SCM Excellence - Customer War Room & Material Shortage Crisis Management

Job Description

Introduction: A Career at HARMAN Automotive

We’re a global, multi-disciplinary team that’s putting the innovative power of technology to work and transforming tomorrow. At HARMAN Automotive, we give you the keys to fast-track your career.

- Engineer audio systems and integrated technology platforms that augment the driving experience
- Combine ingenuity, in-depth research, and a spirit of collaboration with design and engineering excellence
- Advance in-vehicle infotainment, safety, efficiency, and enjoyment

About the Role

The Manager, Customer War Room & Material Shortage Crisis Management will act as a individual contributor and Project Leader within HARMAN's Global Supply organization , created to own and lead customer war rooms for critical material shortage situations and ensure structured crisis management across affected commodities, suppliers, plants, programs, and customers.

The role provides clear ownership for customer-facing crisis leadership by setting up, leading, and driving customer war rooms from issue intake through mitigation execution, decision alignment, escalation, and customer communication. The role sets direction, enables critical decision-making across parallel workstreams, and orchestrates cross-functional teams spanning Category Management, Supply Chain Planning, Critical Parts Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Finance, Legal, Sales, Program Management, and Customer Communication.

This role is designed to provide strong operational leadership during customer-impacting shortage situations, ensuring that mitigation actions, risk transparency, and decision needs are managed consistently and with clear ownership across internal stakeholders and customer interfaces.

In times of market stability, the role will lead and support critical supply chain projects with high business impact, ensuring effective execution and sustainable results.

This role reports into the Global Supply Chain Management Excellence Leader and requires seniority, robustness, strong cross-functional leadership, and the credibility to operate and escalate at senior executive level.

What You Will Do

- Lead end-to-end Customer War Rooms and Taskforces ensuring critical material shortages are translated into clear customer impact, priorities, and actions
- Coordinate cross-functional teams across Supply Planning, Plants, Operations Procurement, Engineering, CPM and Customer Account Management (CAM) to drive timely shortage resolution
- Ensure effective preparation and input quality before each War Room meeting, including production plans, finished-goods run-out, component constraints, mitigation actions, and customer demand.
- Drive structured decision-making during War Room meetings by clarifying priorities, resolving ownership gaps, and ensuring the agreed process is followed.
- Maintain strong execution discipline by documenting decisions, assigning owners and deadlines, and actively following up on actions until risks are mitigated or closed
- Identify issues requiring management escalation , facilitate rapid cross-functional problem solving, and ensure blockers are addressed at the appropriate organizational level
- Communicate and escalate at all levels and moderate high-stakes governance forums from operational reviews to executive Steering Committee briefings; act as single voice toward OEM customers / CAMs on shortage status, run-out risks, allocation decisions, and mitigation progress
- Support Lessons learned and continuously improve Taskforce and War Room operating model , including process, governance, tools, data quality, meeting effectiveness and communication, using lessons learned from ongoing shortage cases

What You Need

- Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or a related field; Master's degree strongly preferred

- 7+ years of experience in procurement, supply chain, or category management - with proven leadership experience in crisis, taskforce, or program management environments

- Deep expertise in electronics supply chain management and procurement within an automotive Tier 1 or electronics manufacturing context

- Demonstrated ability to lead and coordinate cross-functional project teams under sustained pressure, including alignment across procurement, engineering, quality, sales, finance, and legal functions

- Proven ability to moderate high-stakes meetings and governance forums with mixed audiences - from operational function leads to Executive Leaders - including conflict facilitation and decision crystallization under time pressure

- Strong executive communication skills: concise, visually compelling decision papers and briefings tailored to senior management approval logic and OEM-facing communication standards

- Confidence in escalation management - knowing when and how to raise issues through the right channels without losing stakeholder trust

- Solid understanding of SIOP/IBP process design and demand management frameworks (EDI, SAP MM/PP, IBP, or equivalent) in the automotive industry

