Manager, Operational Excellence PMO

Zeus Industrial Products•Columbia, SC

About The Position

The Manager of the Operational Excellence PMO is responsible for leading the operational excellence project managers and driving enterprise-wide initiatives focused on operational efficiency, productivity, and waste reduction within manufacturing environments. This role will provide strategic direction, project governance, and leadership to ensure continuous improvement (CI) projects are effectively scoped, prioritized, executed, and sustained. The Manager partners closely with cross-functional stakeholders and senior leadership to align improvement efforts with business goals, while cultivating a culture of operational excellence.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Industrial Management, or related field; Master’s degree preferred.
Minimum of 7 years in manufacturing or operations roles, with at least 3 years in a leadership or PMO capacity.
Proven experience managing cross-functional teams and CI initiatives at the enterprise level.
PMP Certification or equivalent project management training preferred.
Lean Six Sigma certification (Green Belt preferred)
Advanced knowledge of project management software (e.g., Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, Asana).
Strong business acumen, analytical skills, and ability to translate data into actionable insights.
Excellent interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the plastics industry a plus.

Responsibilities

Program and Portfolio Leadership: Oversee the planning, execution, and delivery of a portfolio of continuous improvement and manufacturing optimization projects.
Establish and manage project governance frameworks, tools, and standards across the PMO team.
Monitor program health, risk mitigation, and benefit realization across all projects.
Team Management & Development: Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Manufacturing Project Managers, supporting their technical and leadership growth.
Assign project leads based on skillset, business priorities, and development opportunities.
Foster a high-performance team culture that values collaboration, accountability, and results.
Strategic Planning & Execution: Partner with senior leaders to identify key operational challenges and strategic improvement areas.
Prioritize initiatives based on impact, feasibility, and resource availability.
Drive alignment between CI efforts and enterprise-level operational and financial objectives.
Performance Measurement & Reporting: Develop and maintain KPIs and dashboards to track the impact of PMO-led initiatives.
Ensure projects have clear benefit targets (cost savings, throughput improvement, waste reduction, etc.).
Deliver formal progress updates to executive leadership on a regular cadence.
Standards and Methodologies: Champion the use of Lean, Six Sigma, DMAIC, and other proven methodologies across the PMO.
Promote standardization of project documentation, root cause analysis methods, and benefit tracking.
Develop and deploy training tools and best practices for project and CI methodology.
Stakeholder Engagement: Build strong relationships with internal customers across manufacturing, engineering, quality, supply chain, and IT.
Facilitate cross-functional workshops and alignment meetings to ensure project momentum and stakeholder buy-in.
Act as a change agent and communication bridge between technical teams and business leadership.