Main Responsibilities and Required Skills for Engineering Program Manager
An Engineering Program Manager is responsible for directing the development of produts from initial design to market release. They work closely with Product Managers to build clear roadmaps and project plans and clarify requirements. In this blog post we describe the primary responsibilities and the most in-demand hard and soft skills for Engineering Program Managers.
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Main Responsibilities of Engineering Program Manager
The following list describes the typical responsibilities of an Engineering Program Manager:
Advise
Advise and define process-improvement throughout the program.
Advise on execution strategy and manage through to implementation.
Align
Align activities of the group with evolving Business Unit priorities.
Analyze
Analyze and coordinate project staffing with other R&D leaders and cross-functional teams.
Assess
Assess and identify risks (technical and schedule) and plan for contingencies.
Assist in
Assist in budget allocation, tracking, and analysis.
Attend
Attend and track updates from Engineering Leads' bi-weekly meeting, bi-weekly Engineering Sprints.
Champion
Champion and document the Voice of Operations.
Champion manufacturing strategy and sourcing strategy for program.
Coach
Coach, mentor, motivate, and supervise project team members and other project managers.
Coach team members to ensure effective team dynamics and mutual accountability are paramount.
Collaborate with
Collaborate closely with the leaders of our customer engineering program to provide focus on quality.
Collaborate with finance to develop the ROI and manages the financial cost modeling.
Collaborate with Platform teams for defining teams' dependencies & goals.
Collaborate with software / hardware teams to lead silicon validation of IPs.
Communicate
Communicate key program information to ensure Core Team and R&D leadership engagement and alignment.
Communicate program status, risks and mitigation plans to executives.
Communicate regularly to management and executives on program status, risks and change control.
Communicate with engineers and business stakeholders on project requirements and deliverables.
Complete
Complete product development project execution tracking and reporting.
Coordinate
Coordinate and collaborate on all contractual agreements with relevant Suppliers.
Coordinate and facilitate solutions to mitigate risks, keep projects on track and within budget.
Coordinate and leads team communications, including project reviews with management and customers.
Coordinate and lead supplier readiness for transfers.
Coordinate and present technical design reviews.
Coordinate Development builds.
Coordinate projects with complex overlaps to ensure smooth execution and valid test data.
Coordinate with other R&D leaders and finance for expense forecasting and AOP activities.
Create
Create and maintain the project schedule.
Create and manage project schedules including resource allocations and cross-team leveling.
Create and track information flow and metrics that will inform you of progress toward goal.
Create, consolidate and communicate reports and key data to stakeholders.
Create scalable solutions that are focused on continuous improvements.
Deal with
Deal effectively with people in tense situations, confronts and resolves complex issues effectively.
Define
Define all required re-testing and / re-certification based on product changes.
Define and drive Product development process and release to manufacturing.
Define, continuously refine and communicate processes for Testing & Optimization projects.
Define, generate and assess performance metrics for the program.
Define program reviews to provide feedback and requirements for future projects.
Design
Design Engineering Program Manager to develop and implement industry standard design processes.
Design Reviews and Lessons Learned.
Develop
Develop and maintain detailed project schedule aligned to PDP Phase expectations.
Develop and manage multi-functional program schedules.
Develop and manage top-tier client relationships and contracts.
Develop positive partnerships with the management team.
Direct
Direct the development of new concepts from initial design to market release.
Drive
Drive alignment, decisions, and organize work activity to accomplish program objectives.
Drive and lead dependencies with other teams.
Drive and manage dependencies with other teams.
Drive closure on open issues.
Drive company-wide compliance with project management protocols.
Drive cross-functional alignment.
Drive day-to day program activities to meet overall program objective.
Drive definition, approval, and implementation of key metrics across the program.
Drive dependencies with teams across multiple business units at various level.
Drive development efforts to deliver new features and capabilities for strategic growth customers.
Drive for highest levels of customer satisfaction.
Drive predictable product development and DRM into the development process.
Drive product portfolio rationalization discussions based on impact of new regulations.
Drive programs across numerous, highly technical, customer focused engineering product teams.
Drive special projects or initiatives on behalf of the leadership team.
Drive the IP System Engineering team to meet the product solution deliverables and schedules.
Drive strategic and tactical decisions for your project.
Drive tactical decisions for projects that are under your direct responsibility.
Drive technical work with SoC teams, resolving issues and bug tracking.
Drive the coordination and management of dependencies with cross-functional teams.
Empower
Empower team members to support the completion of project goals.
Empower team members to support the development and achievement of project goals.
Engage
Engage directly with senior management stakeholders and external partners.
Engage with regional teams for international test schedule and results.
