Project Manager

Search Leaders; White Bear Lake (MN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Search Leaders is seeking a Senior Project Manager for our client, a global manufacturing leader, to drive new product introductions from concept through production launch in White Bear Lake, MN.

Responsibilities include leading cross-functional teams across engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and sales, and ensuring launches meet schedule, budget, quality, safety, and performance targets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, manufacturing, operations, or related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience spanning project management, new product introduction, product development, manufacturing engineering, or operations.
• Experience directing cross-functional initiatives from concept to production launch.
• Proven ability to manage schedules, budgets, risks, deliverables, resources, and communications.
• Hands-on experience using Planview Project Advantage for project plans, milestones, risks, and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional NPI initiatives from concept to validation, production launch, and post-launch stabilization.
• Build and maintain comprehensive project plans covering scope, milestones, resources, risks, and timelines.
• Facilitate kickoffs, design reviews, Stage-Gate reviews, launch-readiness assessments, and post-launch evaluations.
• Coordinate stakeholders across product management, engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, sales, and customer-facing teams.
• Translate customer, market, and business needs into actionable project objectives, requirements, and deliverables.
• Drive prototypes, pilot runs, testing, validation, and production ramp-up.
• Ensure tooling, fixtures, materials, and work instructions are production-ready.

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional leadership

Stakeholder management

Risk management

Planning

Decision making

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering, manufacturing, operations, or related

Tools

Planview Project Advantage

ERP

MES

PLM

PDM

Job description

Our client is a global manufacturing leader delivering precision tooling solutions that help fabricators improve productivity, quality, and process reliability. With decades of innovation, a broad international footprint, and deep expertise in engineered manufacturing solutions, the organization combines proven industry leadership with a continued focus on customer success and operational excellence.

Position Responsibilities:

Lead cross-functional new product introduction initiatives from initial concept and business case through validation, production launch, and post-launch stabilization. This role owns project execution across engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, sales, and supporting functions while ensuring launches achieve schedule, budget, quality, safety, and performance objectives.

• Manage multiple NPI programs of varying scope, complexity, and priority from concept through stable production.
• Build and maintain comprehensive project plans covering scope, milestones, resources, dependencies, responsibilities, risks, and target completion dates.
• Facilitate project kickoffs, design reviews, Stage-Gate reviews, launch-readiness assessments, and post-launch evaluations.
• Coordinate cross-functional stakeholders across product management, engineering, manufacturing, quality, purchasing, supply chain, finance, sales, and customer-facing teams.
• Translate customer, market, and business needs into actionable project objectives, requirements, and deliverables.
• Drive prototype builds, pilot runs, testing, validation, first-article activities, preproduction efforts, and production ramp-up.
• Ensure tooling, fixtures, materials, equipment, documentation, routings, bills of material, inspection methods, work instructions, and training are production-ready.
• Champion design considerations supporting manufacturability, assembly, inspection, reliability, serviceability, and cost objectives.
• Manage project schedules, spending, capital requirements, tooling costs, product cost targets, resources, and financial assumptions.
• Identify technical, manufacturing, commercial, quality, supply chain, cost, and scheduling risks while maintaining appropriate mitigation and recovery plans.
• Maintain risk registers, action logs, decision records, project changes, and stakeholder communications using Planview Project Advantage.
• Coordinate supplier decisions, make-versus-buy evaluations, and procurement activities involving long-lead materials and equipment.
• Monitor early production performance across quality, delivery, scrap, rework, productivity, cost, and customer feedback.
• Lead launch-related issue resolution and transition completed programs into normal production ownership.
• Capture lessons learned and promote repeatable NPI practices that strengthen future product-development and launch performance.

Position requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, manufacturing, operations, business, project management, or a related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience spanning project management, new product introduction, product development, manufacturing engineering, or operations.
• Demonstrated success directing cross-functional initiatives from concept development through production launch.
• Proven ability to manage schedules, budgets, project risks, deliverables, resources, and stakeholder communications.
• Hands-on experience using Planview Project Advantage for project plans, milestones, resources, risks, deliverables, and reporting.
• Demonstrated experience operating within a formal Stage-Gate product-development methodology, including gate preparation, reviews, decisions, and follow-through.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing operations, production processes, and product-launch requirements.
• Strong planning, organization, prioritization, problem-solving, risk-management, and decision-making capabilities.
• Ability to influence and lead multidisciplinary teams without direct reporting authority.
• Effective written, verbal, presentation, meeting-facilitation, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, technical specifications, manufacturing documentation, and project financial information.
• Proficiency with project scheduling, spreadsheet, presentation, and collaboration tools.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines with a strong sense of ownership and urgency.
• Ability to work within office, engineering, laboratory, and manufacturing environments and participate in prototype builds and production trials.
• Ability to travel periodically to facilities, suppliers, customers, or project partners.

Preferred Requirements:

• Project Management Professional certification or comparable project-management training.
• Background within engineered products, tooling, machining, fabrication, automation, or discrete manufacturing environments.
• Experience using ERP, MES, PLM, PDM, project-management, or business-intelligence platforms.
• Familiarity with bills of material, routings, engineering drawings, specifications, change-control processes, and quality documentation.
• Experience coordinating projects across multiple facilities or global teams.

Reasons to Apply:

• Competitive salary plus a comprehensive benefits package.
• Health coverage, retirement plans, and other company-sponsored perks.
• Generous paid time off, including holidays, to support work-life balance.
• Flexible schedules and work life balance.
• Strong focus on employee development with on-the-job training and career growth.
• A positive company culture that values diversity and collaboration.

The pay range for this role is:

90,000 - 115,000 USD per year (White Bear Lake, MN)