Project Manager

Reading Truck; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision

401(k) Savings Plan

Paid Parental Leave

Tuition Reimbursement

Training & Development

Job summary

Reading Truck is seeking a Project Manager, Scheduling & Planning to drive on-time delivery by coordinating Engineering, Supply Chain, Production, Quality and external stakeholders. The role integrates project management with production scheduling and resource planning to optimize manufacturing and upfit programs.

You will lead development of project plans, schedules, risk logs, and kickoff meetings, monitor capacity, manage changes, and report status to leadership.

Qualifications

• 5–7 years of experience in project management, production scheduling, planning, or supply chain in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional teams and managing complex, multi-phase technical projects.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems (JD Edwards preferred).
• Experience in specialty vehicle manufacturing, truck body upfit, automotive, or engineered‑to‑order environments preferred.
• Familiarity with ISO9001, APQP, PDCA, stage-gate processes, or continuous improvement tools preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage assigned manufacturing or upfit programs from initiation through completion, ensuring adherence to scope, schedule, and cost targets.
• Develop project plans, SOWs, Gantt charts, timelines, risk logs, and communication plans.
• Lead kickoff meetings and maintain weekly project cadence, identifying issues, risks, and recovery actions.
• Drive accountability across stakeholders for project deliverables and deadlines.
• Regularly update leadership and stakeholders with clear project status, risks, and mitigation strategies.

Skills

Project management

Production scheduling

Cross-functional collaboration

Risk management

Tools

JD Edwards (ERP/MRP)

Job description

How You Will Make An Impact

The Project Manager, Scheduling & Planning works with Engineering, Supply Chain, Production, Quality, and external stakeholders to ensure that projects are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with customer requirements. This role supports continuous improvement, drives standard work, ensures material and resource readiness, and maintains clear visibility of program health across the organization. It also integrates project management discipline with production scheduling, resource planning, and cross-functional coordination to ensure seamless execution of manufacturing and upfit programs.

How You Will Make An Impact

The Project Manager, Scheduling & Planning works with Engineering, Supply Chain, Production, Quality, and external stakeholders to ensure that projects are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with customer requirements. This role supports continuous improvement, drives standard work, ensures material and resource readiness, and maintains clear visibility of program health across the organization. It also integrates project management discipline with production scheduling, resource planning, and cross-functional coordination to ensure seamless execution of manufacturing and upfit programs.

The Nuts and Bolts

• Manage assigned manufacturing or upfit programs from initiation through completion, ensuring adherence to scope, schedule, and cost targets.
• Develop project plans, SOWs, Gantt charts, timelines, risk logs, and communication plans
• Lead kickoff meetings and maintain weekly project cadence, identifying issues, risks, and recovery actions.
• Drive accountability across stakeholders for project deliverables and deadlines.
• Regularly update leadership and stakeholders with clear project status, risks, and mitigation strategies. Scheduling, Planning & Resource Coordination
• Develop and maintain production schedules for assigned programs, aligning engineering releases, material availability, and shop capacity.
• Coordinate labor, equipment, and resource requirements with Operations and Production Scheduling teams.
• Monitor workload vs. capacity and proactively identify bottlenecks or conflicts.
• Adjust schedules based on change orders, customer updates, material delays, or resource constraints. Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Work closely with Engineering on design releases, BOM accuracy, routings, documentation, and change management.
• Partner with Supply Chain to ensure material readiness, long-lead procurement timing, supplier deliverables, and inventory availability.
• Coordinate with Quality on inspections, testing, compliance requirements, and launch readiness.
• Facilitate communication between Sales, Operations, Engineering, and external stakeholders. Material, Production & Launch Readiness
• Monitor material status, supplier commitments, and inventory levels to ensure timely build execution.
• Coordinate pre-production readiness checks including tools, fixtures, engineering documentation, and production sequencing.
• Support implementation of new ERP/MRP workflows related to planning and scheduling. Problem Solving, Risk Management & Change Control
• Identify risks early, recommend alternative solutions, and support issue containment and resolution.
• Track scope changes, assess schedule/cost impact, and coordinate cross-functional approval and communication.
• Lead structured problem-solving activities using PDCA, 5-Why, A3, or equivalent methodologies.

Required Credentials

• 5–7 years of experience in project management, production scheduling, planning, or supply chain in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional teams and managing complex, multi-phase technical projects.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems (JD Edwards preferred).
• Experience in specialty vehicle manufacturing, truck body upfit, automotive, or engineered‑to‑order environments preferred.
• Familiarity with ISO9001, APQP, PDCA, stage-gate processes, or continuous improvement tools preferred.

How We Make An Impact

At Reading Truck, we have more than 65 years of industry leadership in the manufacture, distribution, and enhancement of work truck bodies. As the world’s largest upfitter of work trucks, we continue to experience rapid growth through our expanding network of more than 20 locations across North America. Take the next step in your career and come get paid to play with trucks!

Some of Our Total Rewards

We offer big company perks with small company culture:

• Comprehensive benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision and Life
• 401(k) Savings Plan with Company Match
• Paid Parental Leave
• Tools Purchase Program
• Tuition Reimbursement
• 10 Paid Holidays
• Generous Footwear, Eyewear, and Safety Equipment Discount Program
• Paid Training and Development Programs

J.B. Poindexter & Co., Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. 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.