Supply Chain Program Manager

Job Description:

Job Title: Supply Chain Program Manager

Location: Shanghai, China

Reports To: Director of Program Management Supply Chain.

This individual contributor will be a PM lead for a cross functional team of 9-12 employees for the assigned programs.

Job Summary:

At Nextpower, we’re accelerating the world’s transition to renewable energy through intelligent solar tracking and breakthrough engineering. As a Supply Chain Program Management (SC-PM), you’ll be at the center of this transformation—driving the supply chain program strategy, execution, and global readiness of our next-generation products. If you thrive on solving complex challenges, leading cross-functional teams, and shaping how innovation becomes reality, this role is your opportunity to make a measurable impact on a cleaner planet. The SC Program Manager goal is to facilitate a positive experience with NEXTracker. He/she ensures that NEXTracker’s products and Installation outperform customer expectations and are of the highest quality possible and develops customer loyalty by optimizing the product to the customer’s needs and providing great technical onsite support services on the NEXTracker product.

As the Supply Chain Program Manager (SC-PM), you will be responsible for both overseeing the successful execution of complex programs and setting a strategic vision for programs. You will collaborate with team of key stakeholders while driving program success through strategic planning, define, plan, and implement the program priority, engineering test plans, system readiness and launch strategy for effective execution, and continuous alignment with company goals. This position involves taking ownership of supply chain programs, executing them flawlessly. Additionally, you will ensure your program team executes with operational excellence and fosters a collaborative environment to meet the long-term vision of the department.

Responsibilities:

Own the NPI Journey:

·       Lead program readiness, gate reviews with cross functional teams while adapting quickly to changing product and schedule needs. 

People Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Supply Chain Program Managers supporting multiple global NPI programs.
• Set clear expectations, annual goals, and measurable milestones for the team; regularly review performance and provide structured feedback.
• Identify skill gaps and learning opportunities; facilitate internal and external training, certification, and knowledge-sharing forums.
• Build succession plans and strengthen overall program management maturity within the organization.

Strategic Program Governance & NPI Excellence

• Own and enforce the end-to-end NPI stage-gate framework for supply chain readiness, ensuring rigor, consistency, and transparency.
• Maintain ownership of all types of programs assigned to the team including cost reduction programs.
• Guide Program Managers in defining program strategies, priorities, timelines, and resource plans aligned with company objectives.
• Lead executive-level program reviews, readiness assessments, and gate decisions, ensuring leadership visibility and alignment.
• Ensure cross-program standardization of KPIs, dashboards, and reporting mechanisms.
• Own strategic alignment between product and sourcing.

Process Improvement, Standardization & Automation

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on simplifying, standardizing, and documenting supply chain NPI processes.
• Identify and facilitate automation opportunities in program tracking, risk management, reporting, and supplier readiness workflows to enable scalability.
• Partner with systems and IT teams to enhance tools, data integrity, and digital workflows (e.g., Jira, Smartsheet, Anaplan, PLM).
• Establish best practices and playbooks to enable repeatable and predictable program execution.

Cross-Functional & Executive Collaboration

• Act as the primary supply chain program management interface with senior leaders across Engineering, Product Management, Sourcing, Manufacturing, Quality, and Operations.
• Own business case for program along with Product Management.
• Ensure alignment of product strategy, sourcing strategy, and manufacturing readiness across global CM and supplier sites.
• Support the Director of Program Management in defining long-term roadmap, organizational priorities, and operating cadence for the function.
• Excellent influencing skills, confident when dealing with different Leadership Team members with more seniority and experience, and credible in dealings with them.

Risk Management & Escalation Leadership

• Oversee identification, prioritization, and mitigation of program-level risks across time, cost, quality, and supply continuity.
• Lead complex escalations requiring cross-functional decision-making and executive alignment.
• Ensure lessons learned are captured and institutionalized to prevent recurrence across future programs.

What will make you stand out:

Education & Experience

• Master’s degree, MBA, or equivalent preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or equivalent Engineering required.
  • 10+ years of overall professional experience, with 7+ years in Program or Project Management (or equivalent), supporting global operations and complex, cross-functional product development initiatives.
  • 7+ years min. proven experience serving large OEM customers in renewable energy, automotive, consumer electronics, or industrial manufacturing (solar tracker experience a plus).. 

Technical & Functional Expertise

• Deep understanding of NPI / Product Development processes, including stage-gate governance.
• Strong background in global manufacturing and supply chain processes (stamping, roll forming, welding, coating, machining, assembly, automation, etc.).
• Proven ability to guide teams through technical escalations and complex trade-off decisions.
• Expertise in cost, schedule, quality, and risk management at a portfolio level.

• Demonstrated experience managing and developing program or project management teams.

• Ability to read drawings, comprehend and guide team through technical issues in case of escalations

Leadership & Influence

• Strategic mindset with the ability to operate at both executive and execution levels.
• Strong influencing skills across global, cross-functional, and multicultural teams.
• Experience driving organizational change, process rigor, and operational excellence.

Tools & Methodologies

• Strong knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Familiarity with project and program management tools (Jira, Confluence, Smartsheet, Anaplan, MS Office).
• An understanding of quality tools (8D, 5 Whys, QMS, COE) and the ability to drive root cause and corrective action activities. 

• Experience working with global, cross-functional, and multicultural teams.
• The ability to influence others and negotiate solutions in critical TIMELY decisions.  

Preferred:

• PMP or equivalent certifications. 
• Direct experience with domestic and offshore Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers
• Someone who is structured in planning and executing programs while balancing changing priorities
• Able to come up with new processes and bring rigor in the processes that are released.

Why You’ll Love Working Here:

💡 Innovate with Purpose: Your work directly contributes to accelerating the global shift to renewable energy.

🌍 Global Impact: Collaborate with world-class engineers, suppliers, and partners across continents.

🚀 High-Growth Environment: Be part of a fast-moving, mission-driven team shaping the future of solar technology.

🤝 Empowered Culture: We value bold ideas, authentic collaboration, and a relentless drive for excellence.

At Nextpower, we are driving the global energy transition with an integrated clean energy technology platform that combines intelligent structural, electrical, and digital solutions for utility-scale power plants. Our comprehensive portfolio enables faster project delivery, higher performance, and greater reliability, helping our customers capture the full value of solar power. Our talented worldwide teams are redefining how solar power plants are designed, built, and operated every day with smart technology, data-driven insights, and advanced automation. Together, we’re building the foundation for the world’s next generation of clean energy infrastructure.