Project Manager

Apex Tool Group; Apex (NC); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Apex Tool Group in Apex, North Carolina is seeking an early‑career Project Manager to lead new product development (NPD) initiatives for the North American Hand Tool portfolio. You will coordinate cross‑functional teams, maintain project pace, and clearly communicate tradeoffs to senior leaders.

You will develop and manage schedules, risk logs, budget inputs, and NPD documentation; lead weekly reviews across time zones; and drive on‑time, on‑budget launches while supporting PMO improvements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or technical discipline
• PMP certification (active or within 12 months of hire)
• 2+ years leading cross-functional project teams
• 2+ years mechanical product experience in high-volume production environment
• Strong financial acumen for budgeting
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills
• Ability to work across global teams and flexible hours

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of high-volume, lower-complexity cross-functional projects for mechanical tool development and launch
• Partner with product management, engineering, design, supply chain and finance teams across locations to drive execution
• Develop and maintain project schedules, risk/action/decision logs, and NPD documentation
• Lead weekly cross-functional meetings and executive reviews across time zones
• Identify risks and escalate issues, engaging subject matter experts as needed
• Prepare concise status reports and present to senior executives
• Coordinate and analyze financial inputs for capital requests
• Drive projects to meet requirements, quality, budget and timelines
• Contribute to PMO tools, templates, reporting and governance

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Communication

Budget management

Project scheduling

Presentation skills

Risk management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

PMP certification

Tools

MS Project

Smartsheet

Wrike

Asana

SAP

Job description

Reporting to the Director of the Program Management Office and based in Apex, North Carolina, this position will lead new product development (NPD) projects in support of the North American Hand Tool business.
This role is designed for an early-career project manager with meaningful professional experience who is ready to grow within an R&D and NPD program management organization. The successful candidate will coordinate cross-functional teams, maintain project pace, communicate clearly with senior leaders, and confidently explain project decisions and tradeoffs while responding constructively to questions and challenges.

The Build (Responsibilities)

• Manage a portfolio of high-volume, lower-complexity cross-functional projects related to the development and launch of mechanical tools.
• Partner with product management, industrial design, engineering, supply chain, and finance teams across domestic and global locations to drive project execution and achieve key milestones and deliverables.
• Develop and maintain project schedules, risk/action/decision logs, and required New Product Development (NPD) process documentation.
• Lead weekly cross-functional project meetings across global time zones and facilitate monthly executive project reviews and status updates.
• Maintain sufficient technical and functional awareness to identify potential project risks or concerns, escalating issues and engaging subject matter experts as needed.
• Prepare concise project status reports and deliver clear, effective presentations to senior executives.
• Coordinate and analyze financial inputs supporting project capital allocation requests, ensuring complete, accurate, and timely submissions.
• Drive projects to successful completion by ensuring deliverables meet defined requirements, quality standards, budget expectations, and target timelines.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of PMO tools, templates, reporting, governance processes, and NPD best practices.

The Toolbox (Qualifications)

• Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in an engineering/technical discipline – business, marketing, or related disciplines also considered.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is required – active or attain within 12 months of hire.
• 2+ years leading cross-functional project teams.
• 2+ years of mechanical product experience in a high-volume production, product development environment.
• Strong financial acumen, proven ability to develop and manage project budgets.
• Highly detail‑oriented, organized, and agile within complex organizational environments.
• Knowledge of an NPD stage-gate/tollgate product development process.
• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills, as well as strong presentation skills.
• Organizationally savvy, able to build effective internal relationships and influence without formal authority.
• Professional composure and sound judgment when presenting to senior leaders, addressing difficult questions, or defending a recommendation.
• Ability to use MS Suite and scheduling/PPM software (MS Project, Smartsheet, Wrike, Asana, etc.) – SAP and Smartsheet experience a plus.
• Mandarin language proficiency is preferred but not required.
• Ability to work flexible hours as needed to support global project teams.