Ensure
Ensure alignment between operations and the program.
Ensure alignment with key stakeholders.
Ensure all product changes meet original required product certifications.
Ensure capture and tracking of action items and follow up to closure with clarity.
Ensure cross-functional alignment across all teams on strategy, plans, and execution.
Ensure Design for Reliability and Manufacturing (DRM) is consistently and rigorously applied.
Ensure every HW Engineer understands what they need to deliver.
Ensure material availability for development & mass production.
Ensure team deliverables follow the Product Development Process and meets PRC expectations.
Ensure teams are on track with their deliverables.
Ensure that investments and initiatives are aligned with business strategy and priorities.
Ensure that project goals and project objectives are met.
Ensure the quality policy / system is planned, understood, implemented and maintained.
Escalate
Escalate concerns to the team members, stakeholders and senior management when appropriate.
Establish
Establish a detailed program budget for the development cycle.
Establish and maintain standard processes for team reporting, deliverables, and miletones.
Establish best practices for developing, implementing, and maintaining program management processes.
Establish credibility with peers and be a driving force for change when needed.
Establish meaningful metrics.
Estimate
Estimate resource requirements and development cost.
Evaluate
Evaluate, help drive requirements and operationalization of new tool onboarding and integrations.
Execute
Execute large-scale programs in the Adobe Business Platform focusing on Commerce initiatives.
Extract
Extract useful metrics from agile tools teams can use in their own continuous improvement processes.
Facilitate
Facilitate and lead agile development practices, scrum of scrums.
Facilitate communication between HW Engineering and other functions (Design, Production, etc).
Facilitate problem resolution with other groups, both internal and external.
Find
Find opportunities to enhance and simplify processes where possible.
Foster
Foster a communication friendly environment in which everyone can express conflicting inputs.
Great
Great company culture – social events, food trucks, bike rides, Sun Run, etc..
Guide
Guide the conceptualization of new methodologies, materials, machines, processes or products.
Handle
Handle issues and risks, create mitigation plans and escalate appropriately.
Help
Help bring the next generation of life-changing medical technology to patients worldwide.
Help build consensus between teams and map dependencies.
Help drive product development by understanding Engineering tradeoffs and customer requirements.
Help ensure the continued supply of life-changing medical technology to patients worldwide.
Identify
Identify and provide project management for released products engineering projects.
Identify, call out and drive resolution of issues that affect program schedule and feature.
Identify continuous improvement opportunities for released, commercialized cardiac surgery products.
Identify continuous improvement opportunities for the RDN business.
Identify, deploy and monitor appropriate SME's to ensure technical competency meets project needs.
Identify inconsistencies and redundancy , suggest and implement process improvements.
Identify, interact with and manage expectations of key stake holders.
Identify program risks and develop mitigation plans.
Identify recurring problems and create an action plan to address them.
Identify resource constraints and recommend resource allocation and augmentation strategies.
Identify risks, develop mitigation strategies and facilitate conflict resolution.
Identify risks, manage scope and resource changes, and monitor progress against plan.
Implement
Implement and manage tools to measure achievement of the product development process.
Improve
Improve transparency and coordination across functions with clear communication.
Initiate
Initiate, manage and deliver post project reviews.
Inspire
Inspire commitment to the Medtronic Mission.
Interface with
Interface with product line managers to ensure clear definition of customer requirements.
Keep
Keep the leadership team informed of key developments, risks and corrective actions.
Keep the team aware of milestones deliverables and goals through all phases of development.
Lead
Lead a cross functional teams to establish program goals, timelines, milestones and budget.
Lead and provide quality management for technical Modeling and Hydraulic Design projects.
Lead by example, driving a seek-to-understand culture and positive change environment.
Lead decision making for facility locations, make-buy decisions, business continuity.
Lead execution of tasks and management of issues / exceptions.
Lead extended cross functional teams to ensure on-time and on-budget performance.
Lead, organize, and drive program working sessions and meetings.
Lead program retrospectives and commitment to improvement on a regular cadence.
Lead the business reviews with the program governance boards.
Lead the cross functional team to execute on the approved Plan of Record.
Lead the development and implementation process of a company's products and services.
Lead the manufacturing and supply chain schedule risk burn down.
Lead the team through EVT, DVT, PVT, and Mass Production.
Lead weekly meetings with IP consumers to resolve technical issues.
Learn
Learn and understand the core technologies associated with the key components of Halo's products.
Maintain
Maintain a strategic and cross-organization focus.
Maintain high-level project budgetary analysis and projections.
Make
Make decisions or takes actions that move items to closure without divisiveness.
Make timely decisions in the face of risk and uncertainty.
