Program Manager - Workforce Ramp & Readiness

The Program Manager/Project Manager is accountable for end-to-end program delivery of a high-volume workforce ramp-up—scaling Talent Acquisition, HR Operations, and Training/Onboarding to enable the successful hiring, readiness, and retention of 2,000+ employees within an 8‑month timeframe. This role owns the integrated master plan, governance, cross-functional execution, risk management, and performance reporting across all “people” workstreams required to meet production readiness milestones.

This leader connects workforce demand to execution through capacity planning, process design, stakeholder alignment, and operational cadence—ensuring the organization can recruit, onboard, and train at scale without compromising safety, quality, compliance, or candidate/employee experience.

Key Outcomes (What Success Looks Like)

• A single integrated ramp plan that aligns headcount demand, hiring funnel capacity, onboarding throughput, and training readiness to production/operational milestones.
• Hiring and onboarding processes that scale smoothly and predictably (standard work, controls, dashboards, escalation paths).
• Training pipeline (including hands-on manufacturing training capability) designed and staffed to keep pace with hiring volume.
• Clear cross-functional ownership and weekly execution cadence to drive decisions, remove blockers, and manage risks.

Primary Responsibilities

1) Program Leadership & Governance

• Own the end-to-end program plan: scope, milestones, dependencies, resourcing, and critical path.
• Establish governance: steering committee rhythm, decision logs, RAID (risks/actions/issues/decisions), and escalation model.
• Drive cross-functional execution across HR, TA, Training, Operations, Finance, IT, Facilities, and EHS.

2) Workforce Planning & Ramp Architecture

• Translate workforce demand into a wave-based hiring plan (by role, shift, start date, and training pathway).
• Build capacity models across recruiting, HR operations, orientation, and training to identify constraints and trigger mitigation plans.
• Maintain a single integrated roadmap connecting hiring plan → onboarding plan → training readiness → production readiness.

3) Talent Acquisition Program Delivery (High-Volume Hiring)

• Lead the scaling strategy for sourcing, selection, interviewing, and offers to meet ramp volumes.
• Standardize hiring process flow, assessment steps, scheduling, and service-level expectations across stakeholders.
• Coordinate vendor support as needed (agencies, job boards, background checks, onboarding vendors).
• Monitor funnel health: applicants → screens → interviews → offers → start dates → show rates.

4) HR Operations Enablement (Onboarding, Compliance, Employee Readiness)

• Ensure HR operational readiness for high-volume start dates (documentation, policies, employee records, payroll/benefits handoffs, case management).
• Implement scalable onboarding controls: pre-boarding completion tracking, day-1 readiness checklists, badge/access provisioning coordination.
• Partner on compensation/offer levers and ensure alignment to internal guardrails and approvals.

5) Training & Onboarding Throughput (Orientation + Job/Role Training)

• Design and scale orientation and training throughput (class size, frequency, trainer staffing, facilities, materials, scheduling).
• Partner with Training to build/expand hands-on manufacturing training capability to support ramp needs (including “dojo”/floor-based training models where applicable).
• Coordinate training content readiness, trainer onboarding, competency verification approach, and transition-to-floor processes.

6) Metrics, Reporting & Operational Cadence

• Build and maintain weekly dashboards covering hiring and training performance, readiness indicators, and bottlenecks.
• Facilitate weekly execution cadence (e.g., standups/war room/Obeya-style reviews) to drive actions and resolve blockers.
• Provide concise leadership reporting on progress, risks, decisions required, and forecast-to-plan.

7) Change Management & Communications

• Create and execute a stakeholder communication plan (leaders, hiring teams, trainers, support departments).
• Ensure candidate and employee communications are clear, consistent, and timed to reduce churn and improve show rates.
• Support change adoption: new processes, new roles, new training pathways, and operational controls.

8) Budget & Vendor Management

• Manage program budget (labor, vendor costs, training equipment/materials, facilities support as scoped).
• Negotiate and manage vendor deliverables, contracts/SOWs, and performance SLAs.

Key Stakeholders / Partners

• Talent Acquisition leaders and recruiters
• HR Business Partners / HR Ops / Payroll
• Training & Development / Orientation / Manufacturing trainers
• Plant/Operations leadership and frontline supervisors
• Finance, IT, Facilities, EHS/Safety, Legal/Compliance
• External partners (as needed): staffing agencies, training vendors, background check providers

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years program/project management experience delivering complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience scaling high-volume hiring, onboarding, and/or training in a fast-paced environment (manufacturing/operations preferred).
• Strong knowledge of core HR/TA processes (recruiting funnel, onboarding, HR operations workflows, training throughput).
• Proven ability to lead without formal authority; exceptional stakeholder management and executive communication.
• Strong analytical capability: building plans, capacity models, dashboards, and data-driven decision-making.
• Comfort operating in ambiguity and building structure quickly (standard work, governance, controls).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience delivering workforce ramp-ups of 1,000+ hires or similarly scaled operational programs.
• Experience with ATS/HRIS/LMS ecosystems and reporting tools (e.g., Power BI or similar).
• Lean/continuous improvement mindset (process design, waste removal, operational cadence).
• Formal PM training/certification (PMP, PRINCE2, Agile/Scrum, Prosci change management).

Core Competencies

• Program planning & execution (critical path, dependencies, RAID)
• Capacity planning and throughput optimization
• Operational rigor and structured problem-solving
• Stakeholder leadership & influence
• Clear, concise communication (exec-ready updates)
• Change management and adoption leadership
• Data literacy and performance management

Working Conditions

• This position is located in the Obeya. Daily, in-person is required.
• High presence required during peak onboarding/training waves (early mornings/shift overlap as needed).
• Fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with frequent cross-functional coordination.

Johnson Controls’ Canadian subsidiaries are committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants, candidates and employees with disabilities, in accordance with applicable human rights legislation, and in Ontario, in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (“AODA”). When requested, accommodation will be provided throughout all stages of the recruitment and selection process. To request accommodation, please contact us. Any information you provide related to accommodation measures will be treated as confidential. A copy of Johnson Controls’ applicable AODA policies are available on our website at www.johnsoncontrols.com for your reference, and can be made available in accessible formats upon request.