Senior Program Manager – Manufacturing Transformation

About the role

The Senior Program Manager will lead transformational programs that support Smith+Nephew’s RISE Strategy. Based in Alajuela, you will partner with cross‑functional and cross‑cultural teams to deliver complex manufacturing initiatives in the medical‑device sector.

Key responsibilities

• Own the end‑to‑end program lifecycle, including People Plan, Risk Management, Conflict Resolution and Change Management.
• Coordinate and facilitate workshops (planning, discovery, alignment, retrospectives) to ensure stakeholder engagement and clear outcomes.
• Drive process scaling, standardisation and optimisation across manufacturing sites.
• Manage stakeholder expectations, influence decisions and resolve conflicts in a matrixed environment.
• Apply both Agile and Waterfall methodologies to deliver program milestones on time and within scope.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Science, Engineering or Manufacturing; MBA preferred.
• Minimum 3 years of experience leading projects in a medical‑device manufacturing environment.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving and critical‑thinking abilities.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills for all organisational levels.

Required skills

• Agile methodology
• Waterfall methodology
• Project workshop planning and facilitation
• Change management
• Process scaling and optimisation