Plant Project Manager

Your Job

Manager, Plant PJM

Lead a team of four Plant PJMs and create a disciplined, scalable project-management operating system that enables successful execution of new product introduction, product transfers, capacity expansion, cost-reduction, and sustaining projects across the full project lifecycle.

Serve as the plant portfolio leader, project-management process owner, and Operations escalation point. Continuously assess and improve existing project workflows, governance, tools, and standards to ensure clear ownership, timely decisions, and manufacturing readiness across quality, cost, delivery, schedule, capacity, and financial commitments. Our culture is defined by the Principle Based Management™ philosophy, which guides everyday decision-making and provides employees with opportunities to contribute and benefit personally from the value they create.

Our Team

The Plant Project Management team supports the Datacom & Specialty Solutions (DSS) division and partners with TPM, Product Management, Production, PDE, DPE, Manufacturing Engineering, Tooling, Automation, AQP, Quality, Supply Planning, Procurement, Finance, and global cross-functional teams.

The role directly manages four Plant PJMs, aligns the plant project portfolio with business priorities, and establishes an execution environment in which project teams can act with clarity, accountability, and speed.

What You Will Do (Job Description)

• • • Lead plant-side execution for NPI projects from PR2 through PR6 and ensure effective transition through ramp, release to production, safe launch, project closeout, and continual improvement through PR8.
    • Own the plant project portfolio operating cadence, including project intake, prioritization, resource planning, schedule integration, portfolio health reviews, and leadership reporting.
    • Act as the owner of the plant project-management operating system; assess current-state workflows, identify gaps and duplication, and redesign processes to improve speed, accountability, decision quality, and cross-functional execution.
    • Standardize project intake, planning, gate reviews, status reporting, risk and issue management, change control, escalation, handoffs, closeout, and lessons-learned practices across all Plant PJMs.
    • Define process governance, roles and responsibilities, templates, dashboards, data standards, and review cadences; monitor adoption and drive continuous improvement based on project performance and stakeholder feedback.
    • Provide clear scope, schedules, financial visibility, decision rights, and escalation paths so Plant PJMs can be executed effectively.
    • Balance business priorities and plant constraints across the portfolio; recommend trade-offs and resource-allocation options to plant leadership
• Manufacturing Readiness and Flawless Launch
  • • Drive integrated readiness plans across Manpower, Material, Machine, Method, quality, supply chain, facilities, technology, and other required domains.
    • Ensure tooling, equipment, automation, materials, process documentation, training, qualification, capacity, and production-control deliverables are ready for each gate and launch milestone.
    • Coordinate capacity analysis, capital planning, factory expansion, line installation, and production ramp readiness.
    • Confirm effective handoffs between development teams, plant engineering, quality, supply chain, and Operations, with clear acceptance criteria and closure of open issues.
• Project Governance, Risk and Escalation
  • • Ensure compliance with PDP requirements, checkpoint deliverables, gate reviews, and project closeout expectations.
    • Establish robust project schedules, milestone tracking, action logs, risk registers, change control, and management reporting.
    • Lead rapid resolution of plant-level issues and escalate cross-plant, division, BU, customer, or commercial constraints through the appropriate governance path.
    • Use fact-based project health indicators and leading metrics to identify schedule, resource, quality, cost, and capacity risks before commitments are missed.
• Cross-Functional Leadership
  • • Partner with TPM and Product Management to align plant execution with project goals, customer commitments, demand changes, and portfolio priorities.
    • Coordinate cross-functional teams to complete project deliverables on schedule and resolve conflicts across functions, sites, and regions.
    • Communicate project and portfolio status clearly to plant, division, and business leadership, focusing reviews on decisions, risks, constraints, and required actions.
• Team and Capability Development
  • • Directly manage, coach, and develop four Plant PJMs; assign project portfolios, balance workload, set performance expectations, and hold the team accountable for project discipline, communication, and business results.
    • Build and continuously improve standard project-management methods, workflows, RACI definitions, templates, dashboards, lessons-learned practices, and capability-development plans.
    • Champion Principle Based Management™ (PBM) by promoting principled entrepreneurship, knowledge sharing, constructive challenge, accountability, and value creation.
• Ensure project execution aligns with customer commitments, revenue plans, business priorities, and operational readiness objectives.
• Drive project financial performance by monitoring capital spending, launch costs, investment utilization, project benefits realization, and cost-reduction commitments.
• Lead the implementation of digital project management tools, dashboards, workflow automation, and data-driven reporting systems to improve execution visibility and decision-making.
• Develop competency frameworks, succession plans, and career development roadmaps to build a sustainable Plant Project Management organization.
• Partner with business, operations, product management, and global teams to enable new product introductions, manufacturing capability expansion, customer commitments, and profitable business growth.

Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• At least 8 years of experience in manufacturing or operations, including at least 5 years leading complex projects or programs.
• Demonstrated experience managing NPI, product transfer, capacity expansion, or manufacturing technology projects in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Proven ability to lead a project-management team and influence cross-functional stakeholders without relying solely on formal authority.
• Strong capability in project planning, portfolio prioritization, resource management, risk management, escalation, change control, and executive communication.
• Demonstrated experience assessing and improving project-management processes, governance models, workflows, tools, and management systems across a multi-project environment.

What Will Put You Ahead

• Experience developing and leading significant automation or manufacturing technology investments, including business-case development, implementation, and benefits realization.
• Experience leading manufacturing organizations through rapid business growth, factory expansion, or new capability development.
• Demonstrated success in cost reduction and productivity improvement programs.