Project Manager

Mackinnon Bruce International; Centennial (CO); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Mackinnon Bruce International is partnering with a leading industrial automation and custom machinery organization seeking an experienced Project Manager to join its Denver-based project management team. You will own complex customer automation projects, leading multidisciplinary engineering and technical teams through design, build, integration, FAT, SAT, installation and successful completion.

This highly technical role requires strong engineering knowledge of custom automation machinery and

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in industrial automation or related field.
• Experience leading custom automation machinery projects.
• Ability to manage design through FAT/SAT and installation.
• Strong budgeting, scheduling, and resource planning.
• Excellent communication with customers and suppliers.

Responsibilities

• Take responsibility for successful execution and delivery of assigned automation projects.
• Manage project schedules, budgets, resources, risks and milestones.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams of engineers and technicians.
• Coordinate mechanical, controls, electrical, software, assembly and debugging activities.
• Ensure activities align with proposals, budgets and timelines.
• Lead project design reviews and stakeholder meetings.
• Interpret URS, proposals and technical specifications.
• Maintain strong customer relationships and act as main contact during delivery.
• Drive daily project activities and support debugging and issue resolution.

Skills

Industrial automation

Project leadership

Cross-functional teams

Budgeting & scheduling

Tools

Microsoft Project

Excel

Job description

Travel: Up to 20%

Employment: Full-Time

The Opportunity

We are partnering with a leading industrial automation and custom machinery organization seeking an experienced Project Manager to join its Denver-based project management team.

The Project Manager will take ownership of complex customer automation projects, leading multidisciplinary engineering and technical teams through design, build, integration, debugging, validation, Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), installation and successful project completion.

This is a highly technical Project Management position requiring someone who understands custom automation machinery and engineering-led projects. You will be responsible for ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget, to the required quality standards and in accordance with customer specifications.

The successful candidate will work closely with Mechanical, Controls, Electrical and Software Engineers, Technicians, functional managers, suppliers and customers throughout the complete project lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

• Take overall responsibility for the successful execution and delivery of assigned customer automation projects.
• Manage project schedules, budgets, resources, technical requirements, risks and delivery milestones.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams of Engineers and Technicians throughout project execution.
• Coordinate Mechanical, Controls, Electrical, Software, assembly and debugging activities.
• Ensure engineering activities are completed in line with project proposals, cost sheets, budgets and agreed timelines.
• Review mechanical engineering documentation and project design packages.
• Review Software Design Specifications alongside Controls and Mechanical Engineering teams.
• Lead internal and external project design reviews.
• Interpret customer User Requirement Specifications (URS), proposals, technical specifications and manuals.
• Coordinate project resource requirements and forecasts with functional managers.
• Manage suppliers and system vendors across technical requirements, equipment buy-off, schedules, risks and project deadlines.
• Monitor project costs and provide cost and delivery estimates throughout project execution.
• Work with Excel-based project cost sheets and understand the underlying project financial data.
• Lead customer, supplier and internal project meetings.
• Establish strong working relationships with customers and act as a key point of contact throughout project delivery.
• Drive daily project activities with engineering teams and within the machine build/debugging environment.
• Support the machine debugging phase and coordinate troubleshooting of engineering modifications and technical issues.
• Apply structured root-cause analysis techniques to resolve project and engineering challenges.
• Lead Internal Acceptance Testing activities and associated documentation.
• Lead validation activities during Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT).
• Support validation teams in developing and testing customer-specific validation packages.
• Coordinate technical issue resolution during installation and commissioning at customer sites.
• Identify project delays, technical risks, cost concerns and deadline challenges and escalated appropriately.
• Work collaboratively with other Project Managers and functional leaders to improve project execution and share technical knowledge.
• Maintain a strong focus on project quality, customer satisfaction and successful final acceptance.

Qualifications & Experience

• 10+ years of experience within industrial automation, ideally including significant project, engineering or technical leadership responsibility.
• Strong experience delivering complex custom automation machinery or engineered equipment projects.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary engineering and technical teams.
• Strong understanding of mechanical, controls, electrical and software engineering activities within automated machinery projects.
• Experience managing projects through design, build, integration, debugging, FAT, SAT, installation and customer acceptance.
• Strong project budgeting, scheduling, cost management and resource-planning capabilities.
• Experience managing external suppliers, system vendors and technical partners.
• Ability to analyze and interpret customer URS documents, engineering specifications, proposals and technical documentation.
• Ability to identify technical problems, conduct root-cause analysis and coordinate appropriate engineering solutions.
• Strong customer-facing communication, presentation and negotiation skills.
• Ability to organize and lead large meetings involving customers, suppliers and internal engineering teams.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize multiple activities during different project phases.
• Strong attention to detail and a structured approach to project execution.
• Ability to work collaboratively across multiple engineering and business functions.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Excel.
• Must be eligible to work in the United States.
• Valid driver's license required.
• Must be eligible to obtain a passport for international travel.
• Ability to travel up to approximately 20%, including travel at relatively short notice.
• Flexibility to work additional hours when required to meet critical project deadlines.

Preferred Experience

Experience in any of the following would be particularly advantageous:

• Industrial automation and custom machine building
• Medical device manufacturing automation
• Pharmaceutical manufacturing automation
• Highly regulated manufacturing environments
• High-speed assembly automation
• Microsoft Project
• PDM/PLM systems
• ERP systems
• Previous responsibility for supervising or managing Engineers, Technicians or Project Managers

What We're Looking For

We are looking for someone who combines technical engineering knowledge with strong project leadership.

You should be comfortable operating in a hands-on automation environment, working directly with engineering teams and customers rather than managing projects solely through schedules and spreadsheets.

The ideal candidate will be capable of understanding complex engineering challenges, driving decisions, managing competing priorities and keeping multidisciplinary teams focused on successful project delivery.

This position offers the opportunity to lead technically sophisticated automation projects from initial engineering through final customer acceptance within an organization delivering advanced automated manufacturing systems.