Project Management Team Lead (Manufacturing)

Toyota Industries Corporation•Greenfield, IN

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Project Management Team Lead (PMTL) will report to the Manager of Manufacturing Project Operations and will directly manage a team of approximately 5 - 7 project managers (PMs). Additionally, the PMTL is expected to assist their project teams as needed during critical phases of their team’s projects. This position is considered a “working manager” role at Toyota Automated Logistics. The ideal candidate will be a Project Management Professional (PMP) experienced in the material handling industry, manufacturing, warehouse management and/or control systems (WMS, WCS), and possess direct experience and expertise in one or more of the technical specialties used in our projects. Additionally, the ideal candidate will be a strong, growing leader with a passion for process improvement and mentorship.

Requirements

A Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Operations Management discipline
Project Management qualifications including certificates or similar accreditations.
Advanced in MS Office software suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio etc.)
MS Project Online and/or MS Planner experience, with understanding of critical path, baseline scheduling, resource management, deliverables, dependencies
Material Handling, Robotics, or Manufacturing background required
At least 10 years’ experience in a Project Management Role
An understanding of the Engineering, Manufacturing, and Material Handling industries
OSHA 10 certification
Demonstrated leadership and/or mentorship in previous role
Ability to travel overnight up to 40%
Good leader, able to lead a team of people and projects
Adaptable in communication styles - from hourly construction workers to engineers to executives.
Energetic, ambitious, and hard working
Strong interpersonal and communication skills
Strong demonstrated sense of customer service
Structured, organized, and methodical in his/her approach
Anticipate problems and drive risk reduction
Change agent and desire to enhance standard processes
Must be eligible to work in the USA long term without sponsorship.
Employees must follow all information security policies, protect confidential data, complete required training, and report any suspected security incidents to support our information security controls.

Nice To Haves

Project Management Professional (PMP) optional, though preferred

Responsibilities

Provide appropriate guidance and coaching to project managers, with varying levels of experience and skill sets
Work with project managers to successfully overcome project and customer challenges, both technical and logistical in nature
Demonstrate strong attention to detail and technical credibility to earn trust, identify gaps early, and provide effective guidance
Proactively review team member projects to anticipate future risks, conflicts, or execution challenges before they impact scope, schedule, cost, or customer confidence
Use lessons learned, technical insight, and forecasting to coach project managers on how to prepare for upcoming challenges and make informed decisions
Foster a culture of ownership, preparation, continuous improvement, and proactive problem‑solving
Communicate expectations, feedback, and direction clearly and effectively to team members at all experience levels
Coach project managers on proactive risk management, change management, and contingency planning
Escalate risks, constraints, and execution concerns to leadership with professionalism, clarity, and recommended paths forward
Mentorship to project managers, including leading by example
Cascade critical corporate communications from Toyota Automated Logistics leadership to team members
Teach team members the reasons why their job is important for the success of Toyota Automated Logistics and ensure that each team member is embodying the core values of our company
Initiate and participate in process improvement and tool development for project management tasks and deliverables
Guide the development of the project management department annual strategic goals and ensure their successful completion
Work with Manager of Manufacturing Project Operations to manage workload of team members based on project complexity, team capacity, individual skill sets, and business priorities
Monitor team bandwidth and project demands to identify resource constraints or capability gaps early
Provide team members with opportunities for training and improving skill sets for career development
Work cross-functionally with other managers and team leads within other Toyota Automated Logistics and Bastian Automation departments to address individual project needs within an assigned portfolio
Participate in hiring process of new project managers
Review and approval of expense reports
Review and approval of vacation and personal time off requests
Create, update, and review incentive plans with team members
Conduct annual performance reviews and set personal goals with team members
Develop career path plans with project managers on the team
Recommend team members to management for annual awards and promotions
Provide a quality control review for key deliverables developed by your team members
Work with other Toyota Automated Logistics and Bastian Automation leaders and employees to help develop a strong safety culture and understand how to work safely each day in various environments
Provide technical project oversight across the full project lifecycle, ensuring disciplined planning, execution, monitoring, and close‑out
Maintain a strong working knowledge of manufacturing, engineering, and integration processes sufficient to review plans, identify risks, and challenge assumptions
Work with the assigned team to review proposals, contracts and new orders for accuracy and commercial and technical issues
Be accountable for planning, execution, and closure of material handling equipment projects involving custom equipment, robotics, ASRS, Goods-to-Person systems, structures, conveyor, machinery, controls, and software
Be accountable for financial performance of projects managed by the team
Estimate and direct internal Toyota Automated Logistics and Bastian Automation resources necessary to successfully complete the project. Communicate with other business unit leaders on current and anticipated needs
Manage project resources residing in multiple states
Work with the Procurement Team to effectively manage relationships and contracts with multiple partners/vendors
Create and maintain a documented project plan and schedule
Keep complete records of every project including a change log, action items, issues and risk monitoring log
Adhere to work and documentation standards as practiced at Toyota Automated Logistics
Apply appropriate judgment in the use of documentation and structure while executing projects
Give consistent and concise oral and written updates to projects, always with reference to in-scope deliverables, specific project issues, or risks
Support the Site Managers in the field, ensuring that they have what they need to be successful on the project
Work with accounting to follow-up on past due invoices.
Responsible for content, format and timeliness of all project deliverables including drawings, design releases, letters, equipment and controls documentation, spare parts lists, purchase orders
Document, publish, and present project lessons learned. Ensure that current project close-out checklists are complete
Be able to work weekends and evenings as required, particularly for key project milestones like FAT preparation or go-live events
Be prompt and consistent in work attendance