New Business Implementation Project Manager

Optimas; Wood Dale (IL); On-site; USD 98,000 - 123,000; Full time

Job summary

Optimas in Wood Dale, IL is seeking a New Business Implementation Project Manager to lead cross-functional onboarding initiatives for new opportunities. You will develop implementation plans, coordinate teams, and ensure operational readiness for new programs within manufacturing operations.

The role shifts from individual data execution to owning the full project lifecycle across multiple accounts, driving governance, managing dependencies, and delivering on-time, on-scope results.

Qualifications

• 4-6 years of experience managing implementation or operational projects in manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional project teams.
• Knowledge of project management frameworks such as Agile, PMP, Lean, or Six Sigma.
• Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end onboarding/implementation projects from contract award through go-live and post-launch stabilization.
• Develop comprehensive project plans with schedules, milestones, risk registers, and communication plans.
• Lead cross-functional teams to align on account setup requirements and resolve blockers.
• Manage scope changes through a defined change control process.

Skills

Project planning

Cross-functional leadership

Risk management

Operational readiness

Stakeholder communication

Project management tools

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, supply chain, operations or related field

Tools

Smartsheet

MS Project

Job description

New Business Implementation Project Manager

Wood Dale, IL

$98,000-123,000

From design to delivery, Optimas integrates fastener manufacturing and distribution for greater inventory certainty, consistent quality, and a lower cost of ownership.

Fuel your passion with a career at Optimas. Become part of a team of diverse thinkers and doers who make a daily impact on our customers. We’re always looking for talented, self-motivated, smart and resourceful team members. And we’re committed to developing, supporting and driving your success.

Our Values are the THREAD that connects us as one team to ensure that we are accountable for our contributions to the success of our company and customers:

• Teamwork
• Honesty
• Respect
• Excellence
• Accountability
• Drive

To learn more, please visit our website http://www.optimas.com

Position Summary: The Implementation Project Manager leads cross-functional execution of onboarding initiatives for new business opportunities. This role is responsible for developing implementation plans, coordinating project teams, and ensuring operational readiness for new programs within manufacturing operations.

This role shifts from individual data execution to owning the full project lifecycle across multiple concurrent accounts — driving governance, managing cross-functional dependencies, and ensuring on-time, on-scope delivery. The Project Manager serves as the primary internal project owner and day-to-day client point of contact during the onboarding process.

Areas of impact:

Project Ownership & Delivery

• Own end-to-end onboarding/implementation projects from contract award through go-live and post-launch stabilization, ensuring deliverables are met on time and within scope.
• Conduct formal project close-out activities including go-live sign-off, post-implementation reviews, and transition to ongoing account management.

Planning, Governance & Change Control

• Develop comprehensive project plans including schedules/milestones, resource assignments, risk registers, and communication plans tailored to account complexity.
• Ensure adherence to implementation processes, project governance standards, and required documentation.
• Manage scope changes through a defined change control process, assessing impacts and obtaining appropriate approvals.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Team Coordination

• Lead cross-functional teams (e.g., Sales, Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain/Logistics, IT, Finance, Customer Service) to align on account setup requirements and resolve blockers.
• Assign, direct, and review the work of Implementation Analysts and Senior Analysts supporting projects, ensuring quality and timeliness.
• Integrate analytical insights from Implementation Analysts into project planning and day-to-day decision-making.

Risk, Issue & Dependency Management

• Proactively identify and manage project risks, issues, and dependencies; develop mitigation plans and elevate to the Director when necessary.
• Facilitate key governance routines such as kickoffs, stakeholder/steering committee check-ins, and go/no-go reviews.

Operational & Systems Readiness

• Ensure operational readiness including production capacity, staffing, equipment, and system integration to support successful launch.
• Ensure data integrity and completeness across onboarding deliverables (e.g., account configuration, pricing, product catalog, and system setup).

Customer & Stakeholder Communication

• Serve as the primary project point of contact for new customers during onboarding, setting expectations and driving timely decisions.
• Provide regular status updates and reporting on project health indicators and key milestones using established PM tools and dashboards.

Continuous Improvement

• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of implementation methodologies, templates, and PM standards.

Key Competencies:

• Project planning and execution
• Cross-functional leadership
• Risk and issue management
• Operational readiness planning
• Stakeholder communication
• Managing competing priorities in a fast-paced, high-volume environment
• Project management platforms (Smartsheet, MS Project, or similar)

Qualifications:

• Degree in business, engineering, supply chain, operations, project management, or related field.
• 4-6 years of experience managing implementation or operational projects within manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional project teams.
• Knowledge of project management frameworks such as (Agile, PMP, Lean, or Six Sigma)
• Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience working directly with external customers in a project delivery capacity

To Staffing and Recruiting Agencies: We appreciate your role in helping connect good people to great jobs. Please understand that Optimas does not accept unsolicited CVs or resumes from agencies. We are not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited CVs or resumes and explicitly reserve our right to contact candidates presented in this manner.

Equal Opportunity Employer: Optimas OE Solutions provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Optimas OE Solutions complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.