Manage
Manage and deliver technical solutions that meet all program requirements.
Manage and facilitate communications with external vendors.
Manage chip program scope, chip cost, development budget, resource planning, schedule and risk.
Manage customer critical issues and escalations.
Manage customer sampling requirements in development.
Manage dependencies and control change for all aspects of the software development life cycle.
Manage feasibility studies of the design to determine if capable of functioning as intended.
Manage more than one project.
Manage multiple projects / programs simultaneously.
Manage R&D program focused on new Instrumentation system development.
Manage schedules and prepares status reports.
Manage, mentor, and develop engineers and technicians.
Manage
Manage status and reporting to provide project clarity to team members and management.
Manage the dynamics of the team.
Manage the financial aspects of a broad range and scale of projects.
Manage the plan / schedule.
Meet
Meet budgetary objectives and make adjustments to project constraints based on financial analysis.
Meet business deliverables defined by the Product Development Process.
Model
Model commitment and engage in transparent conversations.
Monitor
Monitor documentation maintenance throughout all phases of development.
Monitor the project from initiation through delivery.
Oversee
Oversee project delivery process with key contributors to help manage scope.
Own
Own and drive the equipment development schedule.
Own full program life cycle from initiation to deployment.
Participate in
Participate in expanding our client base, helping to develop exciting new frontiers.
Participate in the Service Life Cycle process.
Perform
Perform Confluence / JIRA management, including weekly Blog updates.
Perform regular plan retrospectives and take actions.
Perform with a strong sense of urgency and ability to meet deadlines.
Plan
Plan and execute Engineering builds successfully.
Plan and manage program resource allocation and budget for function.
Plan, prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Plan, direct and implement all aspects of the company's design and development of new products.
Prepare
Prepare and lead successful milestone reviews.
Present
Present periodic program reviews to senior management.
Provide
Provide budget and cost estimation, project forecasting, resource allocation, and re-allocations.
Provide candid performance feedback to team members and their direct managers.
Provide clear direction to team and decision-making process.
Provide engineering design leadership for product quality issue resolution.
Provide feedback to functional department heads during AOP / strategic planning process.
Provide leadership in development and execution of the strategic objectives for the BU.
Provide regular executive updates on project status, forecasts, and bottlenecks.
Provide technical support for Medtronic personnel and medical professionals.
Provide technical support to quotation, design, and manufacture.
Provide timely issue resolution and critical path management; and facilitate good communication.
Pull
Pull together regular project status presentations for executive leadership review.
Receive
Receive assignments in objective terms, has latitude to interpret objectives.
Recognize
Recognize teams and individuals for exceptional performance.
Recommend
Recommend strategies, goal, and plans for a group.
Report
Report project status and information to management team on a regular basis.
Represent
Represent the Client Systems Engineering organization in corporate planning and execution forums.
Review
Review status of projects and budgets.
Select
Select, develop and evaluate personnel to ensure the efficient operation of the function.
Set
Set schedules, and actively manage issues / risks of the programs.
Set clear direction and management that aligns with defined practices and policies.
Set team member goals and objectives and hold accountable.
Set the tone and expectations for how the team will operate.
Stay up to date
Stay up to date with trends in commerce and technology including knowledge of Apple's products.
Support
Support for professional development.
Synthesize
Synthesize issues in an actionable form to the leadership.
Track
Track and communicate product lifecycle management across cross-functional groups.
Track and report on weekly progress of development milestones.
Train
Train employees to use new systems or follow new processes, ensure compliance.
Translate
Translate business requirements into action.
Validate
Validate technical and design reasons for Adobe app acceptance / rejection in app stores.
Work with
Work closely with Product Managers to build clear roadmaps / project plans and clarify requirements.
Work closely with SoC Integration teams to drive high level achievements for IP development.
Work collaboratively and coordinates the activities of geographically distributed technical teams.
Work with a multidisciplinary team including geotechnical and structural.
Work with engineering team to establish program goals, timelines, milestones and budget.
Work with teams and management to mitigate these risks before they become issues.
Most In-demand Hard Skills
The following list describes the most required technical skills of an Engineering Program Manager:
Most In-demand Soft Skills
The following list describes the most required soft skills of an Engineering Program Manager:
Written and oral communication skills
Self-motivated
Analytical ability
Presentation
Problem-solving attitude
Leadership
Self-starter
Sense of ownership
Action-driven
Biased towards results
Communications
Interpersonal skills
Planning
Attention to detail
Collaborative mindset
Independently mobile
Translate complex technical issues or ideas
Customer focused
Grasp new technical concepts quickly
Proactive
Understand and articulate complex technologies
Well-organized
Works well in a fast-paced environment
