Project Manager

Senior Project Manager – Customer Projects & Contract Execution

Company: Virginia Transformer Corp.

Location: Rincon, GA

Job Type: Full-Time | On-Site

On the Heels of Achieving 3X Growth, Virginia Transformer Is Hiring to Do It Again!

Virginia Transformer is the largest U.S.-owned manufacturer of power transformers in North America, delivering custom-engineered power solutions to utilities, industrial customers, renewable energy providers, and data centers.

After achieving 3X growth , we are preparing for our next 3X growth cycle , expanding our manufacturing capabilities, strengthening our leadership teams, and investing in the people and processes that will drive our continued success.

With multiple manufacturing facilities across North America and continued investment in additional capacity, Virginia Transformer offers an opportunity to join a rapidly growing organization where accountability, execution, and customer commitment are essential.

We are looking for experienced professionals who thrive in fast-paced, engineered-to-order manufacturing environments and are ready to help drive the next phase of our growth.

One Team. One Mission. One Source.

Position Summary - Senior Project Manager – Customer Projects & Contract Execution

Virginia Transformer is seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to provide executive-level oversight and leadership for large, complex, customer-driven projects involving the design, manufacturing, testing, and delivery of custom power transformers.

This position is responsible for managing the complete project lifecycle, ensuring that customer orders are executed in accordance with contractual technical specifications, commercial terms, delivery commitments, quality standards, and financial objectives.

The Senior Project Manager will serve as a primary point of contact for customers, including senior-level customer executives, while coordinating cross-functional activities involving Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Testing, Logistics, Sales, and other operational disciplines.

This role requires a highly proactive, detail-oriented leader who maintains direct visibility into project execution, physically verifies manufacturing progress, identifies deviations early, and holds both internal teams and customers accountable to agreed contractual obligations.

The successful candidate will combine strong project management discipline, commercial contract expertise, operational understanding, and executive-level communication skills to ensure successful project delivery and customer satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities

Project Management & Execution

• Lead and manage large, complex customer projects, including long-duration, multi-unit orders, from order acceptance through manufacturing, testing, delivery, and contractual closeout.
• Establish comprehensive project execution plans, schedules, milestones, deliverables, and accountability measures.
• Maintain complete oversight of project performance against contractual requirements, technical specifications, delivery commitments, and financial objectives.
• Proactively monitor project progress to ensure orders are completed on time, to specification, and within agreed contractual scope.
• Identify potential schedule delays, production constraints, technical issues, and commercial risks before they impact customer commitments.
• Conduct regular project reviews and establish corrective action plans when deviations occur.
• Maintain accurate project documentation, milestone tracking, risk registers, and executive-level status reports.
• Drive project execution with a strong sense of urgency, ownership, and accountability.

Cross-Functional Operations Leadership

• Coordinate all functional disciplines involved in project execution, including Engineering, Manufacturing, Planning, Procurement, Supply Chain, Quality, Testing, Logistics, and Customer Service.
• Ensure alignment between customer requirements and internal manufacturing capabilities, schedules, and resources.
• Work directly with plant leadership and functional managers to resolve issues impacting project execution.
• Monitor engineering releases, material availability, production schedules, manufacturing progress, testing, and shipment readiness.
• Conduct regular in-person reviews of manufacturing operations to physically verify project progress and identify potential execution gaps.
• Challenge reported project status when necessary and independently validate critical milestones and deliverables.
• Facilitate cross-functional problem-solving to eliminate obstacles and maintain customer delivery commitments.
• Escalate significant operational risks and deviations to appropriate leadership with clear recommendations and recovery plans.

Customer & Executive-Level Relationship Management

• Serve as a senior-level representative of Virginia Transformer in customer project meetings, reviews, and escalations.
• Develop and maintain professional relationships with customer executives, project leaders, engineering teams, and commercial representatives.
• Communicate project status, milestones, risks, corrective actions, and delivery commitments clearly and professionally.
• Manage challenging customer discussions involving schedules, scope changes, technical requirements, and contractual obligations.
• Demonstrate the confidence and commercial judgment necessary to represent Virginia Transformer in high-level customer negotiations.
• Ensure customer expectations remain aligned with agreed contractual requirements and approved project scope.
• Maintain strong customer relationships while protecting Virginia Transformer's contractual, operational, and commercial interests.

Contract Management & Commercial Accountability

• Develop a thorough understanding of customer contracts, including commercial terms, scope of supply, delivery obligations, payment milestones, change provisions, and contractual terms and conditions.
• Ensure project execution remains consistent with signed contractual agreements and approved technical specifications.
• Hold customers accountable to agreed scope, commercial terms, technical requirements, and contractual obligations.
• Identify requests or expectations that fall outside the agreed contract and ensure appropriate commercial and technical responses are developed.
• Evaluate scope changes, schedule modifications, and customer-requested deviations for potential financial, operational, and contractual impacts.
• Coordinate with Sales, Contracts, Engineering, and executive leadership to address contract deviations and change orders.
• When deviations result from Virginia Transformer deliverables, coordinate internal corrective actions and recovery plans.
• When deviations result from customer requests or requirements outside the agreed contract, develop clear, fact-based contractual responses and appropriate change-order recommendations.
• Protect the company's commercial position while maintaining professional and productive customer relationships.
• Support resolution of contractual disputes, delivery concerns, and customer escalations.

