Senior Program Manager - MES

Job Description

Our client is actively seeking a Sr. Program Manager to support their growing IT initiatives focused around their manufacturing sites.

This opportunity will be 3 days onsite in North Chicago, IL

Overview

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• This person will develop and maintain the project plan, coordinate approximately 20 stakeholders, manage resources and dependencies, track risks, and drive deliverables through completion.
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• The role requires a hands-on project leader who can work across Quality, Operations, Technical Operations, IT, and other site functions. Strong project management experience is more important than specific pharmaceutical, manufacturing, or system experience.
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Key Responsibilities

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• Build and maintain the integrated project plan, including milestones, dependencies, resources, and effort estimates.
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• Coordinate cross-functional stakeholders and clarify ownership, timelines, and deliverables.
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• Track project progress, risks, issues, decisions, and action items.
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• Lead status meetings and provide clear project updates to leadership.
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• Follow up consistently on commitments and address delays or resource constraints.
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• Push back when deliverables are incomplete or deadlines are at risk.
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• Escalate issues appropriately when additional support or decisions are needed.
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• Maintain project documentation and support successful project execution through completion.
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Required Qualifications

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• Significant experience leading medium-sized projects from planning through completion.
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• Strong skills in project planning, scheduling, resource coordination, and risk management.
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• Experience using Microsoft Project, Excel, PowerPoint, or comparable project management tools.
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• Strong communication, organization, and leadership skills.
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• Ability to drive accountability without direct authority.
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• Comfortable taking ownership, challenging missed commitments, and escalating issues.
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• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams in a hybrid, site-based environment.
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Preferred Qualifications

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• Pharmaceutical, GMP, regulated manufacturing, quality, validation, or site operations experience.
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• Experience with MES, manufacturing systems, or technical implementation projects.
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• PMP or comparable project management certification.
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• Experience supporting cutovers or implementation activities.
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