Program Manager

Overview Applications Program Lead (Contract | Manufacturing Factory Stand-Up – Regulated Industry). Position Overview: We are seeking an experienced Applications Program Lead to drive the end-to-end delivery of manufacturing and enterprise application capabilities for a new factory stand-up over a 2-year program. The Program Lead will own the application workstream across MES (TrakSYS), WMS (Blue Yonder), SAP integrations, and supporting plant systems, ensuring alignment with engineering commissioning, validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), and production readiness milestones. Travel requirement: ~50% between locations. Responsibilities Program Leadership & Execution Lead the application program workstream for greenfield factory deployment, aligned to construction, commissioning, and production timelines. Develop and execute integrated program plans, including phased go-live strategy, cutover, hypercare, and stabilization. Manage scope, schedule, risks, dependencies, and stakeholder alignment across the IT applications workstream. Provide executive-ready status, risks, and decision points to leadership. Manufacturing & Enterprise Applications Delivery Lead POC, build, deployment, and integration of MES (TrakSYS), WMS (Blue Yonder), SAP (ERP integrations), and supporting plant systems (labeling, reporting, shop-floor data, quality systems). Replicate and optimize application capabilities from current site to the new factory. Ensure all solutions meet regulated environmental requirements (traceability, auditability, compliance). Architecture, Infrastructure & Licensing Partner with IT infrastructure and architecture teams to design and deliver application environments (servers, storage, compute), database platforms (performance, HA/DR, backup/recovery), and system integrations. Lead software licensing consolidation, compliance, and cost optimization across both sites. Requirements, Testing & Business Readiness Lead business and functional requirements development (BRDs, user cases, traceability). Own UAT strategy and execution (test planning, script development, execution, defect management, and sign-off). Drive business readiness (SOP alignment, role mapping, training plans, and user adoption support). Validation & Commissioning (IQ / OQ / PQ Alignment) Partner with Engineering and Quality to support validation activities aligned to IQ/OQ/PQ milestones and required documentation for regulated system readiness. Ensure applications are synchronized with equipment commissioning and line qualification schedules. IT Relocation & Deployment (Plant + Office) Develop and execute relocation plans for IT assets (printers, labels, scanners, HMIs, end-user devices, monitors, peripherals, and collaboration tools). Coordinate device staging, provisioning, asset tracking, and floor deployment. Site Decommissioning Lead decommission of application systems and IT assets at the current location, including data archival/retention, license termination or reallocation, and hardware disposition documentation. Vendor & Stakeholder Management Manage system integrators and key vendors (MES, WMS, SAP ecosystem). Ensure delivery quality, timeline adherence, and documentation completeness; drive cross-functional alignment and decision-making across business and IT leaders. Key Deliverables Fully operational application ecosystem supporting the new factory launch. Successful execution of multiple phased go-lives with minimal disruption. Validated and compliant systems aligned to regulatory requirements. Consolidated and optimized licensing and infrastructure footprint. Clean decommission of legacy systems and site assets. Qualifications Required: 10+ years of experience leading large-scale IT/application programs in manufacturing environments. Required: Proven experience delivering greenfield or multi-site factory deployments. Deep experience with MES (TrakSYS preferred), WMS (Blue Yonder preferred), and SAP integrations. Strong background in requirements management, UAT, and business readiness; complex system integrations and plant deployments; program governance, risk management, and executive reporting. Experience in a regulated manufacturing environment (tobacco, pharma, food, or similar); ability to support IQ/OQ/PQ or equivalent validation processes; strong stakeholder leadership and communication skills. Preferred Qualifications Experience with shop-floor/OT systems, data historians, labeling/print systems. Familiarity with industrial networks and plant device deployment. PMP or equivalent program management certification. Experience with multi-site IT consolidation or carve-out programs. Working Conditions Contract details: 18–24 months; on-site required with off-hour support during key deployment phases. Travel: 30–50% as needed for site coordination and cutover support. Hybrid of plant floor, construction/commissioning environment, and office settings. Note Equal opportunity employer statement: Everforth Apex is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics and will consider qualified applicants in compliance with applicable law. #J-18808-Ljbffr Apex Systems