Consultant, Plant Engineering - CAPEX

IPM Integrated Project Management Company; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) matching

Performance bonus

Job summary

IPM Integrated Project Management Company is seeking a Capital Project Manager to lead capital initiatives across client transformations, embedding OpEx and Lean into delivery. You will guide end-to-end projects, manage budgets and schedules, and advise senior client leaders with executable roadmaps.

The role requires travel based on client needs and experience in GMP‑regulated environments. IPM offers a hybrid work model with multiple U.S.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Operations Management, Project Management or similar.
• 8+ years of professional experience delivering capital projects in consulting or matrixed environments.
• Strong foundation in capital project management best practices and operational excellence methodologies.
• Experience across Life Sciences, Consumer, and/or Industrial sectors.
• Experience working with senior stakeholders as owner's representative and trusted advisor.
• Certifications (PMI-PMP, Lean, Six Sigma, Professional Engineer, APICS) are a plus; familiarity with GMP, FDA, OSHA, ISO requirements.

Responsibilities

• Ensure delivery outcomes and value realization across end-to-end or phase-driven projects.
• Manage scope, schedule, and budget while adhering to IPM standards.
• Advise client leaders and translate strategy into executable capital roadmaps and governance.
• Lead or support Front-End Planning (FEL), scope definition, and design readiness across execution and startup.
• Embed Lean, OpEx and continuous improvement into capital planning and execution.
• Collaborate with Quality, Validation, and Regulatory teams for compliant delivery.
• Develop capital playbooks, standards, templates, and delivery frameworks; support organizational readiness.
• Present executive updates and final project readouts.

Skills

Capital project management

Lean /OpEx

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Regulatory knowledge

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Construction Management or similar

Job description

For more than three decades, premier organizations have trusted IPM to help ensure the successful execution of their strategic portfolios and critically important initiatives. With 90 percent repeat business and a Net Promoter Score in the world-class category, IPM has a reputation that is second to none.

Headquartered in Chicago with offices in Boston, Parsippany, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Los Angeles and San Francisco, IPM has led more than 5,000 projects for over 500 clients in the United States and across continents. Our clientele ranges from Fortune 100 companies to startups.

Our Consultants are our full-time employees. They are our most important asset and the competitive advantage that sets us apart from the rest.

We are seeking a Capital Project Manager to support client transformations where capital investment, operational excellence, and business transformation intersect. This role is ideal for someone who can lead capital projects while embedding OpEx principles, including improving safety, quality, cost, and delivery.

JOB DESCRIPTION

In this role your focus will be:

• Ensuring successful delivery outcomes and value realization across end-to-end or phase-driven projects, from initiation and scoping through scale-up and commissioning
• Management of projects within established scope, schedule, and budget while meeting and exceeding IPM project management standards
• Acting as a trusted advisor to client leaders regarding delivery, translating business strategy into executable capital roadmaps, facilitating steering committees, core teams, and managing vendor relationships, and diagnosing capital and project management pain points and designing practical, scalable solutions
• Leading or supporting end-to-end capital project lifecycle activities including opportunity identification and business case justification, Front-End Planning (FEL), scope definition, and design readiness, and realization across execution, commissioning, and startup
• Embedding Lean, OpEx, and Continuous Improvement principles into capital planning and execution while aligning capital projects to manufacturing excellence
• Leading capital initiatives in GMP‑regulated environments and partner with Quality, Validation, and Regulatory teams to ensure compliant, right‑first‑time delivery
• Integrating capital projects into site OpEx and quality maturity models
• Supporting growth, automation, sustainability, and productivity investments and ensure capital solutions support plant throughput, labor efficiency, and operational stability while minimizing downtime and disruption to ongoing operations
• Proactively identifying execution risks and leading mitigation planning
• Driving capability building through coaching client project managers, engineers, and operators, developing capital playbooks, standards, templates, and OpEx‑aligned delivery frameworks, and supporting organizational readiness for new assets, systems, and processes
• Creating and presenting both executive-level and detailed updates throughout an engagement and within a final project readout deck

DESIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

The successful candidate for this position should have the following skills and experience:

• A bachelor’s degree with a preference in Engineering, Construction Management, Operations Management, Project Management or similar (e.g., Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain Management)
• At least 8 years of professional experience delivering successful capital projects within consulting or matrixed enterprise environments
• Have a strong foundation in capital project management best practices and be well versed in operational excellence methodologies
• Demonstrated experience across Life Sciences, Consumer, and/or Industrial sectors
• Experience working directly with senior stakeholders, acting as the owner’s representative and trusted advisor
• Be dedicated to delivering high-quality outcomes focused on scope, budget, and schedule (Project Management Professional, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Professional Engineer, and APICS certifications are a plus)
• Have familiarity with GMP, FDA, OSHA, ISO, and environmental requirements
• Willingness to travel based on client needs

If you think you can work with high-caliber colleagues on complex and high-profile projects, we'd like to hear from you. In return, we'll provide you with the opportunities, support, and training to develop your career to the fullest of your capabilities; it's not just what you've done that's interesting to us – it's what you are capable of achieving.

Why IPM

• Diverse projects: we take on a wide variety of project work, ensuring significant exposure to a variety of clients and a broad range of opportunities to grow your professional experience
• Collaborative work environment: we have a well-structured system to bring support from managers, internal teams, and our Centers of Excellence (CoE), which serve as resources and SME’s for specific services and industry knowledge, tools, and best practices
• Family with engaging culture: we believe in protecting our greatest asset, our people, with a culture that nurtures a caring environment with a transparent communication approach, culture-building and team-building events, both regional and companywide
• Professional development: we're committed to your training and development. You’ll get a thorough onboarding to ensure you’re prepared while creating the bandwidth you need to further your career at IPM. You are IPM’s future; we only promote from within
• High visibility and direct client impact: you’ll have the opportunity to shape how your clients achieve their network strategies through well planned and executed capital projects.
• Comprehensive compensation and benefits program: including 100% employer-paid health, 401(k) matching, business development incentives, and performance bonus amongst many other elements. Salary Range: $120,000 – $150,000
• Passion for the greater good: we are steadfast in our devotion to the communities we serve and in actively promoting employee involvement in community improvement projects. We’ve created Project Mercy to channel and maximize our philanthropic efforts every quarter.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

Disclaimer: Where a specific pay range is noted, it is a good faith estimate at the time of this posting. The actual salary offered will be based on experience, skills, qualifications, and market/business considerations.

IPM is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment.

IPM’s hybrid work environment requires a minimum of three days in the office. The specific days are flexible and may vary depending on project schedules and meetings. On‑site locations may also vary. In addition, we follow our clients’ guidance on on‑site requirements, so the minimum number of days in the office may increase depending on the client and project assignment.