Project Manager

Panasonic • De Soto, KS

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Join us at Panasonic Energy as we expand to De Soto, Kansas, where we’re building the world’s largest lithium-ion battery factory. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career while contributing to the future of electric vehicles. As part of our team, you’ll help push the limits of battery technology, enhancing performance and efficiency in sustainable transportation.
Our state-of-the-art facility, just outside the Kansas City Metro, will be a hub for innovation in green energy solutions. If you're passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute to the electric vehicle revolution, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team. Join us and make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation.
Job Summary:
The Project Manager leads cross-functional project execution for facility operations, capital improvements, and production scalability within a high-volume manufacturing environment, operating within established program priorities and organizational objectives. This role manages project scope, schedule, budget, and risk to ensure safe, compliant, and timely delivery. Working closely with engineering, procurement, operations, and vendor partners, the Project Manager drives alignment and execution without direct people leadership. Ideal candidates bring strong planning discipline, technical fluency, and the ability to influence cross-functional teams in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Computer Science, or related technical/operations field. Relevant work experience may be substituted for required education.
• 5+ years of hands-on project management experience delivering technical, construction, manufacturing, or capital projects
• Demonstrated ability to manage project scope, schedule, cost, and risk for mid- to large-scale initiatives
• Proven experience developing and maintaining detailed project schedules and managing critical path activities
• Strong working knowledge of project management tools such as Smartsheet, MS Project, Excel, PowerPoint, JIRA, or similar platforms
• Ability to coordinate cross-functional teams and external vendors without direct authority
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously
• Effective written and verbal communication skills for delivering clear project status, risks, and mitigation plans to diverse audiences
• Experience operating within established governance, standards, and program or PMO frameworks
• Must have working-level knowledge of the English language, including reading, writing, and speaking English
• Alignment to Panasonic’s seven (7) core principles (contribution to society, fairness and honesty, cooperation and team spirit, untiring effort for improvement, courtesy and humility, adaptability, gratitude)

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree (e.g., MBA, MS in Project Management, Engineering Management, or Data Analytics)
• PMP, CAPM, or equivalent project management certification
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
• Experience in lithium-ion battery or high-volume manufacturing environments
• Familiarity with Lean, Six Sigma, Agile, or other structured methodologies
• Understanding of engineering drawings, capital expenditure projects, or facility systems
• Advanced proficiency in enterprise platforms (e.g., SAP, Oracle)
• Demonstrated ability to drive change and improve processes in fast-paced or evolving settings

Responsibilities

• Lead planning and execution of mid- to large-scale projects supporting infrastructure, production, and capital initiatives
• Define project scope, schedules, deliverables, and resource requirements in partnership with key stakeholders
• Develop and maintain integrated project schedules, managing critical path activities and interdependencies
• Coordinate vendor execution, procurement timelines, and construction or installation milestones
• Execute assigned projects in alignment with established program plans, governance, and sequencing priorities
• Proactively identify project risks and implement mitigation strategies to protect cost, schedule, and scope
• Track project performance using established KPIs and dashboards to drive timely decision-making
• Support continuous improvement by applying and suggesting improvements to project workflows, templates, and standard processes
• Capture lessons learned and contribute to project closeout documentation to support continuous improvement efforts
• Lead and facilitate recurring project meetings, ensuring accountability and alignment across teams
• Provide guidance to cross-functional contributors on project expectations, timelines, and deliverables
• Support adoption and effective use of project management tools and standard practices
• Serve as primary point of contact between engineering, operations, procurement, vendors, and leadership
• Deliver clear, consistent project communications through status reports, dashboards, and presentations
• Resolve project conflicts, remove execution barriers, and escalate risks or issues through defined governance channels as appropriate
• Ensure project execution aligns with internal quality, safety, and regulatory requirements
• Maintain audit-ready project documentation and support internal or external inspections as required
• Reinforce safety expectations across project teams and vendor partners

Benefits

• Health Benefits – Offering medical, dental, vision, prescription plans, plus Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account options.
• Voluntary Benefits – Life, accident, critical illness, disability, legal, identity theft, and pet insurance.
• Panasonic Retirement Savings & Investment Plan (PRSIP) – 401(k) plan with company matching contributions and immediate vesting.
• Paid Time-Off Benefits – Vacation, holidays, personal days, sick leave, volunteer, and parental & caregiver leave.
• Educational Assistance – Tuition reimbursement for job-related courses after six months of service.
• Health Management and Wellbeing Programs –Lifestyle Spending Account, EAP, virtual health management, chronic condition, neurodiversity, tobacco cessation, substance abuse support, and life stage and fertility resources. Available to eligible employees starting the first day of the month following your start date. Eligibility for each benefit may vary based on employment status, location, and length of service.
• Employee Recognition Program - High5 employee recognition and awards platform, quarterly and annual employee recognition
• Annual Bonus Program - Opportunity for an annual performance-based bonus.

What This Job Offers

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