Project Manager

Description POSITION SUMMARY : Join FAREVA Morton Grove, a leading contract manufacturer in the beauty and makeup industry, specializing in our innovations in tubes, jars, bottles, and cutting-edge filling and compounding technologies. As the Project Manager, you will lead a portfolio of multiple moderate-complexity projects (5–10 projects/year, 2–5M units/year) across 2–4 customers. You will lead cross-functional teams and successfully manage projects from planning through execution, ensuring on-time, on-cost, and on-quality delivery. This pivotal role will be the cornerstone of customer satisfaction, masterfully executing R&D and Customer Technical Transfer launches on schedule and with precision, safety, and industry leading quality. This ever-evolving position will dynamically evolve alongside business exigencies, fortifying site growth and propelling us into a time of unmatched acceleration and improvement. It may also involve mentoring junior staff. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Project Development and Management (40%) Independent Leader: Leads moderate-complexity projects (5–10 projects/year, 2M–5M units/year) across 2–4 customers. Acts as the voice of the project with stakeholders. Feasibility Assessment: Conducts feasibility studies to evaluate project viability and identify potential risks and resource needs. Scope Definition: Collaborates with customer and other stakeholders to define project scope, objectives, and deliverables. Cross-Functional Leadership: Leads cross-functional teams including R&D, Sales, Supply Chain, and Operations, fostering collaboration and open communication. Budget Oversight: Manages and tracks project expenditures, such as trial spend and launch COGS, to ensure profitability. Performance Metrics: Measures key performance indicators (KPIs) for project success such as Right First Time and Customer Service achievement. Project Planning and Supply Chain Monitoring (20%) Timeline Management: Builds and maintains full project plans, managing dependencies, and tracking milestones to ensure on-time delivery. Resource Planning: Strategically allocates resources to ensure optimal utilization and prioritization. Material Risk Mitigation: Identifies potential material risks in collaboration with supply chain and quality teams, and develops strategies to mitigate their impact. Lead Time Analysis: Analyzes lead times, factoring in production schedules and capacity constraints, to communicate realistic timelines. Change Management, Decision Making and Risk Mitigation (20%) Change Impact Analyst: Leads change assessments and communication plans. Change Communication Expert: Develops and implements effective communication strategies that keep all stakeholders informed throughout the change journey. Collaborative Decision Facilitator: Fosters a collaborative decision-making environment, facilitating discussions to arrive at robust solutions Lessons Learned Champion: Facilitates data driven post-project evaluations and captures lessons learned to refine strategies. Contingency Planning Prodigy: Develops robust contingency plans for capacity, material supply, and quality risks. Troubleshooting and Continuous Improvement (10%) Process Enhancer: Optionally leads process improvement or training initiatives. Resilient Optimism: Maintains a positive outlook, leveraging setbacks as opportunities to learn and refine approaches. Engineering and Technical Support (10%) Technical Liaison: Serves as the bridge between engineering teams and stakeholders, ensuring alignment between project goals and technical requirements. Technology Integration Champion: Stays updated on relevant technical advancements, advocating for their integration when needed. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Fosters collaboration between engineering teams and other departments to facilitate effective execution and acceptance testing. Quality and Safety Compliance (Constant) Compliance Champion: Promotes cGMP compliance within the workplace by following site procedures. Risk Mitigation Master: Identifies potential quality and safety risks proactively, devising and implementing risk management strategies. Quality Documentation Guru: Ensures meticulous documentation of quality and safety procedures and outcomes. Educational Stewardship: Provides mentorship and training to junior team members on best practices in quality and safety. REQUIRED EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE: 3-6 years project management experience in a manufacturing/production environment Proven track record on managing projects and delivering on time, on cost and on quality. Exposure to production environment & interaction of packaging, process, manufacturing preferably in the personal care products or similar industry. Understanding of new product development processes & stage gate approach. Knowledge of Microsoft Project, SmartSheet, Monday.com, Jira or other equivalent project management-related software. Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft PowerPoint skills. Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent from a four-year accredited college or university typically a degree in the Sciences, Engineering, Operations, Business or a related discipline. Fluency in English (spoken and written). ADDITIONAL ELIGIBLITY QUALIFICATION: Experience with an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system such as SAP or other related software and general understanding of MRP(Material Requirements Planning) logic is a plus. PMP Certification, CAPM or equivalent certification is a plus. LSS (Lean Six Sigma) Green or Black Belt certification is a plus. Fluency in French or Spanish is a plus.