About this GPE Program Manager role at Copeland
About Us
We are a global climate technologies company engineered for sustainability. We create sustainable and efficient residential, commercial and industrial spaces through HVACR technologies. We protect temperature-sensitive goods throughout the cold chain. And we bring comfort to people globally. Best-in-class engineering, design and manufacturing combined with category-leading brands in compression, controls, software and monitoring solutions result in next-generation climate technology that is built for the needs of the world ahead.
Whether you are a professional looking for a career change, an undergraduate student exploring your first opportunity, or recent graduate with an advanced degree, we have opportunities that will allow you to innovate, be challenged and make an impact. Join our team and start your journey today!
Role Overview – Program Manager
We are looking for a highly motivated Program Manager to join our Global HVAC Controls & Power Electronics Team. The Program Manager is accountable for successful end-to-end delivery of assigned programs, ensuring alignment across engineering, product, operations, and commercial teams to deliver on time, on budget, and achieve business objectives. This role bridges strategy and execution by balancing trade-offs across scope, schedule, cost, and resources, while ensuring realization of the program business case.
Key Responsibilities
Program Ownership & Delivery
- Own end-to-end program accountability, including scope, schedule, cost, resources, and risk.
- Develop and manage project schedules, milestones, and deliverables
- Lead cross-functional program teams across Engineering, Product Management, Marketing, Sales, and Operations to deliver complex programs. Integrate regional and vertical perspectives to maintain strategic alignment
- Drive execution alignment across product, engineering, operations, and commercial functions, ensuring clear ownership and decision-making.
- Accountable for program-level decisions within approved scope, budget, and timeline
Planning, Execution & Governance
- Drive execution through the Phase-Gate process, ensuring discipline at each stage
- Enforce scope governance by freezing and maintaining product scope at key stage-gates to prevent scope creep and delays
- Define and manage resource plans in coordination with functional leaders to ensure adequate staffing and program readiness
- Ensure adequate technical and manufacturing readiness levels (TRL/MRL) are achieved for product launch
- Identify risks, develop mitigation plans, and drive issue resolution
Financial & Business Performance
- Manage cost plans, identify deviations, and drive corrective actions to ensure on-time and on-budget delivery
- Accountable for delivery against approved business case, including tracking gross margin, profitability, and return metrics
- Support financial planning and forecasting activities in collaboration with Finance
Stakeholder Management & Communication
- Facilitate global cross-functional collaboration with internal and external stakeholders (e.g. contractors & vendors)
- Prepare and deliver executive-level communications on program status
- Report progress to senior leadership, escalate key risks and trade-offs, and maintain accountability for key milestones
- Escalates cross-program resource conflicts, strategic trade-offs, and major risks to Program Management Leader & Business Leadership
Continuous Improvement
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance product development performance (e.g., time to market, execution efficiency)
- Utilize and improve lean program management methodologies
Who You Are
You are a strong cross-functional leader who drives accountability and results in complex environments. You:
- Ensure accountability across teams and proactively manage progress
- Collaborate effectively across diverse stakeholders and functions
- Navigate ambiguity and complexity with structured thinking
- Balance stakeholder needs to resolve conflicts and remove roadblocks
- Plan and align resources and priorities to achieve program objectives
Required Education, Experience & Skills
- Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Business, or related technical field (MBA preferred)
Program Manager
- 3–5 years of experience in program/project management or leading cross-functional product development initiatives
- Demonstrated ability to manage programs with defined scope, schedule, and budget
- Experience working in cross-functional environments with engineering, product, and operations teams
- Strong leadership and cross-functional influence skills
- Strong communication and executive presentation skills
- Proven ability to manage multiple stakeholders across functions and geographies
- Strong project/program management capabilities
- Ability to work independently and within team environments
Preferred Qualifications
- 5+ years of relevant experience
- PMP certification
- Experience in electronics or refrigeration systems
- Experience in global product development environments
Key Skill-Based Competencies
- Cross-functional leadership & influence
- Resource planning & readiness management
- Risk assessment & mitigation
- Cost management & business acumen
- Strategic & operational decision-making
- Technical fluency & engineering understanding
- Stakeholder alignment & communication
Our Commitment to Our People
Across the globe, we are united by a singular Purpose: Sustainability is no small ambition. That’s why everything we do is geared toward a sustainable future—for our generation and all those to come. Through groundbreaking innovations, HVACR technology and cold chain solutions, we are reducing carbon emissions and improving energy efficiency in spaces of all sizes, from residential to commercial to industrial.
Our employees are our greatest strength. We believe that our culture of passion, openness, and collaboration empowers us to work toward the same goal - to make the world a better place. We invest in the end-to-end development of our people, beginning at onboarding and through senior leadership, so they can thrive personally and professionally.
Flexible and competitive benefits plans offer the right options to meet your individual/family needs. We provide employees with flexible time off plans, including paid parental leave (maternal and paternal), vacation and holiday leave.
Together, we have the opportunity – and the power – to continue to revolutionize the technology behind air conditioning, heating and refrigeration, and cultivate a better future. Learn more about us and how you can join our team!
Our Commitment to Inclusion & Belonging
At Copeland, we cultivate a strong sense of inclusion and belonging where individuals of all backgrounds, and with diverse perspectives, are embraced and treated fairly to enable a stronger workforce. Our employee resource groups play an important role in culture and community building at Copeland.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Copeland is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status. We are committed to providing a workplace free of any discrimination or harassment.
