MFG Project Manager

The Manufacturing Project Manager leads high-impact productivity, cost-reduction, and sustaining projects within the manufacturing organization. This role delivers measurable operational improvements and financial savings while coordinating changes to existing products to ensure effective implementation with minimal disruption to production.

The position manages projects from business case development through execution, implementation, and results validation, working closely with Operations, Manufacturing Engineering, Product Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Finance.

Key Responsibilities:

Productivity and Cost-Reduction Projects

• Lead cross-functional projects that improve labor productivity, manufacturing capacity, throughput, quality, and operating costs.
• Develop business cases outlining expected savings, investment requirements, resource needs, risks, and implementation timelines.
• Coordinate process improvements, automation, equipment upgrades, material flow improvements, layout optimization, and waste reduction.
• Establish performance baselines, define measurable targets, and track results against approved objectives.
• Partner with Finance to validate realized savings and distinguish recurring cost reductions, cost avoidance, and capacity improvements.
• Ensure improvements are sustained through documented processes, assigned ownership, training, and performance monitoring.

Sustaining Projects and Existing Product Changes

• Manage operational implementation of changes to existing products, including design revisions, material substitutions, component replacements, quality improvements, and obsolescence mitigation.
• Coordinate engineering change activities across affected functions to ensure production readiness and controlled implementation.
• Develop transition plans addressing inventory disposition, supplier readiness, tooling, equipment, work instructions, bills of material, and production schedules.
• Coordinate trials, qualification builds, and validation activities with Engineering and Quality.
• Assess proposed changes for their impact on cost, manufacturability, capacity, quality, and delivery.
• Ensure approved changes are incorporated into Oracle and other applicable system and documentation before production release.
• Monitor performance following implementation and coordinate resolution of outstanding issues.

Project Execution and Governance

• Define project scope, deliverables, schedules, budgets, responsibilities, and success criteria.
• Lead cross-functional teams and maintain accountability for commitments and milestones.
• Manage risks, dependencies, scope changes, and resource constraints.
• Communicate project status, financial performance, risks, and decisions required to leadership.
• Escalate barriers and drive corrective actions to maintain project objectives.
• Complete project closure, including results verification, operational handoff, and lessons learned.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, computer science, Engineering, Operations Management, or a related field.
• Five or more years of experience in manufacturing operations, manufacturing engineering, or project management.
• Demonstrated success delivering cross-functional productivity and cost-reduction projects with measurable results.
• Experience implementing changes to existing products in a manufacturing environment.
• Working knowledge of Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, engineering change control, and production readiness.
• Ability to develop business cases, evaluate return on investment, and track project budgets and savings.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and lead teams without direct reporting authority.

Preferred Qualifications:

• PMP certification or equivalent project management training.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
• Experience with sheet-metal fabrication, industrial finishing, assembly, or electromechanical products.
• Familiarity with ORACLE, ERP, PLM, and project management systems.
• Experience coordinating capital equipment and automation projects.
• Key Performance Measures.
• Validated annual savings and productivity improvements delivered.
• Achievement of project scope, schedule, budget, and performance targets.
• Timely and effective implementation of existing product changes.
• Production readiness and stability following implementation.
• Sustained operational results after project completion.
• Effective risk management and cross-functional execution.

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