Our client is seeking an experienced Project Manager to lead large-scale engineering and manufacturing projects from initial planning and design through manufacturing, installation, commissioning, and final customer handover.
This role is responsible for overseeing the full project lifecycle, serving as the primary point of contact for customers and coordinating cross-functional teams to ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and in accordance with contractual requirements and quality standards.
The successful candidate will bring a strong background in project management within an industrial manufacturing or engineering environment, along with the technical knowledge, organizational skills, and commercial awareness required to manage complex projects and maintain strong customer relationships.
Key Responsibilities
Project Management & Execution
- Lead projects from initial sales handover and project initiation through execution, commissioning, customer acceptance, and final closeout.
- Review contracts, quotations, technical specifications, drawings, commercial terms, and project documentation to establish project scope, deliverables, assumptions, exclusions, and potential risks.
- Coordinate project kickoff meetings and establish schedules, milestones, communication plans, documentation requirements, and reporting processes.
- Develop and maintain comprehensive project schedules covering engineering, submittals, procurement, manufacturing, quality assurance, shipping, installation, startup, and customer acceptance.
- Monitor project progress against established timelines, budgets, and deliverables, implementing corrective and recovery plans as required.
Customer & Stakeholder Management
- Act as the primary point of contact for customers throughout the project lifecycle.
- Build and maintain strong working relationships with customers, contractors, consultants, suppliers, and internal stakeholders.
- Lead customer meetings, project reviews, and design reviews, providing clear updates on progress, technical requirements, schedule changes, risks, and key decisions.
- Manage customer expectations, resolve concerns, and coordinate internal resources to address inquiries and project challenges.
- Escalate significant issues and risks when management support or intervention is required.
Cross-Functional Coordination
- Coordinate project activities across Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Finance, Installation, and other relevant departments.
- Work closely with Engineering to coordinate drawings, P&IDs, bills of materials (BOMs), programming, submittals, and other technical deliverables.
- Collaborate with Manufacturing and Supply Chain to manage procurement, material availability, production schedules, and manufacturing progress.
- Coordinate quality inspections, quality assurance requirements, factory acceptance testing (FAT), and customer acceptance criteria.
- Track departmental deliverables, dependencies, and action items to ensure milestones and responsibilities are met.
Risk, Issue & Change Management
- Identify, assess, and monitor project risks, schedule delays, technical challenges, and discrepancies between contractual requirements and project execution.
- Develop and implement mitigation strategies and corrective action plans.
- Evaluate the impact of project changes on scope, cost, schedule, quality, and customer commitments.
- Prepare and manage change orders, ensuring all changes are properly documented, communicated, and approved before implementation.
- Escalate significant risks, unresolved issues, and decisions requiring management input.
Financial & Commercial Management
- Monitor project financial performance in collaboration with Finance and management.
- Support project forecasting, budget monitoring, and the identification of commercial risks.
- Coordinate project invoicing and assist with resolving billing issues and completing commercial closeout.
- Ensure customer requests and approved changes are accurately reflected in project documentation and commercial records.
Logistics, Installation & Commissioning
- Coordinate equipment delivery, shipping logistics, site readiness, and installation schedules.
- Manage installation activities and coordinate third-party contractors, vendors, and other project resources.
- Oversee startup, commissioning, site acceptance testing (SAT), and customer training.
- Ensure technical issues are resolved and contractual requirements for project completion and customer acceptance are achieved.
Reporting & Project Closeout
- Maintain accurate project schedules, status reports, risk registers, action logs, change orders, and project records.
- Provide regular updates to management and customers regarding progress, schedules, financial performance, risks, and issues requiring decisions.
- Coordinate customer acceptance, outstanding deliverables, punch-list completion, final documentation, and project handover.
- Support final billing, lessons-learned reviews, and the completion and archiving of project documentation.
- Identify opportunities to improve project delivery processes and operational efficiency.
Qualifications & Experience
- Minimum of 5 years of project management experience within industrial manufacturing, engineering, automation, or a related industry.
- Proven ability to manage complex projects, including budgets, schedules, technical deliverables, and customer relationships.
- Experience working in a manufacturing environment with a strong focus on safety, quality, and operational efficiency.
- Working knowledge of AutoCAD and SolidWorks.
- Experience with PLC controls, automation design, and SCADA systems.
- Experience managing contractors, vendors, suppliers, and cross-functional project teams.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, engineering principles, and industrial project execution.
- Experience with budgeting, procurement, stakeholder management, and contractor coordination.
Education & Certifications
- University degree or diploma in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is considered an asset.
- Training or experience in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement is an asset.
- Understanding of applicable industrial safety standards and regulations.
Required Skills & Competencies
- Strong project planning, organizational, and time management skills.
- Excellent communication, customer service, and stakeholder management abilities.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, risk assessment, and decision-making skills.
- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritize competing demands, and meet deadlines.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
- Proficiency with project management software and scheduling tools.
- High attention to detail and a commitment to quality and accountability.
- Ability to work independently while fostering collaboration across multidisciplinary teams.
- Adaptability, resourcefulness, and a continuous improvement mindset.
Leadership & Working Environment
This position does not have direct reports but provides leadership, direction, and coordination to multidisciplinary project teams. The Project Manager is expected to exercise sound judgment, facilitate effective communication, resolve issues, and keep projects aligned with established objectives and company standards.
The role offers a combination of office-based project planning and coordination, along with hands-on exposure to manufacturing operations and project sites.
Working conditions include:
- Monday to Friday, with hours aligned to regular business operations.
- Occasional weekend and holiday availability may be required to meet project deadlines.
- Travel of approximately 15% annually.
- Approximately 70% office-based work and 30% on-the-floor manufacturing or project-site work.
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) is required when entering production areas and project sites.
The Opportunity
This is an opportunity for a technically minded Project Manager to take ownership of complex industrial projects, work closely with customers and multidisciplinary teams, and contribute to successful project delivery from concept through commissioning and handover.
