Program Manager · Regulated Environments

Fran Domínguez

I lead complex product programs from RFQ to SOP where timing, compliance, quality and industrial reality must converge.

Background in automotive passive safety. A method transferable to medtech, pharma, aerospace and any high-reliability industry.

Redondela, Galicia · Spain

Fran Domínguez, Program Manager in regulated environments

Method
matters
more than
industry

I am not "an airbag PM". I am a senior Program Manager who has proven execution in one of the world's most demanding industrial environments — and can transfer that discipline to any sector where failure has real consequences.

I coordinate engineering, quality, logistics and finance — across teams in multiple countries — to deliver complex products from RFQ to SOP. On time. On budget.

Over two decades in passive safety: judgment under pressure, technical decisions defensible to the customer, and a sharp instinct for what can go wrong.

End-to-end

From concept to customer. No silos.

Zero error

Trained where a product failure means an accident. That calibrates risk permanently.

Cross-functional alignment

I build commitment across engineering, quality, purchasing and customer under regulatory pressure. Clarity aligns more than hierarchy.

Transferable method

APQP, PPAP, DFMEA. Industry-agnostic. Works wherever regulation and complexity meet.

Track
Record

ZF Lifetec
Program Manager
Current

Leading the development and industrialization of airbag systems for JLR/L460, FORD/V710, Renault and Polestar. Simultaneous management of multiple projects with teams distributed across Czech Republic, Turkey, France, United Kingdom and Poland. Primary customer interface for timing, engineering changes, quality and cost.

Land RoverFordRenaultPolestar
11/2018 — Present
Vigo, Spain
TRW Automotive
Application Engineer

Product development of steering wheels and driver airbag modules for major OEMs. Design, validation and series production launch using CAD/CAE, DFMEA and APQP methodologies.

CitroënRenaultDaciaHyundaiOpel
09/2004 — 11/2018
Vigo, Spain
Fico Mirrors
Operations Engineer

Internship for the Master's in Production Organization and Engineering (UPC), in parallel with ThyssenKrupp Drauz. PULLSYSTEM (KANBAN) methodology implementation in a plastic injection plant. +20% production efficiency applying Just-in-Time principles.

KANBANLeanJIT
05/2004 — 08/2004
Barcelona, Spain
UPC Master Internship
ThyssenKrupp Drauz
Automotive Design Engineer

CAD engineering on SEAT projects. Development and improvement of vehicle components under OEM quality standards.

SEAT
08/2003 — 07/2004
Barcelona, Spain
Edag
Automotive Design Engineer

CAD design and component adaptation for global OEMs. First experience coordinating multidisciplinary technical teams in international environments — Spain and China.

VolkswagenDalphi-Metal / ZF TRW
06/1999 — 08/2003
Martorell, Spain

Real
numbers

0
recalls in over 20 years in passive safety. Zero field incidents on programs under my responsibility.
100%
of programs launched within initial development budget. No cost overruns passed on to customer.
~400k€
average development budget managed per program, RFQ → SOP.
7
programs launched on time over 7 years — one per year, no SOP slippage.
6
parallel projects with structured tracking of scope, schedule and risk.
4
countries coordinated simultaneously (GER, ESP, POL, ROM) with no direct hierarchical authority.

Cases

No industrial secrets here. Just the kind of situations that define whether a PM has real judgment or only manages spreadsheets.

Cost · Safety · Timing

When the customer asks for less and the product cannot deliver it

Tension

Critical component change to cut cost. Purchasing in favor. Tight SOP. Real safety risk on the table.

Decision

I translated technical risk into business language: homologation, liability, recall cost. The customer decided with eyes wide open.

Outcome

The customer dropped the change and prioritized safety. The savings came later through a different route: component redesign without touching the risk profile. No subsequent recall. No warranty claims.

The PM is not the one who says no. The PM is the one who makes the real cost of saying yes visible.
01
Validation · Risk · SOP

A validation failure three weeks before SOP

Tension

Sole-source supplier. Fixed SOP. Renegotiating means contractual cost and reputational damage with the OEM.

Decision

Root cause and supply contingency in parallel from hour zero. Within 72h, an alternative plan and proactive communication to the customer.

Outcome

SOP launched on time. Contingency cost was a fraction of a subsequent recall — and far below the reputational impact with the OEM had the program slipped.

Under pressure, speed of response matters more than the perfect response.
02
Leadership · Global · Influence

Four countries. None of them on your org chart.

Tension

Engineering in Spain. Production in Romania. Quality in Poland. Sales in Germany. No formal authority over any of them.

Decision

I built commitments, not tasks. Clear RACI, working cadence, the impact of every local delay made visible to the global program.

Outcome

SOP on time, no incidents. ~400 k€ development budget closed with ~20% final savings vs. baseline. Zero escalations to leadership to unblock cross-country issues.

Formal authority is the last tool. If you need it constantly, you haven't built enough trust.
03

Looking for a PM who makes the real cost of every decision visible?

Let's talk

Where
this
experience
fits

Zero failure tolerance, full traceability, rigorous validation, regulatory audits. The vocabulary changes from one industry to another. The method does not.

The cleanest match is medtech: same regulatory architecture as automotive passive safety, with design control, risk management and validation transferable nearly 1:1. Pharma, aerospace and high-reliability industries share the same demand profile.

Download full CV
GMP · GxP · GDP

Pharma · Operations

Industrialization and scale-up under GMP. Traceability, deviation management and validation lifecycle: the same PM profile demanded by airbag programs.

AS9100 · FAI · APQP

Aerospace · Suppliers

Supply chain with AS9100 requirements and First Article Inspection (FAI). Equivalent documentation rigor, similar failure tolerances.

IEC 61508 · IATF · RAMS

High-reliability manufacturing

Power electronics, defense, energy, rail. Where variability is real risk and audits are part of daily operations.

Expertise

Program Management

  • RFQ → SOP program management
  • APQP / PPAP
  • Structured Risk Management
  • Timing and cost control
  • SOP launch / Ramp-up
  • Gate & Design Reviews
  • Engineering Change Management

Engineering & Quality

  • Product Development
  • DFMEA / PFMEA
  • CAD / CAE
  • Validation and testing
  • Industrialization
  • Quality Assurance
  • Internal and external audits

Leadership & Industries

  • Cross-cultural coordination
  • Leadership without direct authority
  • Direct OEM / customer interface
  • Airbag systems · Passive safety
  • Transferability to pharma / medtech
  • Lean Manufacturing / KANBAN
  • Root Cause Analysis
Spanish Native

Mother tongue

English C1

Professional use

Insights

Published reflections on program management, industrial risk and the reality of a PM in regulated environments.

Education

2017 — 2018
Master's in Mechatronics, Electronic Engineering, Robotics and Mechatronics
University of Vigo · Vigo
2003 — 2004
Master's in Production Organization & Engineering and Industrial Plant Management
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) · Barcelona
1991 — 1999
Industrial Engineer, Mechanical specialty
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) · Barcelona

contacto
@frandominguez.es

I usually respond within 24 hours on business days.