Manager of Project Operations

SMS group Inc • Pittsburgh, PA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

SMS group Inc. seeks Manager of Project Operations to work in Pittsburgh, PA. Reporting to the Vice President, the Manager of Project Operations directs the operational and financial lifecycle of the business unit’s project portfolio. The role is responsible for the strategic alignment of automation and digitalization portfolios, overseeing P&L, resource optimization, and directing the professional development of the project management staff to ensure best-in-class execution of metallurgical plant systems.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree (or foreign equivalent) in Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, or Metallurgy.
• Five (5) years of progressive, post-baccalaureate work experience in the job or in a related Engineering or Project Management capacity working with industrial automation and digitalization technologies specifically within the metals industry.
• Knowledge of metallurgical production lifecycles, from melting through finishing and shipment.
• Experience in preventive maintenance of steel melt shop assets, specializing in the technical service, diagnostic testing, and operational reliability of continuous casting and metallurgical equipment.
• Experience applying performance-enhancing algorithms and digital services to heavy industry production environments.
• Experience with Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and production planning, including the application of optimization models for scheduling and capacity management.
• Experience with Level 2 industrial automation systems, specializing in supervisory process control, data architecture, and production tracking.
• Proficiency in governing the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) using platforms like Azure DevOps (CI/CD, sprint management).
• Experience in the design and management of enterprise-level analytics (e.g., Power BI) for portfolio KPIs.
• Experience with enterprise PM systems (e.g., Monday.com) for resource leveling and multi-million dollar financial modeling.
• Professional experience in customer-facing communication and claim management (technical or commercial dispute resolution) within a global project environment.

Responsibilities

• Full Profit and Loss (P&L) accountability for the project portfolio.
• Direct financial auditing, oversee cost-to complete (CTC) reporting, and managing budgets, reporting directly to the VP.
• Directly supervise Project Managers including hiring, performance evaluations, and defining professional development roadmaps.
• Directing budgetary estimation, technical scoping, and resource allocation across all projects in the portfolio.
• Establish and enforce portfolio guidelines for project execution.
• Define the roadmap for integrating advanced data analytics into the project lifecycle to improve delivery efficiency.
• Serve as the final escalation point for critical project risks; formulate portfolio-wide risk mitigation strategies and ensure project compliance with global corporate standards and metallurgical industry regulations.
• Lead high-stakes negotiations with major clients and vendors to resolve technical or commercial disputes.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager