Product Program Manager - OEM Automotive Lighting
As Business Unit Automotive Solutions & Lamps we support our vision and strategy by expanding our leading position in the automotive lighting market in OEM and Aftermarket. We are in a global leadership position in the automotive lamps business in traditional and LED applications and offer industry leading products in LED lighting to global OEM customers (e.g. with exchangeable LED light sources). We also tackle new growth opportunities in the Aftermarket with our automotive care and equipment portfolio.The Product Program Manager serves as the strategic interface between OSRAM's Tier 1 customers, OEMs, and our internal engineering, product, and commercial teams. The role leads commercial and development projects from concept and ideation through development, industrialization, and launch, ensuring execution across technical, commercial, and operational dimensions.This role blends technical depth, project leadership, and customer engagement to ensure automotive lighting technologies are implemented effectively, delivering on profitability while meeting stringent OEM quality, performance, and timing requirements.Key ResponsibilitiesProduct, Program & Project LeadershipLead Product Management activities during stage-gate development processes.Oversee Product Marketing initiatives to promote OSRAM's portfolioLead multiple customer programs from concept through SOP, ensuring on-time, on-cost, and on-quality delivery.Establish program governance, milestones, and performance metrics across a portfolio of projects.Drive decision-making, issue resolution, and risk mitigation, escalating as appropriate.Ensure compliance with automotive development processes (APQP, PPAP, change management, quality gates).Manage functional support activities, including engineering coordination, financial tracking, timing, and customer communication.Customer Engagement & Commercial InterfaceServe as the primary technical and programmatic liaison for Tier 1 and OEM customers.Interface with customer engineering, purchasing, program management, and manufacturing teams.Translate customer requirements into internal technical and commercial deliverables.Support technical sales through product presentations, feasibility analyses, demonstrations, and roadmap discussions.Technical & Cross-Functional LeadershipProvide technical guidance on automotive lighting technologies, system integration, and manufacturability.Coordinate cross-functional execution across product management, R&D, engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and sales.Lead or support research, prototyping, and validation activities to ensure scalable, manufacturable, automotive-qualified solutions.Present integrated technical, financial, and program status updates across audiences from engineering peers to senior leadership.Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Systems, or related field); Master's degree preferred.7+ years of experience in automotive program management, product management, or systems engineering.Proven experience working directly with Tier 1 suppliers and automotive OEMs.Strong understanding of automotive development lifecycles, quality standards, and launch processes.Ability to manage multiple complex programs in a fast-paced, global, matrixed environment.Strong financial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, and business case evaluation.Key CompetenciesCustomer-focused mindset with strong communication and presentation skillsTechnical credibility and ability to translate complex concepts across disciplinesStructured, data-driven problem solverStrong organizational and stakeholder management skillsComfortable operating between engineering, commercial, and executive audiences