Program Manager

James Hardie is the industry leader in exterior home and outdoor living solutions, with a portfolio that includes fiber cement, fiber gypsum, composite and PVC decking and railing products. Our family of trusted brands includes Hardie®, TimberTech®, AZEK® Exteriors, Versatex®, fermacell®, and StruXure®. With over 8,000 employees and our U.S. operating entities headquartered in Chicago, we boast 31 operating sites, 6 recycling facilities, and 6 research and development centers globally. Powered by a dynamic workforce, we’re united by our purpose of Building a Better Future for All™ through sustainable innovation, a Zero Harm culture, and a commitment to empowering our people and communities. For more information, visit www.jameshardie.com. Summary What You’ll Do: Overarching View: Define project objectives, timelines, milestones, and deliverables and ensure successful execution of projects and overall programs within budget and timelines. Communication: Collaborate with various stakeholders, including senior management, department heads, and cross-functional teams to gain buy-in and support for cost reduction initiatives. Facilitate effective communication and engagement to ensure alignment with organizational goals and objectives. Product Management. Serve as the connection point into the plants for Product Management. Collaborate to ensure full alignment pertaining to achievement of product specifications, aesthetics, and characteristics. Ensure Product Management has a complete picture of project progress to ensure timely product planning and communication with Sales and Marketing teams. Advocates for our customers – distributors, dealers, and most importantly contractors and homeowners. Studies the voice of the customer not simply by reviewing claims data, but through customer surveys, online reviews, primary and secondary research. Understands the competition and the advantages and disadvantages of competitive and substitute products. Research and Development: Collaborate with R&D and Process Development (including Recycle) to ensure proper project prioritization and to anticipate next steps and completion of key milestones. Coordinate with R&D, Process Engineering, Planning, ESH, Quality and Production teams to ensure timely scheduling and execution of trials. Supply Chain: Partner with Sourcing to ensure evaluation and favorability of vendor contracts, terms negotiation, and identify opportunities for cost savings through strategic supplier management. Coordinate with Planning to ensure seamless integration of production trials, inventory strategies, and eventual production serialization. Financial: Partner with Finance and oversee detailed financial analysis, including cost-benefit analysis, financial modeling, and variance analysis to identify cost drivers, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement. Analyze financial data and metrics to track the progress, effectiveness of cost reduction initiatives and ROI. Risk Management: Identify potential risks and obstacles that may impact the success of individual projects and the overall program(s). Develop risk mitigation strategies and contingency plans to minimize disruptions and ensure the achievement of goals. Process Improvement: Identify process inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and waste across different functions or operations. Partner with CI teams to drive process improvement initiatives to streamline workflows, eliminate redundancies, and enhance productivity. Performance Tracking and Reporting: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor and evaluate the progress and effectiveness of cost reduction programs. Prepare regular reports and presentations to communicate program status, financial savings, and other relevant information to stakeholders and senior management. Change Management: Drive organizational change by fostering a cost improvement culture and “out of the box” mindset across the organiza…

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