Project Manager, Operations (Agile)

Instant Systems•Norfolk, VA

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Project Manager, Operations (Agile) delivers a steady flow of short, high-impact operations projects for SUS Company 1, finishing them in weeks rather than months. Typical projects include line layout and changeover improvements, fixtures and small equipment, capacity quick-wins, scrap and yield fixes, 5S and visual management, pilot runs, new customer assemblies and reporting or system improvements. The role uses agile methods (short sprints, visual boards, daily stand-ups and quick feedback loops) to deliver working results early and adjust fast. It also builds change control, validation and documentation into each sprint, so that speed never comes at the expense of compliance under ISO 13485 and FDA requirements.

Requirements

Experience with Agile methods (short sprints, visual boards, daily stand-ups, quick feedback loops)
Experience building change control, validation, and documentation into sprints
Experience leading small cross-functional teams
Experience managing vendors and contractors
Experience with formal stage gates, business cases, and capital requests (CapEx) for larger projects
Experience maintaining milestone plans and budgets
Experience tracking cost and forecast-at-completion against approved budgets
Experience confirming project benefits post-go-live
Experience capturing lessons learned and improving project processes
Experience reporting on project portfolios (completed projects, cycle times, benefits, blockers)
Experience running project intake processes and screening requests
Experience scoping projects using one-page charters or A3s
Experience breaking down larger ideas into smaller, independently valuable deliverables
Experience maintaining prioritized project backlogs
Experience using risk-based approval tiers
Experience planning work in 1-2 week sprints with clear goals
Experience holding sprint planning, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives
Experience managing project portfolios on Kanban boards with work-in-progress limits
Experience delivering minimum viable results early and iterating
Experience removing blockers within 24-48 hours
Experience running rapid-improvement (kaizen) events
Experience coordinating project work with Production Planning
Experience sharing progress openly with visual boards, burndown or cumulative flow charts, and weekly updates
Experience ensuring compliance (change control, validation, documentation, training) is part of project completion
Experience screening projects for impact on product, process, equipment, facility, software, customers, or registrations
Experience planning validation (IQ/OQ/PQ, process and test method validation, computer system validation)
Experience using pre-approved templates and standard protocols for repeat project types
Experience keeping project records audit-ready
Experience coordinating customer change notifications and regulatory assessments

Responsibilities

Lead small cross-functional teams from Production, Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, EHS and IT, often without direct authority.
Work with the Operations Leader as the product owner who sets priorities, and brings floor operators and supervisors into sprint reviews for fast feedback.
Coach teams and supervisors in agile and lean practices such as stand-ups, visual management, retrospectives and problem solving.
Manage vendors and contractors for small equipment, fixtures and installations, including quick quotes, purchase requests, installation and acceptance testing.
For larger projects (e.g., new cleanroom or production line, major equipment), use a hybrid approach: formal stage gates, business case and capital request (CapEx) at the top level, with agile sprints for design, build, test and validation work inside each phase.
Maintain an overall milestone plan and budget for these projects, and track cost and forecast-at-completion against the approved budget.
Hand over each result to operations with updated SOPs or work instructions, trained people and support in place.
Confirm benefits (e.g., capacity, savings, yield, cycle time) 30-90 days after go-live against the charter.
Capture lessons learned in every retrospective and improve templates, tools and the project process for Operations.
Report monthly on portfolio flow: projects completed, cycle times, benefits delivered and blockers.
Run a single intake process for operations project requests; screen each one for value, effort, urgency and compliance impact.
Scope each project on a one-page charter or A3 within 2-3 business days: problem, goal, measurable success criteria, scope limits, team, target finish date and change-control path.
Break larger ideas into small, independently valuable deliverables (for example: pilot on one line, then roll out to others) so results arrive early.
Keep a prioritized operations project backlog with the Operations Leader, re-ranked every 2 weeks based on business value, risk and capacity.
Use risk-based approval tiers so small, low-risk projects get quick sign-off, and reserve full stage-gate reviews for high-risk or high-cost work.
Plan work in 1-2 week sprints with clear sprint goals; hold sprint planning, 15-minute daily stand-ups at a visual board on the floor, sprint reviews and retrospectives.
Manage the project portfolio on a Kanban board (e.g., Backlog, Ready, In Progress, Validation/Documentation, Done) with work-in-progress limits so teams finish before they start new work.
Deliver a minimum viable result early (e.g., a trial fixture, temporary layout or pilot run), measure it, and improve it in the next sprint.
Remove blockers within 24-48 hours: secure decisions, parts, people and production time, and escalate quickly when needed.
Run rapid-improvement (kaizen) events of 3-5 days with production teams for focused problems.
Coordinate project work with Production Planning so trials, installations and cut-overs fit into planned downtime and protect customer deliveries.
Share progress openly with visual boards, burndown or cumulative flow charts and short weekly updates instead of long status reports.
Treat compliance as part of "done": a deliverable is only complete when its change control, validation, documentation and training are complete.
Screen each project at intake for impact on product, process, equipment, facility, software, customers or registrations, and choose the right change-control path early.
Plan validation (IQ/OQ/PQ, process and test method validation, computer system validation) with Quality and Validation from sprint one, and run documentation in parallel with the build, not after it.
Use pre-approved templates and standard protocols for repeat project types (e.g., fixtures, like-for-like equipment, layout changes) to shorten approval and validation time.
Keep project records audit-ready in line with ISO 13485:2016, FDA 21 CFR Part 820 (Quality Management System Regulation) and Good Documentation Practices.
Coordinate customer change notifications and regulatory assessments with Quality and Regulatory whenever a project could affect customer products.
Other Responsibilities as assigned