Senior PM, Ops

About the role

Senior Operations Project Manager role leading cross‑functional operational projects in a manufacturing environment, driving process standardization, data visibility, and business transformation for client operations leadership. The position is hybrid (Lake Forest, IL) with 1‑2 days onsite when not traveling and requires 25‑40% domestic travel to manufacturing facilities. Start date is ASAP (targeting October 5) for a 12+ month contract.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage comprehensive project plans, schedules, budgets, resource allocations, and timelines.
• Define project scope, objectives, deliverables, success criteria, and governance frameworks.
• Lead cross‑functional teams across plant operations, IT, corporate, and vendor partners.
• Identify project risks and develop proactive mitigation and contingency plans.
• Build and maintain professional project trackers, templates, playbooks, status reports, and coordination processes.
• Prepare and deliver executive‑level presentations and reports highlighting project health, KPIs, and operational performance.
• Support organizational change management efforts and facilitate adoption of new processes and systems across manufacturing facilities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field.
• 5‑8+ years of experience in project management with a business operations or process improvement focus (not IT project management).
• 5+ years of experience in business operations or process improvement within a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated ability to independently build and maintain project trackers, templates, playbooks, and status reporting materials.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Strong, adaptable communicator able to engage effectively across plant‑floor workers, plant and corporate leadership, and IT stakeholders.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically 25‑40% of the time, including multi‑day trips to manufacturing plant sites.

Qualifications

• PMP certification or Lean Six Sigma Green Belt/Black Belt certification (preferred).
• Experience with manufacturing execution systems or similar plant‑floor software platforms (e.g., Redzone).
• Change management experience supporting system deployments or business transformation initiatives.
• Experience working within or alongside union manufacturing environments.
• Familiarity with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, or Microsoft Dynamics.
• Knowledge of business intelligence tools such as Power BI or Tableau.

Skills

Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• 401(k) plan

Pay

Compensation range: $50‑$60 per hour (W2).

Schedule

Hybrid role (Lake Forest, IL) with 1‑2 days onsite when not traveling; 25‑40% domestic travel required; start date ASAP (targeting October 5); 12+ month contract duration.