Technical Project Manager

Optimal Personal & Organisation; Michigan; On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Optimal Personal & Organisation is seeking an experienced Technical Project Manager for demanding industrial equipment projects across North America. You will coordinate between customers, leadership, engineering partners, suppliers, contractors, and field teams to deliver on time, on budget, and to specification.

You will be close to the hardware and the install, startup, and launch phases, requiring hands-on involvement, strong commercial sense, and decisive on-site leadership to keep programs

Qualifications

• 5+ years of project management experience in industrial equipment, automation, tooling, or machine building.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Experience delivering capital-equipment projects with budget/schedule responsibility, preferably $250k+.

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple customer projects from quotation through final acceptance and closeout.
• Create and maintain project plans covering scope, milestones, resources, budget, risks, and deliverables.
• Drive kickoffs, design reviews, internal reviews, and customer status meetings with clear actions.

Skills

Project management

Read drawings

Communication

Cross-functional coordination

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering/related field

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

MS Office

Project scheduling tools

Job description

TRAVEL

Up to 50%, based on project phase

TYPE

Full-time

About Our Client

Our client is a growing, owner-led engineering partner serving automotive and industrial manufacturers across North America. From our headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, we support customer-specific projects involving high-pressure die casting, tooling, automation, industrial equipment, and process-water systems.

Our customers include automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and other advanced manufacturing companies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. We combine technical expertise, practical execution, and direct customer support to deliver solutions that perform in demanding production environments.

The Opportunity

Our client is looking for an experienced Technical Project Manager who can bring structure, urgency, and sound judgment to complex industrial projects. You will serve as the central point of coordination between the customer, leadership, engineering partners, suppliers, contractors, and field teams.

This is not a desk-only project management role. You will be close to the equipment and the customer, especially during installation, startup, and launch. The right person understands both the commercial and technical sides of project delivery and knows when to elevate, when to decide, and when to be on-site.

What You'll Own

Project Delivery

• Lead multiple customer projects from quotation and order handoff through final acceptance and closeout.
• Build and maintain practical project plans covering scope, milestones, resources, budget, risks, and customer deliverables.
• Drive project kickoffs, design reviews, internal reviews, and customer status meetings with clear agendas, decisions, and action owners.
• Track progress against commitments, identify issues early, and lead corrective actions when schedule, cost, quality, or scope is at risk.
• Maintain clear project documentation, including schedules, decision logs, action lists, risk registers, and acceptance records.

Customer and Commercial Leadership

• Act as the primary day-to-day customer contact and communicate project status, risks, decisions, and next steps with clarity.
• Keep expectations aligned with the agreed scope and contractual requirements throughout the project lifecycle.
• Evaluate customer requests, engineering changes, and field modifications for their impact on cost, timing, quality, and resources.
• Prepare and manage change orders, obtain required approvals, and protect project scope and margin.
• Maintain project budgets, cost forecasts, expenditure visibility, and concise performance reporting for company leadership.

Engineering, Suppliers, and Operations

• Coordinate deliverables across mechanical, electrical, controls, manufacturing, service, quality, and external engineering resources.
• Review technical drawings, layouts, specifications, and documentation sufficiently to identify gaps, conflicts, and project risks.
• Coordinate procurement, supplier schedules, production milestones, expediting, and delivery commitments.
• Use ERP/MRP and project management tools to maintain visibility into materials, purchasing, labor, schedule, and cost.
• Facilitate technical problem-solving, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions without losing ownership of the overall project outcome.

Installation and Commissioning

• Plan and coordinate installation, startup, commissioning, testing, validation, training, and final customer acceptance.
• Coordinate on-site activities involving company personnel, contractors, suppliers, and customer teams.
• Lead daily site meetings, punch-list reviews, issue escalation, and recovery planning during critical project phases.
• Confirm that work at customer facilities meets contractual requirements, safety expectations, quality standards, and agreed documentation requirements.
• Remain on-site for extended periods when installation, troubleshooting, launch support, or customer acceptance requires it.

What You Bring

• At least 5 years of project management experience in industrial equipment, automation, tooling, machine building, die casting, or a comparable engineering environment.
• A bachelor's degree in engineering, manufacturing, project management, or a related field—or equivalent relevant technical and project experience.
• A record of delivering customer-specific capital-equipment projects with meaningful budget, schedule, and commercial responsibility, preferably valued at $250,000 or more.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, engineering workflows, supplier coordination, and implementation at customer sites.
• Experience managing change orders, technical revisions, project risks, cost forecasts, and cross-functional resources.
• Ability to read and interpret technical drawings, equipment layouts, specifications, and manufacturing documentation.
• Confident, concise communication with customers, suppliers, technicians, engineers, and senior leadership.
• A hands-on, accountable working style and the ability to make sound decisions in fast-moving project situations.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems, project scheduling tools, and Microsoft Office applications.

Preferred Experience

• Machine builds, equipment relocations, installations, commissioning, and production launch support.
• Contract administration, supplier performance management, and commercial project reporting.
• PMP certification or comparable project management training.
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or continuous-improvement methods.

Travel and Work Environment

Travel is an essential part of this position and will vary by project phase. Up to 50% travel is expected, primarily to customer and supplier locations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Travel is typically concentrated around installation, commissioning, troubleshooting, and launch support and may occasionally include multi-week assignments.

This role works in both office and manufacturing environments. It requires the ability to walk and stand in production facilities, conduct equipment inspections, follow site-specific safety requirements, use required PPE, and occasionally lift up to 25 pounds. A valid driver's licence is required. A valid passport, or the ability to obtain one, is strongly preferred.