Manager, Project Management - Fresh Foods Operations

Acosta•Bentonville, AR

7h•$72,600 - $80,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Manager, Project Management - Fresh Foods Operations supports strategic initiatives for the Sam's Fresh business onsite at Sam's Club Headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. The role partners with merchants, operations leaders, field teams, and cross-functional stakeholders to drive project execution, process improvement, training, and operational excellence from planning through implementation. The position supports the profitability, scope management, and on-time delivery of projects while working closely with the Senior Manager, Project Management. The role covers vendor management, project compliance, scope management, profitability, communications, and general project operations. It includes vendor setup and payment coordination, maintaining project financial and legal compliance, tracking project budgets and spending, monitoring critical paths, coordinating project meetings, and contributing to departmental tools, templates, and continuous improvement. Acosta Group describes itself as a collective of retail, marketing, and foodservice agencies, with more than 20,000 associates. The company notes that many of its field roles offer flexible scheduling options; this role is described as onsite at Sam's Club Headquarters.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED minimum.
At least 3 years of relevant professional experience.
Strong technical skills and hands-on experience with Salesforce, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook), Power BI, other data visualization tools, and business productivity tools.
Strong financial acumen and analytical skills.
Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills.
Clear and concise communication skills.
Effective time management and ability to multitask.
Critical thinking, resourcefulness, and a proactive mindset.
Ability to work independently as a self-starter.
Ability to manage complexity and balance the needs of multiple stakeholders.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
Strong relationship-building and collaboration skills.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree preferred.
5 or more years of relevant professional experience preferred.
Project management experience and a strong understanding of retail, CPG, fresh foods, or operational environments.
Experience building scalable processes, developing documentation and SOPs, analyzing business needs, and influencing stakeholders across multiple teams.
For internal candidates, experience supporting Sam's Club initiatives, business transformation, reporting, automation, or process improvement is encouraged.
For external candidates, a track record of delivering cross-functional projects and driving measurable business results.

Responsibilities

Partner with the Buyer to set up vendors in accordance with client and Mosaic requirements, facilitate vendor payments, document and track payments, and liaise with Legal, the Buyer, AP, and CST regarding payment and other inquiries.
Own Oracle Fusion system requisitioning responsibilities for purchase orders.
Manage Salesforce project compliance, including budgets, project time assignments, and approvals; approve Concur travel and expenses; understand client MSA financial and legal compliance requirements; create client MSA compliance guides; compile project-specific legal and financial compliance documentation; and manage internal Pcard compliance, including payments and coding.
Maintain a clear understanding of project scope and client budgets.
Support the Senior Project Manager in maintaining project critical paths and deadlines and educating stakeholders about client requirements and ways of working.
Support project budget development with Client Management and Production; track project spending using the standard Mosaic tracker for personnel and out-of-pocket expenses; manage forecasts for vendor-related expenses; recommend and communicate variance analysis for vendor spending; and provide historical project data when applicable.
Support the Senior Project Manager in coordinating, leading, and recapping internal project status meetings, including kickoffs, status updates, financial reviews, and post-project reviews.
Communicate critical-path progress to project stakeholders.
Collaborate internally across departments and contribute to continuous improvement in Project Operations ways of working.
Support the Senior Project Manager in creating and implementing departmental tools and templates.
Contribute to the agency's culture, vision, and direction, and perform other duties as assigned.