Associate Program Manager

Associate Program Manager Customer Experience & New Product Development Department: Program Management Office (PMO) Location: Vashi, Navi Mumbai Reports To: Program Manager Customer Experience & New Product Development About KAIN: KAIN is one of India's fastest-growing contract manufacturers in the beauty and personal care industry, partnering with leading brands across skincare, haircare, bodycare, and colour cosmetics. We believe our customers deserve more than a manufacturerthey deserve an execution partner. To deliver this experience, we are building a best-in-class Program Management Office (PMO) that owns every customer project from concept to commercial launch. Role Summary: As an Associate Program Manager, you will be the operational backbone of customer projects. You will coordinate cross-functional teams, track timelines, manage customer communications, and ensure that every milestone is delivered on time. You will work closely with Sales, R&D, Packaging Development, Procurement, Regulatory, Quality, Planning, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain to transform customer briefs into successful commercial products. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys solving problems, and loves bringing structure to complex projects. Key Responsibilities: Customer Experience: Serve as the primary day-to-day coordinator for assigned customer accounts.Build strong relationships with customers through proactive communication.Provide regular updates on project status, timelines, and risks.Coordinate customer meetings and document action items.Ensure timely collection of approvals, feedback, and decisions.Escalate issues before they impact project timelines. New Product Development Coordination: Drive projects through every stage of development, including: Customer brief reviewInternal project kick-offProduct developmentPackaging developmentSample planning and dispatchCustomer feedback trackingFormula revisionsStability and compatibility studiesArtwork approvalsRegulatory documentationCosting approvalsCommercialization planning Monitor each activity to ensure adherence to agreed timelines. Cross Functional Product Development: Coordinate daily with: Sales & Business DevelopmentResearch & DevelopmentPackaging DevelopmentProcurementRegulatory AffairsQuality Assurance & Quality ControlPlanningManufacturingWarehouseSupply ChainFinance Ensure all teams remain aligned on priorities, deadlines, and dependencies. Project Planning & Governance: Create and maintain detailed project timelines.Track milestone completion and critical paths.Maintain project trackers and dashboards.Conduct regular project review meetings.Identify bottlenecks and coordinate timely resolution.Maintain documentation, action logs, and meeting minutes. Continuous Improvement Recommend process improvements to reduce development timelines.Standardize documentation and workflows.Improve customer communication processes.Support implementation of digital project management tools.Contribute to the development of PMO best practices. KPI: Customer Experience - Customer response time Customer satisfaction (CSAT)Number of customer escalationsOn-time communication Project Delivery - Projects delivered on scheduleMilestone adherenceAction closure rateCritical issue resolution time NPD Performance - Brief-to-first-sample turnaround timeSample approval cycle timeCommercialization lead timeFirst-time-right launch percentage Dashboard Excellence - Dashboard accuracyDocumentation completenessCross-functional SLA adherenceProject data integrity Qualifications: Education - B.PharmB.Tech/B.E. (Chemical, Biotechnology, Industrial Engineering)B.Sc./M.Sc. (Chemistry, Cosmetic Science)MBA (Operations, Marketing, Supply Chain)Equivalent qualifications with relevant experience Experience:14 years of experience in Cosmetics, FMCG, Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Manufacturing, or Consumer Products.Fresh graduates with strong internships and exceptional project management skills may also be considered. Skills Project coordinationMicrosoft ExcelPowerPointERP systemsClickUp, Monday.com, Asana, or similar project management toolsData analysis and reportingDocumentation management Behavioural Competancies:Exceptiona .