Project Manager- Stage Gate Leader

Ohio Pet Foods, Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 90,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

401(k) matching

Cell phone reimbursement

Dental insurance

Health insurance

Health savings account

Life insurance

Paid time off

Vision insurance

Job summary

BrightPet seeks a Project Manager/Stage Gate Leader to drive disciplined execution across customer initiatives, including new product launches and onboarding of new customers. You will govern the stage gate process, partner with Sales, Operations, Finance, and R&D to ensure timely, profitable delivery.

The role requires 5+ years in project management within manufacturing or consumer goods, with strong financial acumen and proficiency in Monday.com, MS Project, Smartsheet, and SharePoint.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of project management experience in a cross-functional environment.
• Demonstrated experience building or operating within a formal PMO or stage gate framework.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• High level of financial acumen with experience considering cost, margin, and profitability.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, governance, and continuous improvement of the stage gate process.
• Develop detailed project plans with timelines, dependencies, and critical milestones.
• Manage customer onboarding and growth initiatives from contract through first production.
• Facilitate cross-functional meetings and drive decision quality and accountability.
• Collaborate with Sales, Operations, Finance, R&D, Quality, and Supply Chain.

Skills

PMO leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Financial acumen

Stakeholder management

Process governance

Education

Bachelor's degree in project management, business, operations, finance, or related field

Tools

MonDay.com

MS Project

Smartsheet

SharePoint

Job description

Position Title: Project Manager/Stage Gate Leader

Department: Finance

Classification: Non-exempt

Reports To: EVP, Finance

Location: Multiple Locations and/orRemote

Position Justification

The Project Manager/Stage Gate Leader will play a critical role in driving disciplined execution across customer initiatives, including new product launches, incremental volume expansion with existing customers, and onboarding of new customers. This role will lead the development, governance, and continuous improvement of BrightPet’s stage gate process, ensuring projects progress with rigor, financial visibility, and adherence to timelines.

The position will serve as a central PMO partner, working cross-functionally across Sales, Operations, Finance, R&D, Supply Chain, and Quality to ensure projects are prioritized appropriately, risks are proactively managed, and customer commitments are delivered profitably and on time.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Stage Gate & PMO Leadership

• Lead the ongoing development, implementation, and governance of a formal stage gate process to manage customer projects from ideation through commercialization
• Ensure consistent application of PMO standards, tools, and best practices across all customer initiatives
• Drive process rigor, discipline, and documentation to improve predictability, decision quality, and execution outcomes
• Continuously assess and improve project management processes to enhance speed, transparency, and accountability

Project & Timeline Management

• Develop and maintain detailed project plans, including task sequencing, durations, dependencies, resource requirements, and critical path milestones
• Own project timelines and proactively manage adjustments to ensure commitments are met
• Track, manage, and mitigate project risks, escalating issues as needed to maintain momentum
• Ensure clear ownership and accountability for deliverables across cross-functional teams

Customer Growth & Onboarding

• Manage projects supporting incremental volume growth with existing customers, including line extensions, renovations, and capacity expansions
• Lead cross-functional onboarding of new customers, ensuring seamless coordination from contract approval through first production and commercialization
• Serve as the primary point of coordination for customer-related projects, ensuring alignment between internal teams and customer expectations
• Maintain and standardize customer project information to enable efficient execution across multiple facilities

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Influence

• Partner closely with Sales, Finance, Operations, R&D, Quality, and Supply Chain to align priorities and remove execution barriers
• Facilitate effective cross-functional project meetings that drive decisions, accountability, and progress
• Influence without authority to resolve conflicts, align stakeholders, and drive timely outcomes
• Train and coach cross-functional team members on PMO tools, processes, and expectations

Financial Acumen & Business Support

• Incorporate financial considerations into project planning, including margin, cost, capital requirements, and capacity implications
• Partner with Finance to ensure project financials are understood, tracked, and reflected in decision making
• Support executive decision-making by preparing clear, data-driven project summaries, including risks, trade-offs, and financial impacts
• Ensure projects align with overall business strategy, profitability targets, and capacity constraints

Tools & Systems

• Lead project execution and reporting within the company’s project and portfolio management platform (Monday.com)
• Ensure accurate, timely updates to project data to support portfolio visibility and prioritization

Additional Responsibilities

• Attend and support customer project meetings, trials, and key milestones as required
• Become a subject matter expert in BrightPet capabilities, processes, and facility operations
• Perform other duties as assigned

Essential for Success

Required Education

Bachelor’s degree in project management, business, operations, finance, or a related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience

Experience and Skills Requirements

• 5+ years of project management experience in a cross-functional environment, preferably within manufacturing or consumer packaged goods
• Demonstrated experience building, managing, or operating within a formal PMO or stage gate framework
• Strong organizational skills with a proven ability to manage multiple complex initiatives simultaneously
• High level of financial acumen, with experience incorporating cost, margin, and profitability considerations into project decisions
• Experience supporting customer growth initiatives, new customer onboarding, or commercialization activities
• Proficiency with project management tools and platforms (e.g., Monday.com, MS Project, Smartsheet, SharePoint)
• Advanced Excel skills, including analysis and reporting from large or complex data sets
• PMP® or other project management certification preferred

Core Competencies

• Strong influencing and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to drive alignment and execution across diverse functional teams
• Results-oriented with a high level of process discipline and attention to detail
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment with ambiguity
• Excellent communication, presentation, and problem-solving skills
• Continuous improvement mindset with a passion for building scalable processes

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential duties of the job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Travel is expected in this role. The travel expected is estimated at 25% of time worked.

Work Environment

Professional office and manufacturing environment. Performance of this position will occasionally require exposure to the manufacturing areas where, in certain areas, the use of personal protection equipment such as to follow Food Safety procedures will be required. Floors may be wet and slippery when in the manufacturing area and you will be exposed to temperatures around 40 degrees when on the manufacturing floor. Primary office environment is ambient room temperatures, lighting and traditional office equipment as found in a typical office environment.

Desired Skills

• Leadership
• Strategic Thinking
• Analytical & Financial Acumen
• Decision Making / Judgment
• Execution Focus / Process Discipline
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Influencing Without Authority
• Customer Focus
• Continuous Improvement Mindset
• Integrity & Accountability

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Benefits

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Cell phone reimbursement
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Education

• Bachelor's (Preferred)

Experience

• Manufacturing: 1 year (Preferred)

Work Location

Remote