DigITal Product Owner - MES

A Career at HARMAN

As a technology leader that is rapidly on the move, HARMAN is filled with people who are focused on making life better. Innovation, inclusivity and teamwork are a part of our DNA. When you add that to the challenges we take on and solve together, you’ll discover that at HARMAN you can grow, make a difference and be proud of the work you do every day.

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

What You’ll Be Part Of 

Join the DigITal Automotive Manufacturing team to shape and drive the next generation of Manufacturing Execution Systems across HARMAN Automotive. In this role, you will own the product direction for MES and guide the transformation from the current MES landscape to a new, future-ready MES platform that supports standardized, traceable, and efficient manufacturing execution across global plants. As the DigITal Product Owner - MES, you will define the MES product vision, roadmap, priorities, and milestones in close alignment with business stakeholders, manufacturing engineering, operations, IT architects, project managers, and regional execution teams. You will translate business strategy and plant needs into executable product capabilities, ensuring that the MES roadmap creates measurable business value while remaining technically feasible, scalable, secure, and supportable.

This role requires strong MES expertise, a solid technical background, and the ability to connect business requirements with end-to-end digital manufacturing architecture. You will act as the key bridge between manufacturing stakeholders and IT delivery teams, helping HARMAN move from fragmented, legacy, or locally customized solutions toward a more standardized and globally scalable MES capability.

How You’ll Make An Impact

• Act as the global product owner for MES within the DigITal Automotive Manufacturing team.
• Define and maintain the MES product vision, roadmap, priorities, and capability lifecycle.
• Drive the transformation from the current MES landscape to a new global MES platform.
• Translate business goals, manufacturing requirements, and plant needs into actionable product capabilities, epics, user stories, and priorities.
• Align closely with manufacturing stakeholders, plant representatives, AME, operations, quality, IT architects, service delivery teams, and project managers.
• Own and continuously refine the MES product backlog, ensuring that priorities are clear, value-driven, and aligned with the global roadmap.
• Plan and track key milestones for MES transformation, rollout, migration, capability delivery, and adoption.
• Drive global execution together with project managers, regional leads, architects, implementation partners, and internal delivery teams.
• Balance global standardization with justified local plant requirements, ensuring scalable and maintainable solutions.
• Work with IT architects to ensure that MES capabilities fit into the broader Digital Manufacturing architecture, including ERP, PLM, shopfloor systems, equipment integration, data platforms, reporting, and analytics.
• Support decision-making on MES scope, technical dependencies, integration complexity, risks, sequencing, and implementation trade-offs.
• Ensure that MES solutions support traceability, production execution, quality control, routing, genealogy, equipment integration, production reporting, and shopfloor process governance.
• Partner with business and technical teams to define measurable value, including productivity, quality, traceability, standardization, operational efficiency, and reduction of manual or fragmented processes.
• Prepare and present roadmap updates, decision proposals, risks, and status summaries to leadership and key stakeholders.
• Support global rollout readiness by helping define deployment approach, migration priorities, adoption needs, training considerations, and change-management impacts.
• Collaborate with service delivery and support teams to ensure that new MES capabilities are sustainable after go-live.
• Monitor market and technology trends related to MES, smart manufacturing, digital thread, shopfloor integration, and Industry 4.0.

What Makes You A Strong Fit 

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Engineering, Manufacturing, Business Informatics, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Strong experience with Manufacturing Execution Systems in a global, multi-site manufacturing environment.
• Deep understanding of MES capabilities such as production execution, routing, work order execution, product genealogy, traceability, in-process quality control, equipment integration, exception handling, production reporting, and shopfloor inventory control.
• Solid understanding of manufacturing processes and the role of MES in connecting business processes, shopfloor operations, and enterprise systems.
• Experience with transformation programs, system replacement, migration planning, or global platform rollout.
• Experience defining product roadmaps, prioritizing requirements, managing backlogs, and translating business needs into executable delivery plans.
• Proven ability to align with business stakeholders, IT architects, project managers, implementation teams, and operational support teams.
• Strong technical understanding of system integrations, data flows, enterprise application landscapes, and shopfloor connectivity.
• Experience working with ERP, PLM, automation systems, equipment interfaces, reporting, analytics, or data platforms connected to MES.
• Ability to drive global execution across multiple plants, regions, teams, and stakeholders.
• Strong capability to structure complex topics, make trade-offs transparent, and support decision-making with clear recommendations.
• Global mindset and ability to work effectively in a multi-location, multicultural team environment.
• Structured, proactive, and persistent problem-solving mindset.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, including the ability to communicate with both technical experts and senior business stakeholders.
• Excellent English language skills.
• We see AI as an important part of how work gets done. While tools may vary, a baseline familiarity with using AI to support efficiency, problem-solving, and quality is expected. 

Bonus Points If You Have

• Experience with SAP ME, SAP MII, SAP Digital Manufacturing, Critical Manufacturing, Siemens Opcenter, or other enterprise MES platforms.
• Experience in automotive, electronics, or high-volume discrete manufacturing.
• Experience with MES modernization, legacy MES replacement, or standardization of customized manufacturing applications.
• Knowledge of Industry 4.0 concepts, digital thread, smart factory, IIoT, edge integration, and manufacturing analytics.
• Familiarity with integration technologies and protocols such as REST APIs, OPC-UA, MQTT, Kafka, RabbitMQ, databases, and message-based architectures.
• Experience with cloud, containerized platforms, high availability concepts, cybersecurity, and enterprise architecture governance.
• Experience working with external vendors, implementation partners, and managed service providers.
• Experience defining KPIs and business value measures for manufacturing digitalization initiatives.

Things To Know

• Be willing to travel up to 10%, including domestic and international travel.
• Be willing to work in a hybrid office setup.

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 world-class HARMAN and Samsung products (JBL, Harman Kardon, AKG and others).
• Learning and development opportunities through our award-winning HARMAN University programs
• An inclusive and diverse work environment that fosters and encourages professional and personal development
• Work on best-in-class emerging technologies and an atmosphere that motivates you to give your best.

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HARMAN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. 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.