Project Manager - PFA India Strategic projects

GEA Systems North America; Vadodara; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 3,200,000; Full time

Job summary

GEA Systems North America in Vadodara, India, seeks a Strategic Project Manager to turn strategy into prioritized programs, ship outcomes, and establish governance across Product Management, Engineering, Localization, Procurement, QA, Regulatory, Manufacturing, and Service.

You will lead an integrated master plan, drive value realization, manage risks, and ensure cross-functional execution with clear milestones, RAID logs, and executive dashboards.

Qualifications

• 8-12+ years in strategic program/project management in industrial equipment / engineering / pharma manufacturing / automation environments.
• Proven track record delivering cross-functional programs: localization, NPI, cost-out/value engineering, supply chain transformation, or operational excellence.
• Strong understanding of end-to-end product lifecycle (requirements → engineering → sourcing → build → quality → delivery → service).
• Experience with global stakeholders and matrix organizations.

Responsibilities

• Portfolio & Program Leadership: translate strategy into a structured initiative portfolio with charters, milestones, and dependencies.
• Business Case & Value Realization: drive business cases, benefits tracking, and quantify impact.
• Cross-Functional Execution & Delivery Management: orchestrate collaboration across multiple functions and ensure on-time deliverables.
• Stakeholder & Change Management: align leadership, manage conflicts, and drive adoption of new processes and tools.
• Risk, Quality, and Compliance Assurance: proactively manage risks, quality audits, and documentation requirements.

Skills

Portfolio leadership

Business case & value tracking

Cross-functional leadership

Structured problem-solving

Communication

Operational rigor

Education

Bachelor's in Engineering/Technology

MBA or PMP/PRINCE2 preferred

Job description

Responsibilities / Tasks

Role Purpose

The Strategic Project Manager will drive end-to-end execution of Pharma BU's India 2.0 agenda - turning strategy into prioritized programs, shipped outcomes, measurable value, and institutionalized ways of working. The role acts as the execution engine and governance anchor, ensuring cross-functional alignment across Product Management, Engineering/R&D, Localization, Procurement, Quality/Regulatory, Manufacturing/Partners, Digital/Automation, Order-to-Delivery, and Service.

Core mission:

Deliver profitable growth + speed + competitiveness through a structured portfolio of initiatives (localization, product/solution fit, cost-out, supply readiness, service capability, digital/automation enablement, and operating -model upgrades).

1. 1) Portfolio & Program Leadership (Strategy → Execution)

   Translate India 2.0 Pharma strategy into a well-structured initiative portfolio: charters, milestones, business cases, dependencies.

   Build and maintain an integrated master plan across functions, vendors, and global stakeholders.

   Run workstream governance: cadence, reviews, RAID logs (Risks/Assumptions/Issues/Dependencies), decision registers.

2. 2) Business Case & Value Realization (Make it measurable)

   Drive initiative business cases: margin impact, cost-out, lead-time reduction, working capital, revenue acceleration.

   Set up benefits tracking with Finance: baseline, targets, monthly realization, variance analysis, corrective actions.

   Ensure initiatives are sequenced for value (quick wins + structural improvements).

3. 3) Cross-Functional Execution & Delivery Management

   Orchestrate collaboration across Product Management, Engineering, Procurement, Manufacturing/Partners, QA, Regulatory, Sales, Service, Finance.

   Ensure deliverables are delivered on time: specs, drawings, supplier qualification, QA plans, validation packs, documentation, training.

   Identify and remove blockers, escalated early, and drive decision-making.

4. 4) Stakeholder & Change Management (Make adoption real)

   Align leadership on priorities and trade-offs; manage conflicts through structured decision pathways.

   Drive adoption of new processes and tools; create SOPs/playbooks where needed.

   Communicate progress via sharp weekly updates and executive-ready monthly dashboards.

5. 5) Risk, Quality, and Compliance Assurance

   Proactively manage risk in localization and execution: supplier readiness, quality audits, critical components, documentation.

   Ensure alignment with relevant Pharma quality expectations (e.g., validation readiness, traceability, documentation discipline).

   Maintain clear go/no-go criteria, stage gates, and escalation thresholds.

Deliverables

• Pharma & Food Applications Portfolio Roadmap
• Initiative Charters + Business Cases
• SteerCo Pack & Dashboard (progress, decisions required , benefits, risks)

Your Profile / Qualifications

Required Experience & Qualifications

8-12+ years in strategic program/project management in industrial equipment / engineering / pharma manufacturing / automation environments.

Proven track record of delivering cross-functional programs: localization, NPI, cost-out/value engineering, supply chain transformation, or operational excellence.

Strong understanding of end-to-end product lifecycle (requirements → engineering → sourcing → build → quality → delivery → service).

Experience working with global stakeholders and matrix organizations.

Bachelor's degree in Engineering / Technology ; MBA or PMP/PRINCE2 preferred.

Key Skills (Must-Have)

• Program management mastery: planning, critical path, RAID, stage gates, governance
• Business case & value tracking: financial fluency, benefits realization discipline
• Cross-functional leadership: influence without authority, conflict resolution, facilitation
• Structured problem-solving: root cause, hypothesis-driven execution, decision memos
• Communication: crisp executive updates, narrative, and "so-what" insights
• Operational rigor: documentation discipline, handover readiness, quality mindset