IT Project Manager (Digital / AI specialization)

At Saputo, we bring good to the table by making high-quality products, investing in our people, and supporting communities around the world . As a top 10 global dairy processor, we value contributions that matter and strive to foster an inclusive, growth-driven work environment. Ready to bring your best?

Overview of the role:

Saputo is looking for an IT Project Manager (Digital / AI specialization) to join our IT PMO team. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a dynamic global team in a company leveraging technology, data, digital solutions, and artificial intelligence to innovate, modernize, and create value across the organization. As a member of the Saputo PMO, you will be expected to lead through influence, bring teams together, and drive the successful delivery of strategic technology initiatives. You will plan, manage, and deliver a wide variety of high impact IT projects across our organization, with a focus on major AI use case delivery, SaaS implementations, digital platform deployments, process automation, data-driven solutions, and business transformation initiatives across our global divisions. Your ability to communicate with and collaborate IT and business stakeholders from all levels will be key to your success. As part of this role, you may be required to deliver other key strategic projects for the Organization outside of the Digital / AI specialization based on resource demands.

Your recipe for delivering successful projects in a dynamic and fast-paced environment includes being versatile and maintaining strong relationships with IT leaders, the business, and project core teams.

As a Project Manager, you will:

• Define and lead the project approach from concept through execution, including translating ambiguous business objectives into a clear delivery strategy, work breakdown structure, staffing model, deliverables, and integrated project plan. You are responsible for establishing scope, estimates, schedule, costs, assumptions, and external dependencies in environments where requirements may initially be undefined or evolving.
• Provide the Saputo IT Leadership Team with weekly progress reports including risks, issues, decisions as well as recommendations for adjustments as necessary. You will ensure the timely communication of relevant project information to all affected team members, including changes to the plans, team structure, commitments, and project dependencies.
• Have strong leadership skills and provides guidance and support to optimize the performance of a diverse team, leads through influence indirect reports, and ensures that the project team follows all quality assurance processes, including periodic reviews and transitions.
• Manage internal and external relationships and coordinates work between different teams globally.
• Work effectively in a multi-site delivery model.
• Lead the end-to-end management of third-party vendors and system integrators, including participation in vendor selection, contract negotiation, commercial governance, and oversight of delivery performance throughout the full project lifecycle, ensuring alignment to scope, schedule, cost, and quality commitments.
• Have a well-rounded Project Management knowledge base and the ability to quickly pickup and deliver projects across various applications and platforms.
• You will also coach and support other IT resources assuming Project Lead roles, contribute to the development of PMO Processes, Tools and Methodology.

How you will make contributions that matter:

Reporting to the Director, IT PMO, Projects and Portfolio and working collaboratively with your stakeholders as well as the project, change management, and training teams, the Project Manager is responsible for:

• Work Planning and Deliverable Management: You will adapt the PMO Work Planning processes and tools to the projects at hand and will maintain work plans, continuously monitoring actuals, and resolving/addressing cost and schedule variances. You will leverage the Deliverable Management process and tool to track the timely completion of all project Deliverables to the baselines.
• Scope Management: You will operationalize the pre-defined PMO Scope Management Process to control the project scope and requirements. You will present scope changes meeting the pre-defined threshold to the Saputo IT leadership Committee for approval.
• Performance and Reporting Management: You will leverage the pre-defined PMO processes, tools, and techniques to ensure timely and appropriate generation, and distribution of project progress and status information to project stakeholders.
• Resource Management: You will be responsible for managing the resources of the project, including the capacity, defining the roles and responsibilities, creating a staffing plan, obtaining appropriate skilled resources, and managing shared capacity.
• Issue/Risk Management/Quality: You will enforce the timely capture of project risks and issues by all team members, and will track, manage, resolve, or escalate project problems that impact the project's ability to meet the IT commitments as they pertain to schedule, resources, costs, quality.
• Vendor and System Integrator Management: You will lead relationships with external vendors and system integrators, including defining statements of work, supporting contract negotiations, establishing delivery governance, managing financials and change controls, and ensuring vendor performance meets contractual and project expectations. You will proactively address delivery risks, dependencies, and integration challenges across internal and external teams.
• Working with the IT PMO team to define and manage the required quality gates to perform quality planning, quality assurance, and quality control activities. You will be responsible for getting the Deliverable signoffs from the various stakeholders and ensuring that all expectations are met.
• Contribute to the improvement of the PMO Tools and Processes, coach, and support IT resources in the development of their project management skills.