- Excellent analytical capabilities: ability to integrate multi-source supply, demand, financial, and risk data into coherent executive-ready narratives

- Fluent in English

- Experience in Project Management with focus on successful and in time execution

What You Can Expect

- A hybrid work environment that balances flexibility with in-person collaboration, with most office-based roles onsite three days a week.
- Access to employee discounts on HARMAN and Samsung products (including JBL, Harman / Kardon, AKG, and others)
- Learning and development opportunities through our award-winning HARMAN University programs
- Wellness benefits designed to support your overall well-being
- Tuition reimbursement support
- Access to the HARMAN campus fitness center and cafeteria, where available
- An inclusive and diverse work environment that supports both your professional and personal development

#LI-Hybrid

#LI-AB5

Pay Transparency
The above represents the annual gross base salary range for this role.
Variable compensation and allowances: Dependent on the position offered, other forms of compensation may also be available, such as quarterly or annual bonus pay, commission payments, long term incentive compensation, or certain allowances. Further details will be made available as part of the recruitment process.
How we set pay: The pay posted is a reasonable estimate of the wage range anticipated for this position. Pay is determined using objective, job-related criteria such as relevant experience, skills, role scope/responsibilities, and location-based market factors (where applicable). In appropriate circumstances, based on objective, job-related factors, the final determination on pay may deviate from the posted range.
Pay history: Please do not include current or past pay information in your application. We do not request pay history as part of our recruitment process.
Benefits: HARMAN is interested in supporting the health and wellbeing of employees and offers a range of benefits. Offerings vary by country and employment arrangement and reflect a combination of statutory requirements and company-provided programs. These may include paid time off and holidays, sick and family leave, as well as health and wellbeing support and retirement or savings plans where applicable, along with other locally relevant benefits. Further details will be made available as part of the recruitment process.

About HARMAN: Where Innovation Unleashes Next-Level Technology Ever since the 1920s, we’ve been amplifying the sense of sound. Today, that legacy endures, with integrated technology platforms that make the world smarter, safer, and more connected.
Across automotive, lifestyle, and digital transformation solutions, we create innovative technologies that turn ordinary moments into extraordinary experiences. Our renowned automotive and lifestyle solutions can be found everywhere, from the music we play in our cars and homes to venues that feature today’s most sought-after performers, while our digital transformation solutions serve humanity by addressing the world’s ever-evolving needs and demands. Marketing our award-winning portfolio under 16 iconic brands, such as JBL, Mark Levinson, and Revel, we set ourselves apart by exceeding the highest engineering and design standards for our customers, our partners and each other.
If you’re ready to innovate and do work that makes a lasting impact, join our talent community today! (https://harmanglobal.avature.net/talentcommunity)

Important Notice: Recruitment Scams
Please be aware that HARMAN recruiters will always communicate with you from an '@harman.com', ‘@careers.harman.com’ or ‘@harmanglobal.avature.net’ email address. We will never ask for payments, banking, credit card, personal financial information or access to your LinkedIn/email account during the screening, interview, or recruitment process. If you are asked for such information or receive communication from an email address not ending in one of the above email domains about a job with HARMAN, please cease communication immediately and report the incident to us through: [email protected]. (mailto:[email protected])
You Belong Here HARMAN is committed to making every employee feel welcomed, valued, and empowered. No matter what role you play, we encourage you to share your ideas, voice your distinct perspective, and bring your whole self with you – all within a support-minded culture that celebrates what makes each of us unique. We also recognize that learning is a lifelong pursuit and want you to flourish. We proudly offer added opportunities for training, development, and continuing education, further empowering you to live the career you want.
HARMAN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. HARMAN strives to hire the best qualified candidates and is committed to building a workforce representative of the diverse marketplaces and communities of our global colleagues and customers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. HARMAN attracts, hires, and develops employees based on merit, qualifications and job-related performance.(www.harman.com (https://www.harman.com))
HARMAN is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process, please contact us at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]). Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis in accordance with applicable law.