Project/Program Design Director

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Program Management Office (PMO) leader to establish and lead the PMO function for our large automotive semiconductor power management group. In this role, you will drive portfolio governance, project execution excellence, and cross-functional alignment across a complex ecosystem of product development programs, manufacturing ramps, and operational initiatives. You will implement best-in-class program management practices with strong emphasis on functional safety governance and risk management, establish disciplined stage-gate processes that embed functional safety review and compliance tracking, drive on-time and on-budget delivery, and ensure visibility and accountability across the entire program portfolio. This role requires deep automotive semiconductor experience, mature program/portfolio management expertise, strong functional safety knowledge (ISO 26262, SOTIF), and the ability to coordinate effectively with engineering, operations, quality, functional safety, finance, and customer teams.

Responsibilities;

• Establish and lead the PMO organization: Define PMO vision, governance structure, processes, tools, and team composition. Build a team of program managers and coordinators capable of supporting 15-25 concurrent programs across design, development, validation, and production phases. Develop PMO operating standards and playbooks aligned with automotive industry best practices.

• Implement portfolio management and governance: Establish portfolio-level governance including quarterly portfolio reviews, go/no-go decision frameworks, and resource allocation processes. Create visibility into program status, risks, dependencies, and critical path items across all active programs. Ensure alignment between portfolio strategy and business objectives.

• Drive program execution excellence: Partner with program leads and cross-functional teams to establish clear milestones, deliverables, dependencies, and success criteria for each program. Implement stage-gate processes aligned with product development lifecycle. Track program health (schedule, budget, scope, quality, risk) with real-time dashboards and regular steering reviews.

• Manage schedule, budget, and resource allocation: Establish robust program estimating and planning processes. Monitor budget execution and spending forecasts across the program portfolio. Manage resource conflicts and allocation optimization to maximize efficiency and minimize bottlenecks. Escalate critical resource or budget constraints to leadership.

• Drive functional safety governance and compliance across program portfolio: Establish functional safety management processes aligned with ISO 26262 and SOTIF requirements. Ensure functional safety reviews are embedded in stage-gate processes and design milestones. Track functional safety metrics including ASIL classifications, safety case development, and FMEA/FTA completion. Collaborate with functional safety and quality teams to ensure compliance evidence is generated and maintained throughout program lifecycle. Ensure functional safety risks are elevated and managed with appropriate rigor.

• Identify, track, and mitigate program risks including functional safety and compliance risks: Establish enterprise-wide risk management processes including risk identification, quantification, mitigation planning, and tracking. Facilitate cross-functional issue resolution for critical program blockers. Proactively escalate high-impact risks and interdependencies that threaten schedule, cost, quality, or functional safety objectives. Maintain risk dashboards that highlight functional safety risk status prominently.

• Drive on-time, on-budget delivery of design-ins and production ramps: Lead programs through critical transition phases including customer design-ins, pilot production, and volume ramp. Ensure NPI (New Product Introduction) processes are executed with discipline. Build accountability for delivery commitments and establish metrics that track on-time delivery performance across the portfolio.

• Build cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder alignment: Facilitate effective communication and alignment across Engineering, Design, Manufacturing, Operations, Quality, Finance, Supply Chain, and Customer Success. Resolve conflicts and trade-offs with transparency and accountability. Serve as central hub for program information and status communication.

• Establish metrics, reporting, and continuous improvement: Define KPIs for program portfolio health (on-time delivery, schedule variance, budget variance, risk resolution, quality metrics). Establish reporting cadence and dashboards for executive, functional, and cross-functional stakeholder groups. Drive continuous improvement in PMO processes and tool effectiveness.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of program and portfolio management experience in semiconductor, automotive electronics, or related complex product development environments.
• Demonstrated experience establishing and leading PMO organizations with responsibility for 10+ concurrent programs across design, development, validation, and production phases.
• Deep understanding of automotive product development processes, NPI methodologies, design-in cycles, volume production ramps, and supplier management in automotive supply chains.
• Proven expertise in establishing stage-gate processes, project governance frameworks, portfolio management, and resource planning aligned with best practices.
• Strong command of program management tools and methodologies (PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent); experience with program management software platforms (Microsoft Project, JIRA, SAP, or similar).
• Exceptional organizational and stakeholder management skills with ability to influence and align multiple functional leaders without direct authority. Strong communication and presentation ability across all levels.
• Track record of driving on-time, on-budget delivery and building accountability culture within program teams.
• Strong understanding of automotive functional safety standards (ISO 26262, SOTIF, AEC standards) and ability to ensure functional safety compliance tracking and rigor in program execution.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Project Management, or related field; advanced degree or PMP certification preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Direct experience with power management, power distribution, or protection device product development in automotive applications.
• Experience scaling PMO functions from startup/early stage to mature organization supporting large program portfolios.
• Familiarity with software-defined vehicle (SDV) architectures and associated program management challenges.
• Background in financial management and P&L accountability; ability to develop budget forecasts and manage portfolio-level financial performance.
• Experience implementing advanced program management tools and analytics platforms; comfort with data-driven decision making.
• Demonstrated experience managing programs with complex functional safety requirements; knowledge of FMEA/FTA development, ASIL classification, and safety case generation as program deliverables.
• Deep understanding of quality systems (ISO 9001, IATF standards) and ability to integrate functional safety and quality governance into PMO processes and program oversight.
• Experience working directly with functional safety engineers and quality teams to embed safety and compliance requirements into project planning and risk management.

Additional Information

Renesas is an embedded semiconductor solution provider driven by its Purpose, To Make Our Lives Easier . With a global team of over 21,000 engineers and problem solvers in more than 30 countries, we offer the opportunity to work on world‑leading technology for Automotive, Industrial, Infrastructure, and IoT, shaping a safer, healthier, greener, and smarter future.

…