POSITION DETAILS:
Job Location: Waterloo
Position Status: New Position
Compensation Range: $100,000.00 - $120,000.00 range per year.
THE IMPACT YOU’LL MAKE:
As a Manufacturing Program Manager – Sustaining (internally called the Program Manager-Sustaining) at NDI, you’ll lead cross-functional operational lifecycle management for products and critical components after development handoff and throughout their supported commercial life. You’ll bring together Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Planning, Quality, Service, and external manufacturing partners to maintain manufacturing and material readiness, implement product changes, manage lifecycle risks, and support continuity of supply. Your work will help ensure NDI can continue to manufacture, test, release, repair, service, and support products safely, compliantly, and predictably throughout their lifecycle.
HOW YOU’LL CONTRIBUTE:
- Lead the operational handoff of applicable products and critical components from Pilot/Commercialization into sustaining operations, ensuring responsibilities, risks, and open actions are clearly transitioned.
- Coordinate cross-functional sustaining programs involving manufacturing readiness, material planning, suppliers, quality, documentation, service, and external manufacturing partners.
- Maintain visibility of lifecycle risks and drive appropriate functional ownership, mitigation, escalation, and follow-through.
- Coordinate implementation planning for engineering changes, supplier changes, alternate components, process changes, and other approved product or manufacturing changes.
- Partner with Supply Chain and Planning to address obsolescence, long-lead and constrained materials, sole-source exposure, and other supply-continuity risks.
- Lead or facilitate operational reviews with subcontract manufacturers, focusing on readiness, delivery risk, manufacturing performance, quality trends, open actions, and change implementation.
- Lead cross-functional planning for component obsolescence, last-time buys, and product or component end-of-life activities.
- Provide Operations leadership with clear visibility of program health, significant risks, decisions required, and mitigation or recovery actions.
- Support compliance by adhering to applicable regulatory and quality standards and established quality-system requirements.
EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:
- Post-secondary education in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, Life Sciences, or a related technical discipline is preferred, or equivalent relevant experience.
- 7+ years of relevant experience in medical device manufacturing, regulated manufacturing, electronics or PCBA manufacturing, or another complex technical operations environment.
- Demonstrated experience coordinating cross-functional programs involving Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Planning, Quality, and external manufacturing partners.
- Working knowledge of manufacturing readiness, material planning, engineering change control, supplier management, design transfer, and product lifecycle management.
- Experience working within ISO 13485 or a comparable regulated quality-system environment is preferred.
- Experience working with contract manufacturers, subcontract manufacturers, or external production partners is strongly preferred.
- Experience with component obsolescence, last-time-buy planning, alternate-component qualification, product end-of-life activities, or related manufacturing/lifecycle-management systems is an asset.
- PMP, Lean Six Sigma, APICS/ASCM, or similar professional certification is an asset.
ADDITIONAL STRENGTHS:
- Strong program-management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage interconnected priorities, risks, dependencies, and actions through completion.
- Ability to influence and drive accountability across functions without direct reporting authority.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify risks early and develop practical mitigation approaches.
- Clear, concise communication with technical, operational, commercial, and leadership stakeholders.
- Comfortable bringing structure, ownership, and decision paths to complex or ambiguous operational challenges.
- Sound judgment in determining when issues can be resolved through routine execution and when cross-functional or leadership escalation is required.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to accurate program documentation and records.
- Continuous-improvement mindset with an understanding of how manufacturing, supply continuity, quality, regulatory requirements, service, cost, and customer outcomes connect.