Work Schedule
Standard (Mon-Fri)
Environmental Conditions
Office
Job Description
Position Summary
The Senior Specialist, Cost Program Management supports the Mechanical category team in managing the cost improvement pipeline, project execution, and performance reporting.
The role provides program management and analytical support across cost initiatives, including project tracking, pipeline management, AOP and STRAP coordination, performance reporting, and follow-up of actions and milestones.
Working closely with Category Managers, Finance, DPP, Procurement Enablement, CMVA, Operations, and R&D, the role helps ensure projects are accurately captured, appropriately tracked, and progressed through the cost pipeline. The position provides visibility to performance, risks, gaps, and opportunities to support effective category decision-making and delivery against cost objectives.
Key Responsibilities
Cost Pipeline & Project Management
- Maintain and coordinate the Mechanical category cost improvement pipeline, ensuring projects, values, timing, milestones, and status are accurately captured.
- Track PA and other cost improvement projects through the project lifecycle and follow up with project owners on actions, milestones, risks, and expected delivery.
- Facilitate regular project and pipeline reviews with Category Managers and relevant stakeholders.
- Identify pipeline gaps, project delays, risks, and reporting inconsistencies and coordinate actions with project owners.
- Support the development and maintenance of sufficient project pipeline against category cost targets.
- Provide weekly and monthly visibility to cost performance, pipeline health, project status, and key risks.
- Maintain appropriate project documentation and governance.
Planning & Performance Reporting
- Coordinate category inputs for AOP and STRAP cost planning activities.
- Consolidate cost forecasts, project assumptions, and supporting information from Category Managers and project owners.
- Track actual and forecast performance against category cost objectives.
- Ensure consistency and accuracy of cost pipeline and project reporting across applicable systems and reporting tools.
Program Coordination & Governance
- Coordinate activities across Category Management, Finance, DPP, CMVA, Procurement Enablement, Operations, R&D, and other stakeholders supporting category cost initiatives.
- Support CMVA and other cost-improvement workstreams by coordinating project inputs, data requirements, actions, and deliverables.
- Track actions arising from project reviews, workshops, and governance meetings and follow through with owners to completion.
- Help establish and maintain standard processes, templates, reporting cadence, and governance for category cost initiatives.
- Support continuous improvement of project tracking, reporting, and pipeline-management processes.
- Escalate material project risks, data gaps, or delivery issues to Category Managers and category leadership as appropriate.
Analytical & Category Support
- Perform analysis of cost, spend, pipeline, and project data to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities.
- Support Category Managers with data and analysis required for cost initiatives, supplier discussions, and category reviews.
- Coordinate information and analysis from CMVA, DPP, Finance, and other specialist teams as required.
- Support ad hoc category initiatives and transformation projects as assigned.
Minimum Requirements / Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Finance, Engineering, or related field.
- 5+ years of experience in procurement, supply chain, finance, project/program management, procurement analytics, or a related field.
- Experience managing project portfolios, cost-improvement pipelines, or cross-functional programs.
- Strong analytical skills with experience consolidating and interpreting financial, procurement, or project data.
- Demonstrated ability to coordinate multiple projects, stakeholders, actions, and deadlines.
- Experience preparing management reporting, dashboards, and presentations.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; experience with procurement, ERP, analytics, or project-management systems preferred.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Strong program and project-management discipline.
- Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to organize and manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
- Ability to identify gaps, risks, and inconsistencies and drive appropriate follow-up.
- Strong business and financial acumen with an understanding of procurement cost and savings concepts.
- Ability to work effectively across global and matrixed teams.
- Strong stakeholder-management and communication skills.
- Ability to influence and drive actions without direct reporting authority.
- High level of accountability and ownership for reporting accuracy, project follow-up, and process discipline.
- Continuous-improvement mindset with an ability to simplify and standardize processes.
Leadership Competencies
- Customer Focus
- Collaboration & Teamwork
- Business Acumen
- Drive for Results
- Decision Quality
- Effective Communication & Influence
- Continuous Improvement Mindset
- Functional Expertise