Role Summary

The Technical Program Manager (TPM) serves as 3M's primary technical and manufacturing operations leader at contract manufacturing partners, responsible for driving manufacturing process development, production readiness, operational performance, and technical risk management throughout the product lifecycle.
 

The TPM acts as the key interface between Product Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Operations, Procurement, and contract manufacturing partners to ensure manufacturing processes are scalable, capable, and optimized to meet product performance, quality, cost, capacity, and delivery objectives from New Product Introduction (NPI) through mass production.
 

This role combines technical leadership, manufacturing engineering expertise, and operational excellence to ensure contract manufacturers achieve and sustain world-class manufacturing performance. The TPM is responsible for driving key manufacturing metrics including Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), Yield, Scrap, Downtime, Throughput, Cycle Time, Capacity Utilization, and Process Capability (Cp/Cpk), while leading continuous improvement initiatives that improve quality, productivity, and manufacturing competitiveness.
 

Key Responsibilities

Manufacturing Process Development & Production Readiness

• Lead manufacturing process development, qualification, and production readiness activities for new product introductions (NPI), product transfers, and major process changes.
• Define process requirements, operating windows, manufacturing controls, tooling requirements, and equipment readiness plans to support successful production launches.
• Drive process characterization activities and establish validated operating parameters that ensure consistent product quality and process stability.
• Partner with contract manufacturers to develop robust, repeatable, and scalable manufacturing processes that meet 3M product specifications and customer requirements.
• Lead engineering builds, pilot runs, process validations, and production ramp activities.
• Drive IQ/OQ/PQ, process validation, line qualifications, and manufacturing readiness reviews.
• Establish process control plans, reaction plans, SPC methodologies, and process monitoring strategies.
• Evaluate manufacturing readiness and proactively identify technical risks that may impact quality, schedule, capacity, or production performance.

Production Performance, Capacity & Operational Excellence

• Own manufacturing performance metrics including Yield, OEE, Scrap, Downtime, Throughput, Cycle Time, Capacity Utilization, and Process Capability (Cp/Cpk).
• Develop KPI dashboards and performance review mechanisms with contract manufacturers to monitor operational health and identify improvement opportunities.
• Analyze manufacturing performance data to identify trends, bottlenecks, variability, and emerging risks.
• Drive yield improvement initiatives through data-driven problem solving, statistical analysis, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Lead OEE improvement programs focused on reducing downtime, setup losses, speed losses, and quality losses.
• Drive scrap reduction initiatives through defect elimination, process optimization, and improved material utilization.
• Improve throughput and productivity through cycle time reduction, line balancing, bottleneck elimination, and automation solutions.
• Establish and monitor process capability requirements for critical process parameters and key product characteristics.
• Support production planning and capacity management activities by performing capacity analyses and forecasting future manufacturing requirements.
• Partner with operations teams to improve manufacturing efficiency, labor productivity, and overall factory performance.

Technical Problem Solving & Root Cause Analysis

• Lead investigations and resolution of complex manufacturing, process, equipment, and quality-related issues.
• Utilize structured problem-solving methodologies including 5 Why, Fishbone, 8D, DMAIC, FMEA, DOE, Six Sigma, and statistical analysis techniques.
• Conduct deep-dive root cause analysis for yield loss, scrap generation, downtime events, process excursions, equipment reliability issues, and manufacturing bottlenecks.
• Apply statistical tools including SPC, Cp/Cpk analysis, Minitab, JMP, regression analysis, and design of experiments to improve process performance.
• Develop, implement, and validate corrective and preventative actions that deliver sustainable improvements in manufacturing performance.
• Partner with Product Engineering and Quality Engineering teams to investigate product non-conformances and manufacturing-related defects.
• Ensure technical issues are resolved with permanent corrective actions and measurable business impact.

