Contract Logistics Customer Onboarding Lead Project Manager EMEA (D&L Consumer)

Kuehne+Nagel; Geel; On-site; EUR 100,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Kuehne+Nagel is seeking a seasoned Customer Onboarding Lead Project Manager to drive large-scale logistics transformations across Europe. You will lead programs from initiation to go-live, coordinating cross-functional teams and managing budgets, risks, and timelines.

Travel up to 80% across Europe is required as you partner with customers and stakeholders. You will guide system migrations, automation initiatives, and UAT, ensuring delivery on time, within scope, and within budget while

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of experience leading large-scale onboarding and transformation projects.
• Formal Project Management certification (PMP/PRINCE2) is required.
• Experience guiding cross-functional, international project teams.
• Strong financial acumen with budget, change orders, and risk management.
• Experience with WMS implementations or warehouse start-ups is highly desirable.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end onboarding and implementation programs across Europe.
• Serve as primary contact and trusted advisor to customers.
• Develop and manage comprehensive project plans with milestones.
• Govern projects with status reports, steering committees, and updates.
• Identify risks, implement mitigations, and manage escalations.
• Control project scope, changes, and alignment with expectations.
• Lead cross-functional teams across Operations, IT, Engineering, and Automation.
• Coordinate migrations, automation, testing, and UAT activities.
• Oversee implementation budgets and ensure delivery within cost parameters.
• Lead go-live, handover, and lessons learned for continuous improvement.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Budget management

WMS implementations

Automation projects

Education

PMP or PRINCE2 certification

Tools

MS Project

Job description

It’s more than a job

We are seeking a highly experienced Customer Onboarding Lead Project Manager to lead large-scale, high-impact logistics transformation programs across Europe. This is a senior role requiring a proven track record of successfully delivering complex customer implementations, warehouse start-ups, automation projects, and multi-site operational transformations

The position can be based in the Kempen area (Belgium), Milan (Italy), Bucharest (Romania), or Wroclaw (Poland). The role requires up to 80% travel across Europe, primarily during business days, to support customer implementations, project milestones, stakeholder workshops, and go-live activities

As a Customer Onboarding Lead Project Manager, you will lead complex customer onboarding and implementation projects from initiation through go-live and handover. Acting as the primary point of contact and trusted advisor for customers, you will coordinate cross-functional teams, manage project risks, budgets, timelines, and stakeholder expectations, and ensure successful delivery of strategic logistics and supply chain transformation projects. Working closely with Operations, Engineering, IT, Automation, and Customer stakeholders, you will drive projects to completion while ensuring delivery on time, within scope, and within budget.

How you create impact

• Lead end-to-end customer onboarding and implementation projects, including large-scale and strategic customer programs;
• Serve as the primary point of contact and trusted advisor throughout the project lifecycle;
• Develop and manage comprehensive project plans, ensuring critical milestones and timelines are achieved;
• Drive project governance through regular status reporting, steering committee meetings, and executive stakeholder updates;
• Identify project risks and issues, develop mitigation plans, and proactively manage project escalations;
• Manage project scope, change requests, and ensure alignment between customer expectations and project deliverables;
• Lead cross-functional project teams including Operations, IT, Engineering, Automation, and Customer stakeholders;
• Coordinate and oversee system migrations, automation implementations, testing activities, and user acceptance testing (UAT);
• Manage implementation budgets, monitor financial performance, and ensure successful delivery within approved cost parameters;
• Lead go-live activities, project handover processes, and lessons learned reviews to ensure continuous improvement.

What we would like you to bring

• Minimum 8-10 years of experience in project management, preferably within logistics, supply chain, contract logistics, warehousing, automation, or transportation environments;
• Proven experience managing large-scale customer onboarding, implementation, or transformation projects;
• Formal Project Management certification such as PMP (PMI), PRINCE2, or an equivalent qualification is required;
• Strong knowledge of project management methodologies, governance, risk management, and stakeholder management;
• Experience leading cross-functional and international project teams in a complex matrix organization;
• Strong financial and commercial acumen with experience managing project budgets, change requests, and project risks;
• Experience with WMS implementations, automation projects, systems migrations, warehouse start-ups, or operational transformations is highly desirable;
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and customer relationship management skills;
• Ability to work independently, influence senior stakeholders, and perform effectively under pressure and tight deadlines;
• Willingness to travel regularly, primarily within Europe, is essential for this role;
• Fluent English communication skills, both written and spoken; additional European languages are considered a strong advantage.

What’s in it for you

At Kuehne+Nagel, you will have the opportunity to grow your expertise, shape processes, and deliver innovative solutions for some of the world’s largest customers. We are continuously expanding our global network and product portfolio, creating career opportunities across diverse functions and regions. As a leader in the logistics industry, we offer a collaborative, digital, and customer-focused environment where you will work with motivated colleagues from around the world.

Who we are

Logistics shapes everyday life - from the goods we consume to the healthcare we rely on. At Kuehne+Nagel, your work goes beyond logistics; it enables both ordinary and special moments in the lives of people around the world.

As a global leader with a strong heritage and a vision to move the world forward, we offer a safe, stable environment where your career can make a real difference. Whether we help deliver life-saving medicines, develop sustainable transportation solutions or support our local communities, your career will contribute to more than you can imagine.

Kuehne + Nagel is an equal employment/affirmative action employer. If you require an accommodation for any part of the online application process due to a disability, please contact the Employee Services HR Help Desk at 1-800-267-1326 during the hours of 8:00am - 5:00pm EST; Monday through Friday or via e-mail at: [e-mail] with the nature of your request. We will answer your inquiry within 24 hours.