Program Manager VW (m/f/d)

HARMAN’s engineers and designers are creative, purposeful and agile. As part of this team, you’ll combine your technical expertise with innovative ideas to help drive cutting-edge solutions in the car, enterprise and connected ecosystem. Every day, you will push the boundaries of creative design, and HARMAN is committed to providing you with the opportunities, innovative technologies and resources to build a successful career.

A Career at HARMAN

As a technology leader that is rapidly on the move, HARMAN is filled with people who are focused on making life better. Innovation, inclusivity and teamwork are a part of our DNA. When you add that to the challenges we take on and solve together, you’ll discover that at HARMAN you can grow, make a difference and be proud of the work you do everyday.

About the Role

As Program Manager, you assume overall program responsibility for delivery of complex automotive Connectivity programs within the CAM VW organization. You are accountable for timing, cost, quality, scope, risk and customer commitments from acquisition / RFQ through development, launch, SOP and post-SOP stabilization. 

The role combines end-to-end program ownership with strong execution leadership, including accountability for defined customer scopes, cross-functional workstreams and supplier contributions within the Group ConMod JDM environment. You actively steer cross-functional teams and suppliers, manage changes, risks, and schedules, and serve as a direct interface to the OEM customer on program status and technical alignment.

A strong focus lies onsample and prototype management, industrialization support, change and configuration management, and structured reporting towards customer, while building broader program management depth across commercial, technical, and organizational dimensions. The role requires close collaboration with the customer within a Joint Development Model.
 

What You Will Do

• Lead the execution of customer programs within the VW Group portfolio and ensure delivery against agreed timing, cost, quality, scope and performance targets. 
• Act as Program Manager / accountable PM for ConMod JDM scopes, including ownership of defined program workstreams, customer commitments and cross-functional deliverables. 
• Takeend-to-end responsibility for Change & Scope Management, including change request (CR) governance and coordination of internal and external Change Control Boards (CCBs).
• Own and maintain theProject Master Plan, including schedule definition, milestone tracking, progress monitoring, and deviation management.
• Lead and steercross-functional teams, sub-teams, and suppliers in close alignment with Program Management and Engineering.
• Prepare, recommend and drive management and customer decisions related to cost, scope, timing, risk, claims and program trade-offs. 
• Manage commercial risks and opportunities, including budget, forecast, variance, change / claim management and mitigation in alignment with Finance, Sales and Program Management leadership. 
• Act asOEM customer interface for technical status, program progress, and product alignment topics.
• Own Sample and Prototype Planning as part of program execution, including PV / DV coordination, hardware availability, customer priorities and cross-site alignment
•  Actively supportindustrialization phases, coordinating activities with manufacturing, quality, logistics, and engineering teams.
• Coordinate and supportBenches and Engineering Hardware activities, ensuring alignment of hardware availability, test setups, and engineering needs.
• Prepare and maintainmanagement and customer reporting, including dashboards, status reports, and post-SOP support (SOP +90).
• Ensureconfiguration management across the program lifecycle.
• Ensure PLM / Teamcenter governance for the program, including configuration discipline, data completeness, release readiness, issue follow-up and coordination of required training with the relevant tool / process owners. 
• Support issue tracking, escalation preparation, and systematic follow-up of action items.
• Contribute tolessons learned and continuous improvement within the program and organization.

What You Need to Be Successful

• University degree in Engineering (Electrical, IT, Mechanical, Industrial Engineering, or related discipline) or comparable qualification.
• At least 5 years of experience in program management, project leadership or comparable automotive / technology program roles, including cross-functional coordination of complex scopes. 
• 3+ years of experience inteamcenter activites and understanding of full teamcenter toolchain.
• Hands-on experience in Sample Management, Engineering Hardware, benches or industrialization support is required or strongly preferred for this JDM scope and must be demonstrated through prior program delivery experience. 
• Structured, reliable, and detail-oriented working style with strong coordination skills.
• Good communication skills and the ability to work effectively in cross-functional and international teams.
• Fluent inGerman and English (written and spoken), Romanian is a plus

Bonus Points if You Have

• Basic knowledge ofPMI methodologies, Automotive SPICE, or IATF 16949.
• Experience withVW Group programs or customers.
• Familiarity with program management tools and reporting systems.
• Understanding ofHARMAN Core Competencies (Results, Change, Customer, Team, Self-Awareness).

What Makes You Eligible

• Willingness to travel up to 25%.
• Willingness to work on-site in Karlsbad, Germany, as required

What We Offer

• HARMAN offers a diverse and inclusive work environment that fosters and encourages career development opportunities, professional training and competitive market base compensation
• You will also receive top-notch employee discounts on Harman’s Consumer Audio (JBL, AKG, HARMAN Kardon) and Samsung products
• Flexible work schedule with a culture encouraging work life integration and collaboration in a global friendly working atmosphere and good work-life-balance
• Attractive salary package based on the Metall & Elektro Tarif Baden Wurttemberg and an Employer contribution towards a company pension plan
• Professional development opportunities through HARMAN University’s business and leadership academies which also includes extensive technical trainings
• Internal talent management leadership acceleration programs
• “Be Brilliant” employee recognition and rewards program

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HARMAN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.