Manufacturing Progress Monitoring & Delivery Assurance

• Maintain rigorous, hands-on oversight of active customer orders throughout the manufacturing process.
• Regularly visit manufacturing areas to verify actual progress against established schedules and project milestones.
• Confirm that products are being manufactured in accordance with approved drawings, technical specifications, quality requirements, and contractual commitments.
• Track critical-path activities and identify potential delays involving engineering, materials, fabrication, assembly, testing, and shipment.
• Validate reported production progress through direct observation and discussions with manufacturing leadership.
• Ensure potential delivery risks are identified early and communicated with appropriate recovery strategies.
• Drive accountability for schedule adherence, specification compliance, and completion of contractual deliverables.
• Coordinate final testing, customer inspections, documentation, and shipment readiness to ensure successful project completion.

Risk Management, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Establish and maintain project risk assessments covering schedule, technical performance, commercial exposure, quality, and customer commitments.
• Develop mitigation plans and escalate significant risks before they affect contractual performance.
• Provide executive leadership with accurate, concise reporting on project health, delivery performance, customer issues, and financial exposure.
• Identify recurring project execution issues and recommend improvements to processes, controls, and cross-functional coordination.
• Support standardization of project management practices, reporting systems, contract administration, and escalation procedures.
• Promote a culture of accountability, proactive communication, disciplined execution, and continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of progressive project management experience, with additional experience strongly preferred. An engineering background is preferred but not required.
• Previous experience in a Senior Project Manager, Project Management Manager, Program Manager, or comparable project leadership role .
• Demonstrated success managing large, complex projects involving multiple operational and technical disciplines.
• Formal project management training and a recognized project management certification, such as PMP (Project Management Professional) or equivalent.
• Strong experience managing customer-facing projects with significant contractual, technical, financial, and delivery requirements.
• Proven ability to coordinate the full range of operational functions involved in project execution.
• Experience reviewing, interpreting, and administering commercial contracts, including scope, terms and conditions, change orders, and delivery obligations.
• Demonstrated ability to engage and communicate effectively with senior-level customer executives and internal leadership.
• Strong understanding of project scheduling, milestone management, risk assessment, issue resolution, and performance reporting.
• Ability to manage contractual deviations, customer escalations, and commercially sensitive discussions with professionalism and sound judgment.
• Proven ability to independently verify project progress and drive accountability across multiple functional teams.
• Strong analytical, organizational, negotiation, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Willingness to maintain a regular physical presence in manufacturing operations and travel as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Project Management, Business, or a related discipline preferred but not required; an engineering degree is especially valued.
• Experience in engineered-to-order (ETO) or custom manufacturing environments.
• Background in power transformers, electrical equipment, switchgear, heavy industrial equipment, capital equipment, or similar technically complex products.
• Experience managing projects involving large industrial manufacturing operations and extended production lead times.
• Familiarity with manufacturing processes, engineering specifications, quality requirements, testing, and logistics.
• Experience managing major customer contracts with utilities, industrial organizations, EPC contractors, or data center customers.
• Experience using ERP systems, project management software, and project performance dashboards.
• Demonstrated success resolving complex contractual disputes, scope changes, and project delivery challenges.

Key Competencies

• Executive Presence: Ability to confidently represent the organization in senior-level customer discussions.
• Commercial Acumen: Strong understanding of contractual obligations, scope management, and financial exposure.
• Operational Awareness: Ability to understand manufacturing activities, identify execution risks, and independently verify progress.
• Accountability: Willingness to challenge assumptions, enforce commitments, and drive timely resolution of issues.
• Proactive Project Oversight: Exceptional attention to detail and relentless monitoring of project milestones and deliverables.
• Customer Management: Ability to maintain productive relationships while firmly enforcing agreed contractual terms.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Ability to influence Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, and other functions without relying solely on direct reporting authority.
• Problem Solving: Ability to evaluate complex technical and commercial issues and develop practical solutions.
• Results Orientation: Strong commitment to on-time delivery, specification compliance, and successful project execution.

Work Location & Expectations

This is a full-time, on-site position based in Rincon, Georgia

The Senior Project Manager must be comfortable working directly with plant leadership, manufacturing teams, technical personnel, and customer representatives.

Regular engagement on the manufacturing floor is an essential component of the position. Travel between Virginia Transformer manufacturing facilities and customer locations may be required.

Why Join Virginia Transformer?

Virginia Transformer is entering another significant phase of growth, creating opportunities for experienced leaders to make a measurable impact on our operations and customer relationships.

This position offers the opportunity to manage major customer projects, collaborate directly with executive leadership, and contribute to the continued growth of one of North America's leading power transformer manufacturers.

Join Virginia Transformer and help power our next 3X growth cycle.