Greenfield Food Plant Project Director

Essenti Talent; Newnan (GA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and life insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off

10 paid holidays

5 sick days

1 paid birthday day off

20% performance bonus

Job summary

Essenti Talent seeks an experienced Project Director to lead a new greenfield food manufacturing facility in Georgia from planning through commissioning and handover.

Based at the existing Newnan plant with responsibility for the LaGrange project, you will manage scope, budgets, schedules, and cross-functional partners, including design-build firms, contractors, and international leadership, across time zones.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in Construction Management, Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience managing construction projects and budgets.
• 5+ years managing large-scale construction projects including Greenfield and budgets.
• Experience delivering at least 5 industrial projects, including 1 project >$100M.
• Greenfield project experience in food or pharmaceutical manufacturing.
• Experience managing design-build firms, contractors, consultants, project schedules, and capital budgets.
• Strong knowledge of construction management, safety, permitting, risk assessment, and change control.
• Ability to work independently, communicate clearly, and coordinate multiple stakeholders.
• Willingness to work from the Newnan area, travel to LaGrange as needed, and participate in weekly calls with Beijing.
• Experience managing greenfield project with investment exceeding $300M preferred.
• PMP or equivalent certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the greenfield project from development through construction and handover.
• Develop and manage scope, budgets, schedules, milestones, resources, and deliverables.
• Oversee design-build firm, general contractor, engineers, consultants, and other partners.
• Monitor critical path, identify risks, and implement progress solutions.
• Manage changes to scope, schedule, and costs including change orders.
• Coordinate with operations, engineering, procurement, quality, finance, and other stakeholders.
• Guide partners through permitting and regulatory approvals.
• Promote safety culture and ensure compliance with construction safety standards.
• Provide senior leadership with updates on progress, risks, and decisions.
• Participate in weekly calls with international leadership across time zones.

Skills

Leadership & Stakeholder management

Budget management

Large-scale construction project mgmt

Greenfield project delivery

Industrial project experience (5 proj,

Food or pharmaceutical manufacturing

Design-build & contractor mgmt

Safety, permitting, risk, change mgmt

Independent work & clear communication

Time-zone coordination with Beijing

Investment >$300M experience

PMP or equivalent certification

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, or a closely related field

Job description

Essenti Talent seeks an experienced Project Director to lead a new greenfield food manufacturing facility in Georgia from planning through commissioning and handover.

Based at the existing Newnan plant with responsibility for the LaGrange project, you will manage scope, budgets, schedules, and cross-functional partners, including design-build firms, contractors, and international leadership, across time zones.