Pharmaceutical Project Manager – Handling Systems

Schmalz; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Schmalz in Raleigh, NC seeks a Senior Pharma Project Manager to own end-to-end pharmaceutical projects, from quote development to successful delivery, coordinating with engineering, manufacturing, and operations.

You'll drive regulatory compliance, manage timelines and budgets, and build scalable PM processes for growth, collaborating with international teams.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of project management experience in pharmaceutical, medical device, or highly regulated industries.
• PMP certification and FDA/regulatory knowledge.
• Experience managing capital equipment projects or complex systems integration.
• Ability to build processes and systems from the ground up in a dynamic environment.
• Bachelor's degree in Project Management, Business, or related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Strong customer-facing communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to travel domestically ~15%, with occasional international travel.

Responsibilities

• Own the complete lifecycle of pharmaceutical projects—from quote development through delivery.
• Develop comprehensive quotes and collaborate with engineers to translate customer requirements into technical specs and pricing.
• Serve as primary liaison between Schmalz and pharmaceutical customers; manage timelines and budgets.
• Create and maintain project plans, timelines, risk registers, and KPIs aligned with pharma standards.
• Ensure compliance with FDA, regulatory, and customer-specific requirements throughout delivery.
• Build pharmaceutical PM processes, templates, and best practices; support non-pharma projects when capacity allows.

Skills

Project management

FDA regulations

PMP

Capital projects

Cross-functional leadership

Customer-facing communication

Ambiguity tolerance

Education

Bachelor's degree in PM/Business or related field

Tools

DraftSight

SolidWorks

Job description

Description

Schmalz is the global leader in vacuum technology, serving the automation, handling systems, and CNC clamping industries. Established in 1910 and headquartered in Glatten, Germany, Schmalz is a privately held multinational manufacturer with subsidiaries and sales partners in more than 50 countries.

Description

Schmalz is the global leader in vacuum technology, serving the automation, handling systems, and CNC clamping industries. Established in 1910 and headquartered in Glatten, Germany, Schmalz is a privately held multinational manufacturer with subsidiaries and sales partners in more than 50 countries.

Position Overview

This is a unique opportunity to own the complete lifecycle of pharmaceutical projects—from initial quote development through successful project delivery. You'll work alongside our Application Engineering and Inside Sales teams, build best practices for pharmaceutical project execution, and lay the groundwork for a growing department.

Quote & Proposal Phase

• Develop comprehensive quote and bid packages for pharmaceutical ergonomic projects
• Collaborate with Application Engineers to translate customer requirements into technical specifications and pricing
• Manage proposal timelines, accuracy, and compliance with customer RFQ requirements
• Conduct customer discovery calls to clarify scope, regulatory needs, and timeline expectations

Project Execution Phase

• Manage pharmaceutical projects from award through closeout, including schedule, budget, and deliverables
• Serve as primary liaison between Schmalz (engineering, manufacturing, operations) and pharmaceutical customers
• Develop and maintain project plans, timelines, and risk registers aligned with pharmaceutical industry standards
• Monitor project health, elevate issues, and implement corrective actions
• Ensure compliance with FDA, regulatory, and customer-specific requirements throughout delivery

Process & Department Building

• Build and document pharmaceutical PM processes, templates, and best practices
• Support Application Engineers with project management and administrative tasks on non-pharma projects (as capacity allows)
• Identify workflow bottlenecks and recommend improvements
• Establish KPIs and document lessons learned to inform future projects
• Position the department for growth by creating scalable systems and training materials

Required Qualifications (Including Educational Requirements)

• 7+ years of project management experience in pharmaceutical, medical device, or highly regulated industries
• Proven expertise in pharmaceutical-specific project requirements, including FDA regulations, quality systems, and compliance documentation
• PMP (Project Management Professional)
• Experience managing capital equipment projects or complex systems integration projects
• Comfort with ambiguity and entrepreneurial mindset—ability to build processes and systems from the ground up
• Bachelor's degree in Project Management, Business, or related field, or equivalent professional experience
• Strong customer-facing communication, presentation and conflict-resolution skills, with the professionalism to represent Schmalz in high-visibility and technically demanding situations.
• Experience managing workload, capacity, priorities, performance metrics and cross-functional processes in a deadline-driven environment.
• Strong judgment and decision-making skills, including the ability to balance customer urgency, technical risk, product capability and commercial objectives.
• Ability to build trust and collaborate effectively with engineering, sales, operations, product management, senior leadership and international colleagues.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with a customer-focused, adaptable and continuous-improvement mindset.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and the ability to learn new business and engineering systems.
• Ability to travel domestically approximately 15%, with occasional international travel as business needs require.

Preferred Qualifications

• Six Sigma or Lean
• Medical Device Basics or Pharma Quality certifications
• Familiarity with GMP principles
• Experience with vacuum handling systems, ergonomic material handling, cranes, lifting devices or industrial automation.
• Working knowledge of DraftSight and SolidWorks or comparable CAD software and the ability to review technical drawings and specifications.
• Experience supporting vendors, outside sales teams, key accounts and custom-engineered solutions.
• Experience collaborating with an international parent company or global engineering organization.