Technology Transfer, Industrialization & Process Scale-Up

• Lead technical transfer activities between suppliers and contract manufacturing partners.
• Ensure successful deployment of manufacturing processes, tooling, equipment, automation systems, and work instructions.
• Drive process scale-up activities from prototype through pilot production and mass production.
• Verify manufacturing processes achieve target performance levels for Yield, OEE, Throughput, Capacity, Quality, and Process Capability prior to production release.
• Conduct process capability studies and readiness assessments to support manufacturing ramp decisions.
• Perform bottleneck analyses and capacity modeling to ensure manufacturing readiness for volume growth.
• Ensure manufacturing systems are capable of meeting current and future production demand requirements.

Cross-Functional Technical Leadership

• Serve as the primary technical and manufacturing operations representative between 3M and contract manufacturing partners.
• Provide technical leadership and direction across Product Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Procurement, Operations, and external manufacturing teams.
• Lead technical workstreams and coordinate execution across multiple stakeholders and organizations.
• Facilitate regular manufacturing performance reviews focused on quality, yield, OEE, capacity, delivery, and operational improvement initiatives.
• Communicate technical status, manufacturing performance, risks, mitigation plans, and recommendations to leadership and project teams.
• Drive cross-functional decision-making and alignment to resolve manufacturing constraints and meet business objectives.
• Escalate and manage critical manufacturing risks that could impact customer commitments, quality performance, or production schedules.
• Influence investment decisions related to equipment, automation, tooling, and process improvement initiatives.

Manufacturing Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on Yield, OEE, Throughput, Scrap Reduction, Downtime Reduction, Capacity Expansion, and Cost of Poor Quality reduction.
• Apply Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), and Operational Excellence methodologies to improve manufacturing performance.
• Drive automation initiatives and advanced manufacturing technologies that improve efficiency, consistency, and scalability.
• Implement data-driven manufacturing management practices through KPI visualization, SPC systems, and performance dashboards.
• Identify and deploy best practices across multiple manufacturing sites and suppliers.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, equipment, and manufacturing methods that enhance product quality, operational efficiency, and cost competitiveness.
• Support long-term manufacturing strategy and capability development for strategic contract manufacturing partners.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and technical excellence.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Bilingual fluency in Mandarin Chinese and English.
• 5+ years of experience in Manufacturing Engineering, Process Engineering, Technical Program Management, Product Industrialization, or related technical manufacturing roles.
• Demonstrated experience leading new product introduction (NPI), process development, industrialization, or manufacturing transfer programs.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing process development, qualification methodologies, process validation, and production ramp management.
• Experience working directly with contract manufacturers, suppliers, or external manufacturing partners.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing performance metrics including OEE, Yield, Throughput, Downtime, Scrap, Cycle Time, Capacity Utilization, and Process Capability.
• Experience with structured problem-solving methodologies including 5 Why, Fishbone, FMEA, DOE, SPC, DMAIC, and Six Sigma.
• Experience using data analysis and statistical tools such as Minitab, JMP, Excel, Power BI, or equivalent analytics platforms.
• Strong understanding of Statistical Process Control (SPC), process capability analysis (Cp/Cpk), and manufacturing process monitoring.
• Proven ability to lead complex technical programs and influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Strong communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.
• Willingness to travel regularly and maintain an on-site presence at contract manufacturing facilities as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in an engineering or technical discipline.
• Experience in high-volume manufacturing environments such as electronics, medical devices, consumer products, optics, automotive, industrial products, or advanced materials.
• Demonstrated success improving OEE, Yield, Throughput, Capacity Utilization, and Scrap performance in manufacturing operations.
• Experience in injection molding, converting, coating, assembly, automation, or related manufacturing processes.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma Black Belt/Green Belt, TPM (Total Productive Maintenance), or Operational Excellence programs.
• Knowledge of MES systems, manufacturing dashboards, production reporting, and digital factory technologies.
• Experience with automation equipment, robotics, vision systems, and advanced manufacturing technologies.
• Familiarity with quality management systems including ISO 9001, IATF 16949, or similar standards.
• Experience conducting capacity analysis, line balancing, labor optimization, and factory productivity improvement initiatives.
• Experience supporting global manufacturing organizations and working across multiple time zones.