Senior Project Manager - MES / Manufacturing Systems Implementation

Senior Project Manager – MES / Manufacturing Systems Implementation

POMSnet Aquila | Pharmaceutical Manufacturing | Product Readiness

Location: North Chicago, IL

Contract: 14+ months

Schedule: Hybrid – onsite Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; remote Monday and Friday

Automated Systems, Inc. (ASI) is seeking an experienced to support the implementation and product-readiness phase of a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) with one of our global pharmaceutical manufacturing clients whose facility is located in North Chicago, IL.

This role is focused on driving execution and readiness, not software development. You will coordinate Manufacturing, MES/IT, Quality, Validation, Training, and other site stakeholders to bring products successfully into the MES environment. The project involves POMSnet Aquila, a pharmaceutical MES used to manage electronic recipes, manufacturing execution, electronic batch records, and related production processes. Direct POMSnet experience is preferred but is not required for the right candidate with strong MES, manufacturing systems, or regulated pharmaceutical implementation experience.

What You'll Be Doing

• Own and maintain the integrated implementation and product-readiness plan, including deliverables, owners, dependencies, milestones, and readiness criteria.
• Coordinate the activities required to bring products into the MES environment, including recipe completion, testing, issue resolution, procedure updates, approvals, and training.
• Secure commitments from Manufacturing, MES/IT, Quality, Validation, Training, SMEs, reviewers, testers, and operators.
• Coordinate production windows and other site resources required for testing, training, and implementation activities.
• Track dependencies, risks, issues, overdue actions, and schedule impacts.
• Identify obstacles early and develop practical recovery plans when activities fall behind schedule.
• Facilitate focused working sessions and drive decisions, actions, and follow-up.
• Work across a matrix organization to resolve competing priorities and obtain resources without direct authority.
• Communicate project status, risks, resource constraints, and decisions needed to project leadership.
• Adjust sequencing and priorities as manufacturing schedules change while protecting critical implementation milestones.
• Confirm required testing, documentation, approvals, and training are complete before products transition to routine use.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for a strong project execution leader rather than a specific software developer or technical specialist.

Qualifications:

• 7+ years of project or program management experience.
• Experience leading complex, cross-functional projects involving multiple stakeholders and shared resources.
• Demonstrated ability to manage schedules, dependencies, risks, issues, action items, and recovery plans.
• Strong experience influencing people and securing commitments without direct authority.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, facilitation, and follow-up skills.
• Experience working in a matrixed organization with competing priorities.
• The ability to work effectively with Manufacturing, IT, Quality, Engineering, Validation, and/or Operations teams.
• Strong organizational judgment and the ability to know when to negotiate, when to escalate, and when to drive a decision.

Relevant experience in the following; Industry / Technical Experience preferred:

• Pharmaceutical or biotech manufacturing
• Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
• Electronic Batch Records (EBR)
• Manufacturing or production systems implementations
• GMP / GxP regulated environments
• Computerized System Validation (CSV) or Computerized System Assurance (CSA)
• Recipe or Master Batch Record implementation
• Manufacturing operational readiness
• Technology transfer / product launch readiness
• Quality or validation systems
• SAP, LIMS, MES, or other manufacturing systems

Why This Role

This is an opportunity to join a significant MES implementation at an established pharmaceutical manufacturing site and play a key role in moving products through the final stages of system readiness, testing, training, and operational deployment.

The ideal candidate is someone who enjoys making complicated projects move, coordinating people, resolving obstacles, managing competing priorities, and keeping stakeholders accountable for delivery.