Project Manager - Industrial

AKG of America; Mebane (NC); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Shift differential

Medical, dental, vision

Life Insurance

PTO & holidays

401(k) match

Training opportunities

Stable environment

Employee recognition

Team culture

Job summary

AKG of America is seeking a Project Manager to lead the planning, execution and delivery of Industrial Division projects. You will coordinate across Engineering, Production, Quality, and Supply Chain to meet scope, schedule and budget.

The role requires 5+ years in manufacturing project management, strong communication, and the ability to manage multiple initiatives in a fast-paced environment. Occasional travel may be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 5+ years of project-management experience in automotive, industrial, or manufacturing environments.
• Strong communication, problem-solving and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage projects with objectives, timelines, resources, milestones, and deliverables.
• Develop and maintain detailed project plans including scope, schedule, and risk.
• Align project execution with AKG strategic goals and customer requirements.
• Create project framework and ownership decisions at kickoff through APQP.
• Clarify ownership between PM and other functions to prevent gaps and rework.
• Coordinate with Engineering, R&D, Production, Quality, Supply Chain, Sales, and customers.
• Identify risks and implement mitigation and contingency actions.
• Provide regular updates to leadership and stakeholders.
• Prepare reports and dashboards communicating progress and decisions.

Skills

Project lifecycle

Problem solving

Communication

Prioritization

Multi-project management

MS Project/Jira

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Business or related field

Tools

Microsoft Project

Jira

Job description

At AKG, we believe great people build great products. We are looking for dependable, safety-focused team members who want to grow their skills and be part of a company that values teamwork, accountability, respect, and continuous improvement. If you enjoy hands-on work, problem-solving, and working with precision equipment in a manufacturing environment, we encourage you to apply. We will train you...

What We Offer:

• Competitive pay based on experience
• Shift differential opportunities
• GREAT Medical, dental, and vision benefits the first of the month after 30 days
• Company Paid Life Insurance, STD insurance and LTD insurance
• PTO and paid holidays
• 401(k) with amazing company match
• Training and advancement opportunities
• Stable manufacturing environment
• Employee recognition programs
• Team-oriented culture focused on safety and respect

What You'll Do

The Project Manager leads the planning, execution, and successful delivery of projects supporting AKG’s Industrial Division business areas. The role collaborates across functions to integrate new technologies, products, and processes and to deliver projects on time, within scope, and within budget. The Project Manager establishes the project-management framework at project initiation, helps determine the appropriate ownership model for each project, and maintains clear accountability among Project Management, Application Engineering, NPI, and other supporting functions. The role requires adaptability, strong communication, sound judgment, and a consistent focus on customer and business results.

Key Responsibilities

Project Planning and Execution

• Lead and manage projects across the Industrial Division with clear objectives, timelines, resources, milestones, and deliverables.
• Develop and maintain detailed project plans, including scope, schedule, resource allocation, dependencies, and acceptance criteria.
• Align project execution with AKG strategic goals and applicable customer requirements.

Project Governance and Role Clarity

• Create the initial project framework and facilitate ownership decisions at each project kickoff through APQP.
• Clarify which activities are led by the Project Manager and which are owned by Application Engineering or other functions.
• Define interfaces, responsibilities, and handoffs to avoid gaps, duplication, or missed tasks.
• Document decisions, owners, due dates, and escalation paths throughout the project lifecycle.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Coordinate with Engineering, R&D, Production, Quality, Supply Chain, Sales, Customers and other stakeholders to support effective project execution.
• Partner with the Industrial Division business leader to integrate business priorities into project plans and decisions.
• Facilitate project kickoffs, reviews, technical and commercial alignment meetings, and closure activities.

Risk Management and Problem Solving

• Identify project risks, assumptions, constraints and dependencies early and maintain appropriate mitigation and contingency actions.
• Proactively resolve or elevate issues to minimize impacts to scope, timing, cost, quality and customer commitments.

Reporting and Communication

• Provide clear, regular project updates to leadership, stakeholders, customers, and project teams.
• Maintain effective communication between project teams and leadership and confirm alignment on priorities and decisions.
• Prepare reports, presentations, schedules and dashboards that communicate progress, risks, decisions and outcomes.

Process Improvement and Innovation

• Evaluate project-management processes and recommend improvements that increase efficiency, reduce cost, improve quality or strengthen delivery performance.
• Contribute to consistent project-management standards, templates, lessons learned and best practices.

Customer Focus

• Understand customer needs within the Industrial Division and incorporate those needs into project objectives and execution.
• Build productive relationships with internal stakeholders and external customers to promote satisfaction, transparency and collaboration.

Budget and Resource Management

• Manage project budgets and resource plans and monitor expenditures against approved targets.
• Recommend adjustments when needed to maintain project scope, timing, quality and financial objectives.

Requirements

What We’re Looking For:

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.

Experience

• At least five years of project-management experience, ideally in automotive, industrial, or manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated success managing complex, cross-functional projects with multiple stakeholders.
• Experience aligning project execution with business objectives and customer requirements.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong knowledge of the project lifecycle from initiation and planning through execution, control and closure.
• Effective problem solving, decision making, risk management, organization, and prioritization skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders at multiple levels.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Working knowledge of project-management software and tools such as Microsoft Project, Jira, or similar platforms.

Preferred Qualifications

• PMP certification or an equivalent project-management credential.
• Experience and familiarity with Industrial style products.
• Demonstrated ability to coach team members and support a collaborative, accountable project culture.

Working Conditions

• Occasional travel to project sites, supplier locations, or customer meetings may be required.
• The role operates in a fast-paced environment and requires management of competing priorities while maintaining quality standards.

About AKG

AKG develops and manufactures advanced heat exchangers and cooling technologies for automotive, industrial, and energy applications. AKG is committed to innovation, customer satisfaction, and sustainable solutions that improve efficiency and performance.