You are best suited for the role if you have the following qualifications:

• Experience in manufacturing environments (Consumer Packaged Goods preferred) or related industry
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to motivate in a team-oriented, collaborative environment; ability to provide updates to Director and VP levels; adept at building relationships with internal teams and external partners
• Experience reporting to and working with senior management and steering committees with stakeholders in IT and the Business
• Strong Business Acumen
• Experience managing Projects end to end from Initiation to Project Closure. This would include building Project Plans, Managing Resources, forecasting project budgets over $1M, tracking actuals, leading Steering Committees etc.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Information Systems, Engineering, Business Administration, or equivalent work experience
• Project Management certification or successful completion of a recognized project management curriculum (i.e. PMP, Prince II)
• SCRUM Master certification or successful completion of projects in hybrid or agile environments (asset)
• A minimum of 8 years of total IT project delivery experience, of which 3-5 years include leading full delivery lifecycle as well as managing a diverse team
• Experience delivering large projects or programs with complex application delivery
• Experience managing multiple system integrators
• Experience managing a global Deployment is an asset
• Experience delivering AI Use Case from Minimal Viable Product to full scale deployment (asset)
• Ability to multitask and manage competing priorities under pressure
• Ability to work independently and as part of a delivery team
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to coordinate 20+ shared resources and collaborate at all levels. Strong people management skills including delegation, motivation, coaching, and conflict management capabilities.
• Ability to operate in complex, fast-paced project environment with interdependencies spanning multiple work-streams, teams, business divisions, geographies, time zones, & languages.
• Experience managing packaged software and SaaS implementation methodologies. Cross functional exposure, including Manufacturing, Supply Chain and HR/Payroll an asset
• Expert-level proficiency in MS Office (i.e. Word, PowerPoint, MS Project Professional and Excel) and SharePoint.
• French/English bilingual competency is an asset
• Product management knowledge or working experience is an asset.

We support and take care of our employees and their families by offering :

• Generous and complete benefit coverage with group insurance
• Group retirement plan with employer contribution
• Telemedicine and assistance program for employees and their families
• Employee Share Ownership Plan with an employer match
• Paid Parental Leave program
• Paid time off: Sick days, floater days and volunteer day off
• Opportunity to contribute to a collective RRSP & TFSA
• Training and development programs
• Saputo Flex Program, flexible work environment (schedule/location/time off) according to department needs
• Organized activities for employees and their families
• Advantageous discounts on Saputo products

Salary: 92,795$ to 121,795$

*Salary offers will vary commensurate with experience, education, skills, and training.

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STATEMENT ON AI

All applications are carefully considered by our Talent Acquisition team.

Artificial Intelligence tools may be used in screening applications.

Artificial Intelligence is not used to assess or select applications.

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In Canada, Saputo is a leading cheese manufacturer and fluid milk and cream processor, with a portfolio of well-loved brands such as Dairyland, Armstrong, Neilson, Alexis de Portneuf, and many more. Whether your expertise lies in manufacturing, operations, supply chain management, sales, quality assurance, or in any other function, your role is integral to our success. You will make contributions that matter, all while working alongside colleagues who genuinely care about your success and who will roll up their sleeves to help.

The material contained herein is provided for informational purposes only. All open jobs offered by Saputo Inc. and all companies, corporations, partnerships, limited partnerships and other entities controlled by Saputo Inc. (collectively, “Saputo”) on Saputo's web site are subject to specific job skill requirements. The job skill requirements, qualifications, and preferred experience are determined by a Saputo subsidiary, office or department, and all positions are subject to local prevailing employment laws and restrictions. This would include immigration laws pertaining to work authorization requirements and any other applicable government permissions or compliance. The materials on this site are provided without warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information contained on this site or in any referenced links. While Saputo attempts to update this site on a timely basis, the information is effective only as of the time and date of posting. Strict confidentiality will be observed at all times. Saputo is an equal opportunity employer. The information on this site is for information purposes only and is not intended to be relied upon with legal consequence.

We support employment equity. Saputo strives to embed diversity and inclusion in its operations and invites candidates from all horizons to join its family. Saputo welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations up to the point of undue hardships, are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.