Operations Project Leader

MILWAUKEE ELECTRIC TOOL CORP; United States; On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision coverage

Life insurance

401(k) retirement plan

On-site cafeteria

State-of-the-art fitness facility

Job summary

MILWAUKEE ELECTRIC TOOL CORP is seeking an Operations Project Leader to support Hand Tools Storage and other product lines. This pivotal role requires leading projects for new product development, manufacturing support, and risk mitigation while ensuring effective communication across teams.

Candidates should have a minimum of 7 years of relevant experience and a degree in Industrial or Mechanical Engineering. Benefits include health coverage, retirement plans, and more.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years of manufacturing or project-management experience.
• Strong aptitude in manufacturing and industrial engineering.
• Proficient understanding of cost drivers including materials, labor, and overhead.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex operations projects for NPD and process improvement.
• Develop project schedules and resource plans.
• Track project schedules and communicate status to stakeholders.

Skills

Manufacturing processes

Project management

Analytical skills

Microsoft Office

Cost modeling

Problem-solving

Education

Degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Supply Chain, or Operations

Tools

Microsoft Project

CAD (Unigraphics NX or similar)

ERP/WMS systems (Oracle Cloud or High Jump)

Job description

Job Overview

Milwaukee Tool seeks an Operations Project Leader within the Strategic Operations team. The role focuses on supporting Hand Tools Storage, PPE, Core, and Layout product lines through new product development (NPD) launches, manufacturing support, risk mitigation, and strategic transfer execution. The primary location is Milwaukee, WI (Red Beacon). The position requires frequent travel: weekly visits to Milwaukee sites, monthly trips to domestic locations, and 1–4 international visits per year, including China.

Responsibilities

• Lead moderate to highly complex operations projects for NPD, process improvement, and manufacturing support with minimal direction.
• Develop project schedules, resource plans (RASICs), and facilitate and document project meetings.
• Track project schedules to ensure adherence to timelines, keeping the team and management informed of issues.
• Identify and mitigate project risks, implementing risk reduction plans and escalating when necessary.
• Work cross‑functionally and globally with Quality & Reliability, Engineering, Sourcing, Finance, Supply & Demand, Marketing, and other departments.
• Communicate technical details, ideas, and concepts to engineers and non‑engineers in multiple locations, both verbally and in written reports.
• Lead formal project technical reviews and participate in management reviews for assigned projects.
• Present project status updates regularly to stakeholders.
• Evaluate product design relative to material selection, cost, reliability, and manufacturability, offering improvement ideas.
• Recommend components, materials, or processes and lead manufacturing‑process feasibility studies.
• Analyze and select manufacturing alternatives to meet objectives for capital, cost, capacity, and timing.
• Oversee operational readiness and implementation, including integration of equipment, tooling, capability reviews, and safety, regulatory, and standards compliance.
• Serve as a technical resource to troubleshoot manufacturing teams and suppliers, and develop processes that meet part/product specifications.
• Create manufacturing cost models for new projects to analyze operating decisions.
• Interpret data and make recommendations on financial impacts (GM, EBIT, CapEx), supply‑chain design, end‑to‑end logistics, risk trade‑offs, and line‑layout considerations.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years of manufacturing or project‑management experience.
• Degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Supply Chain, or Operations (graduate studies preferred).
• Formal project‑management training and preference for experience with formal PMI or equivalent frameworks.
• Strong aptitude in manufacturing/industrial engineering, including manufacturing processes and equipment implementation.
• Proficient understanding of cost drivers—materials, labor, and overhead—and experience in cost modeling.
• Working design knowledge of technologies used in Milwaukee products.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills; capable of conducting detailed analyses or identifying when to seek additional expertise.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and Microsoft Project; CAD skills (Unigraphics NX or similar) are an advantage but not required.
• Experience with Teamcenter and ERP/WMS systems (Oracle Cloud or High Jump) is a plus.
• Must be able to travel to China and domestically several times per year (approximately 15% of the time).

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision coverage effective first day of employment.
• Life insurance and 401(k) retirement plan.
• On‑site cafeteria and state‑of‑the‑art fitness facility.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Milwaukee Tool is an equal‑opportunity employer.