engineers to innovate and solve our customer’s problems.
At NATC, our Program Managers have the opportunity to develop solutions, which will be used in military or commercial applications. Our Program Managers work on solutions which improve vehicle performance, reduce environmental impact, improve vehicle safety, improve vehicle efficiencies, and many other contributions to the overall ground vehicle industry. Our Program Managers interface with original equipment manufacturers and Government personnel regularly, and may require international travel depending upon the type of vehicle required. Our Program Managers have the opportunity to work on new technologies resulting in participation in technical working groups, published papers and presentations, and many other avenues for personal growth.
Summary/Objective:
The Program Manager (PM) reports to the Chief Technology Officer and is responsible for executing engineering program activities. The PM supervises Project Supervisors, Executive Assistants, and matrixed support personnel to ensure the projects are completed within budgetary and scheduling constraints while meeting the technical requirements of each respective customer.
To successfully execute the wide variety of programs at NATC, PM’s are responsible for developing project scopes of work in collaboration with prospective customers; determining resource availability, developing cost, schedule, and technical proposals to support the customer need; and achieving successful project completion for a range of customers and applications. Project technical scope could include the full spectrum of services that NATC provides, and could range from one-week long engineering consulting projects, to multi-year multi-million dollar programs.
The PM ensures cross company communications and application of the appropriate technical expertise to facilitate project technical, schedule and financial success in the best traditions of NATC.
The PM will provide strategic guidance in ways that promote the company's culture and core competencies throughout the project team. The PM informs and executes decisions with regard to the technological interests and investments for the company. The PM assists in identifying and understanding industry trends in order to inform decisions on the company’s current and future core competencies.
The PM candidate should have extensive experience as a manager, having supervised various teams in the completion of complex technical projects. The PM should also have extensive engineering experience in a related field, and should be able to apply their knowledge and experience across all disciplines of engineering relevant to the company and the customer needs.
Essential Functions:
1. Supervises technical and administrative direct reports within the project team and delegates tasks appropriately.
2. Manages quality on projects to ensure projects are completed within budgetary and scheduling constraints, while meeting the technical requirements of each respective customer.
3. Provides technical and strategic guidance to the Program Supervisors, such that projects are completed in a manner that emulates the NATC brand.
4. Monitors group workload and labor projections to ensure proper distribution of technical projects within the team.
5. Informs the financial and operations company officers of engineering department project status and needs.
6. Supports key meetings with customers based on scope and technical complexity of project and works internally and with the customer to manage risks.
7. Establishes and develops relationships with key customers/ clients.
8. Able to represent the company effectively and professionally at meetings, conferences, and other events, as necessary.
9. Develops and presents PowerPoint presentations to effectively convey status of customer projects or internal initiative to diverse audience including support staff, peers, and/or leadership.
10. Reviews project/proposal budgets along with associated engineering resource allocation, when necessary.
11. Monitors reliability and performance of all internal systems to suggest improvement to company officers.
12. Tracks industry trends and future customer desires to ensure NATC technical core competency relevance, which may require travel to customer sites and participation in technical committees.
13. Assists in defining opportunities based on gaps of current customers and industry.
14. Manages special projects, as needed.
15. Functions as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in applicable areas and effectively applies SME’s outside of that area, when required.
16. Acknowledges or rewards good work, when appropriate.
17. Other tasks as assigned by the CTO.
18. Ability to prioritize team workload and manage more than one technical activity at a time.
19. Developing detailed proposals and project plans.
20. Leading research and development projects that produce new designs, products, and processes.
21. Review and write final reports and establish high standards for technical accuracy and appropriate tone in the final product.
22. Ability to review contracts to establish project constraints and work directly with contracting personnel, as needed, to translate technical requirements into appropriate contract documents.
23. Communicate effectively and clearly with employees and customers of varying backgrounds and skill levels.
24. Support companywide recruiting, as needed/requested.
25. Able to obtain a security clearance.
Minimum Qualifications:
1. Bachelor's degree in the relevant Engineering field (Master's degree preferable).
2. A minimum of 8 years of experience in the engineering test or product development environment.
3. Must be able to obtain and maintain a valid Nevada Driver’s License.
4. Able to work in excess of 40 hours per week on occasion and when necessary to fulfill project requirements
5. Must have extensive systems level ground vehicle knowledge.
6. Must have strong computer skills, specifically MS Office applications, including MS Project.
7. Must have a basic understanding of engineering simulation and data processing tools.
8. Must be able to maintain a high level of confidentiality.
9. Must be able to work under minimal supervision.
10. Must have superior budgeting and cost management abilities.
11. Must have outstanding problem solving and analysis skills in order to troubleshoot a variety of projects.
12. Must have outstanding project and team management skills.
13. Must have a sound understanding of engineering principles and ability to apply them to unique situations.
14. Must have the ability to maintain a positive attitude and promote the company’s intended culture and environment.
15. Must have excellent verbal and written communication.
16. Must be able to delegate efficiently and effectively.
17. Must have extensive industry knowledge with an ability to observe and analyze trends in the company’s relevant fields.
18. Must have the ability to process negative feedback and remain professional while applying corrective actions when needed.
19. Must have the ability to hire project supervisor/executive assistant roles for the engineering department of the company when necessary, coordinate their training, and mentor their development within the organization.
Work Environment:
Work is regularly performed in a combination of office, outdoor, and shop environments and is regularly exposed to dust, odors, oil, fumes, and noise. Vehicle operation in adverse terrain and extreme environment conditions may be required from time to time.
Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
1. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms.
2. Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds.
3. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions, including related vehicle component operations, operating vehicles in severe environmental conditions, and vehicle operations in daylight and at nighttime.
Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:
This is a full-time salaried position. Standard days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. However, the position requires work during non-standard hours when the need arises.
AAP/EEO Statement:
Nevada Automotive Test Center (NATC) values a diverse workforce and as an Equal Opportunity Employer, NATC does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other status legally protected by Federal, State, or Local law. NATC assures you that your opportunity with this Company depends solely on your qualifications and other job-related factors
Important Notice:
This position is not limited to those duties in the job description. Duties and responsibilities can be changed, expanded, reduced, or deleted to meet the business needs of Hodges Transportation, Inc./NATC. The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Notify Human Resources if you require any accommodation(s) to perform any of the essential functions of this position.
All employees of this Company are employees at will and, as such, are free to resign at any time without reason. The Company, likewise, retains the right to terminate an employee's employment at any time with or without reason or notice. Nothing contained in this document or any other document provided to the employee is intended to be, nor should it be, construed as a guarantee that employment or any benefit will be continued for any period of time. Any salary figures provided to an employee in annual or monthly terms are stated for the sake of convenience or to facilitate comparisons and are not intended and do not create an employment contract for any specific period of time.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From $100,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Experience level:
Schedule:
- 8 hour shift
- Day shift
- Monday to Friday
Work Location: In person
