Senior Program Manager - MES

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

• This person will develop and maintain the project plan, coordinate approximately 20 stakeholders, manage resources and dependencies, track risks, and drive deliverables through completion.
• 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.

Key Responsibilities

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

Required Qualifications

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

Preferred Qualifications

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