Hunter Douglas is the world’s leading manufacturer of window coverings and a major manufacturer of architectural products. We are a brand that you know and trust. With more than 100 years of innovation, we’ve defined our industry with proprietary products that deliver revolutionary style and functionality and can be found in millions of homes and commercial buildings globally.
We are searching for candidates that are driven, intelligent, creative, and entrepreneurial. By offering challenging and accelerated opportunities for growth, powered by a shared hunger for success, we create a space for your career to thrive. In return for your expertise, we are committed to providing competitive and robust total compensation and benefit packages to ensure you feel valued. Our dream is to become the fastest growing, most loved, window covering company in the world. What’s yours?
One of the pillars of our North American division is spread across four different sites in Mexico where a blend of manufacturing and fabrication occurs. At each location we pride ourselves on exemplary safety and employee-first standards, as we pioneer production processes to be best in class. It is our focus on quality and growth that makes us an employer of choice and helps us maintain our culture of excellence.
Position Overview
We are seeking a strategic Program Manager to lead our Materials Optimization and Governance initiatives. This critical new role bridges the gap between Engineering, Operations, and Strategy. The successful candidate will own the "cradle-to-grave" lifecycle of material utilization—ensuring that from the earliest stages of New Product Design (NPD) through to daily manufacturing processes, every piece of material is maximized as a value-add component of the final product.
You will drive the journey toward optimal material efficiency by establishing launch standards, governing scrap and shrink reduction processes, and implementing cutting-edge technology solutions.
What you'll do
- Launch Standards & Value Engineering (Design Phase)
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Design for Value (DTV) Integration: Partner with the Design to Value team to formulate, prioritize, and execute their strategy. Ensure "Design to Value" principles are integrated into the New Product Development (NPD) phase, influencing material selection and part geometry to minimize inherent waste.
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Launch Standardization: Define and enforce "Max Scrap Standards" for new product launches. Ensure that scrap targets are realistic, benchmarked, and aggressively managed from Day 1 of production.
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Make vs. Buy Strategy: Lead rigorous "Make vs. Buy" analyses for components and materials, balancing cost, quality, and material yield implications to drive strategic sourcing decisions.
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SME Leverage: Identify and mobilize internal and external Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to drive Value Engineering initiatives. Orchestrate the right resources to reduce material mass or cost without compromising product performance.
- Process Efficiency & Governance (Operational Phase)
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Scrap & Shrink Governance: Establish a robust governance framework for material consumption. Manage metrics related to process scrap, yield loss, and material shrink.
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WIP & Inventory Management: Oversee Goods Issue and Work-in-Progress (WIP) management processes to ensure physical material flow matches system data, eliminating "ghost" inventory and variance.
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Point of Use Optimization: Implement "Point of Use" consumption strategies to ensure materials are tracked and utilized efficiently at the exact location of assembly.
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Packaging Strategy Execution: Collaborate with the Packaging Engineering team to support the development and execution of their strategy, ensuring initiatives align with broader material efficiency goals and protect material integrity.
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Remnant Recovery: Lead "Remnant Recovery" programs to capture value from off-cuts and process byproducts, turning potential waste into utilized inventory.
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Obsolescence Management: Proactively manage material lifecycles to minimize obsolescence costs.
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Supplier Quality Integration: Collaborate with Supplier Quality Engineering (SQE) to ensure incoming material quality does not negatively impact internal process yield.
- Technology & Innovation
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Fabric Manufacturing Strategy: Drive the technology roadmap for optimal fabric manufacturing and material processing. Identify and implement automated solutions that maximize material utilization throughout the production lifecycle.
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Process Optimization Algorithms: Lead the strategy for deploying advanced algorithmic solutions and logic (e.g., dynamic nesting, yield optimization) to minimize yield loss and optimize raw material consumption patterns.
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Recycle & Reconstitution: Champion the development of technology-driven recycling initiatives, creating closed-loop systems to repurpose process waste back into the production cycle or secondary value streams.
Who you are
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Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Industrial, Mechanical, Manufacturing), Supply Chain Management, or a related technical field. MBA or PMP certification is a plus.
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Experience: 5-8+ years of experience in manufacturing program management, continuous improvement, or value engineering.
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Technical Skills:
o Strong understanding of BOM (Bill of Materials) structures and ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, etc.).
o Proficiency in Pareto Analysis and root cause problem-solving methodologies (Six Sigma Green/Black Belt preferred).
o Experience with material optimization software or nesting logic is highly desirable.
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Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams (Engineering, Operations, Finance) without direct authority.
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Strategic Mindset: Ability to translate complex operational data into high-level strategy and actionable roadmaps.
Core Competencies
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Analytical Rigor: Uses data (Metrics, Pareto Analysis) to drive decisions and prioritize high-impact initiatives.
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Cross-Functional Influence: Effectively bridges the gap between technical engineering requirements and operational realities.
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Relentless Improvement: Embodying the "never-ending journey" of material optimization.
What's in it for you?
- Competitive compensation package including annual bonus
Generous benefits package including major medical expenses and life insurance
Vacation days
Vacation premium
Paid time off
Christmas bonus
Food vouchers and cafeteria service
Savings fund
Career developmental opportunities
A company culture that prioritizes internal development
Please note, all offers presented to candidates are carefully crafted to ensure market competitiveness, equity, and reflect the individual candidate’s education, experience, skills and potential.
Hunter Douglas is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with applicable employment laws. EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled are encouraged to apply.
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