Senior Program Manager, Manufacturing Operations

The role

The Senior Program Manager will lead the end-to-end bring-up of a new manufacturing facility. This includes managing site selection, local incentives, construction, facility readiness, and manufacturing readiness.

What you will do

• Own the master program plan for new facility bring-up
• Coordinate site selection activities with real estate, legal, and finance teams
• Manage relationships and negotiations related to local and state incentives
• Drive facility bring-up activities including permitting, construction oversight, and utility readiness
• Lead manufacturing readiness planning including equipment qualification and staffing
• Run regular cross-functional program reviews
• Build and maintain program dashboards and status reporting
• Manage relationships with external partners like general contractors and equipment vendors
• Develop contingency plans for schedule, budget, or supply chain risks
• Document lessons learned and build repeatable playbooks

Required qualifications

• 5+ years of program or project management experience, with direct experience standing up new manufacturing facilities, lines, or large capital projects
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex, multi-workstream programs involving internal teams and external partners simultaneously
• Working knowledge of manufacturing readiness concepts: equipment qualification, process validation, EHS/safety compliance, and quality systems
• Strong financial acumen, with experience building and tracking capital budgets, forecasts, and incentive-related financial commitments
• Excellent stakeholder management skills
• Proven track record of building structure and clarity in ambiguous, fast-moving environments
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting to senior leadership
• Willingness to travel frequently to the facility site during active build-out phases (potentially 30-50%+)

Nice to have

• Familiarity with site selection processes and economic incentive negotiation
• Experience in a relevant manufacturing vertical (e.g., EV/battery, electronics, hardware)
• Familiarity with lean manufacturing or Six Sigma methodologies
• Prior experience working directly with state or local economic development agencies
• PMP certification or equivalent program management training
• Experience with program management tooling (e.g., MS Project, Smartsheet, Monday.com, or similar)

Benefits

• Competitive compensation + equity grants
• 100% employee premiums for base plans on medical, dental, vision
• Options for additional coverage
• Parental leave up to twenty four (24) weeks depending on eligibility
• Comfortable, sunny office space located near BART and Caltrain public transit
• Employee Resource Groups
• Monthly social events
• SPANcakes recognition breakfast
• Lunch, and learns
• Flexible hours
• Flexible time off

About the company

SPAN is mission-driven to design, build, and deploy products that electrify our built environment, decarbonize our world, and slow the effects of climate change. Headquartered in San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood, they are an eclectic group of creative thinkers.