Senior Program Manager, Manufacturing Transfers

Senior Program Manager, Manufacturing Transfers

Exceptional People. Hard Problems. Meaningful Careers. Big Impact. Nowhere else can you touch as many life-changing medical technologies. At Forj Medical, we work side by side with more than 100 medical device companies from startups to global giants to bring life-enhancing technologies to market. Working with us means solving hard problems with extraordinary people in a collaborative work environment. Join us.

Job Summary:

The Senior Program Manager will build and lead Forj Medical's manufacturing transfer program from the ground up. Sitting within Operations, this role owns the planning and execution of production line transfers, site transfers, and site decommissioning activities, including transfers to our Costa Rica facility and other locations outside the United States.This is a foundational role. You will set how transfer programs are planned, tracked, and executed at Forj Medical, and as the transfer portfolio grows, you will have the opportunity to scale the function and help hire the team.

The Senior PM is primarily internally focused, aligning sending sites, receiving sites, engineering, production, quality, regulatory, supply chain, facilities, IS, HR, Finance, and the Forj Medical leadership team. The role partners closely with our customer-facing Program Management Office, which owns customer communication.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Build the transfer program function from the ground up, establishing the standard approach, tools, templates, and governance for production line and site transfers.
• Lead multiple concurrent transfer programs end to end, including transfer strategy, stakeholder alignment, knowledge transfer, documentation readiness, equipment and process transition, validation support, training, production ramp, and post-transfer stabilization.
• Build realistic, defensible schedules grounded in a working knowledge of equipment, processes, and operator and assembler learning curves. Independently assess and challenge estimates from sending and receiving sites, including during site closures, where input may be incomplete or overly optimistic.
• Develop and own detailed program plans in MS Project/Planner or comparable project management software, including schedules, resource allocation, budgets, and milestones.· Direct program execution with minimal oversight, including schedule adherence, budget, scope changes, risk and issue management, and escalation of anything impacting schedule, quality, cost, or regulatory expectations.
• Lead cross-site and international transfer activities, with significant coordination with the Costa Rica site, ensuring clear communication across time zones and clear ownership of roles and responsibilities.
• Lead cross-functional teams in a matrixed environment, balancing urgency and accountability with empathy for employees affected by site transitions and closures.
• Report program status, risks, and recommendations to Operations leadership.
• Partner with the customer-facing Program Management Office to keep customer commitments aligned with transfer plans.
• Continuously improve Forj Medical's transfer processes and define the future-state structure of the transfer program function.

Qualifications:

• B.S. or M.S. required, preferably in a technical, engineering, operations, or related field; PMP certification a plus.
• 8+ years of project or program management experience in medical device manufacturing (OEM or contract manufacturing).
• Demonstrated experience leading production line transfers, site transfers, or production ramp activities, including transfers involving multiple facilities or locations outside the United States.
• Proven ability to build and manage complex project plans in MS Project/Planner or comparable project management software. Spreadsheet-based tracking alone is not sufficient.
• Strong technical and operational understanding of manufacturing equipment, processes, and training needs, sufficient to validate timelines and resource requirements.
• Track record of driving results through strong stakeholder management, with a high degree of organization and attention to detail.
• Experience building or scaling a program management function, process, or team preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey technical and business concepts clearly to leadership, engineers, and production teams.
• Understanding of FDA, ISO 9001, and ISO 13485 required.
• Ability to travel approximately 30%, including international travel.

Location: Minnesota preferred. Candidates based in Costa Rica will also be considered.

Forj Medical provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Must be authorized to work in the United States. 

The salary range for this position is outlined below under "Job Details" and is dependent upon the individual's skills, experience, qualifications, and applicable employment laws. Beyond base salary, Forj offers a competitive Total Rewards Package. We offer health, dental, vision, 401K plans, and time off programs. You may also be eligible to participate in an annual bonus program which depends on various factors, including, individual and organizational performance.