Project Manager (Manufacturing)

Toyota Industries•Maryland Heights, MO

About The Position

The Project Manager (PM) leads cross-functional teams to develop and deliver customer systems from sale through final installation. The role works across design, procurement, manufacturing, assembly, and testing, guiding teams toward solutions that meet customer needs within budget and schedule constraints. PMs become involved as a purchase order is likely and, after the order is received, coordinate a project kickoff with the responsible Sales Engineer, the project team, and the customer. The PM then assumes primary responsibility for the project, with support from Operations Group colleagues as project complexity increases. PMs may also assist on larger projects, including site management, and work with the Scheduler and management team to resolve resource and schedule conflicts. The role contributes to department strategic objectives. The position includes project financial oversight, scheduling, customer and supplier coordination, documentation and correspondence, subcontractor selection, design-release approvals, project closeout, and coordination of warranty and customer-service matters. Travel to customer sites may be required up to 40%; travel expenses are covered by Toyota Automated Logistics. Toyota Automated Logistics describes itself as a global partner for integrated warehouse automation, bringing together Bastian Solutions, Vanderlande’s warehousing business, and viastore under one brand to deliver scalable systems, intelligent software, and life-cycle services. The company offers health, dental, and vision insurance; a 401(k) retirement plan with company match; vacation and holiday pay; paid volunteer time off; tuition reimbursement; professional associations, conferences, and subscriptions; and company meetings and events.

Requirements

Bachelor of Engineering or a related degree, and 2+ years of related experience (listed as preferred qualifications in the posting).
Experience and/or education with basic financials.
Basic proficiency with the MS Office software suite, particularly MS Excel.
Strong interpersonal skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Must be eligible to work in the US long-term without sponsorship.
Follow information-security policies, protect confidential data, complete required training, and report suspected security incidents.

Nice To Haves

Exposure to MS Project for developing project timelines.
Literacy with MS Project and/or other Gantt chart software.
Ability to use AutoCAD.
Exposure to automated systems.
Ability to read electrical and mechanical drawings.
Energetic, ambitious, and hardworking approach.
Forward-leaning mentality and a habit of looking for ways to solve problems.

Responsibilities

Lead cross-functional teams in developing systems from sale through final installation, coordinating design, procurement, manufacturing, assembly, and testing.
Guide project teams toward customer solutions that meet budget and schedule constraints.
Coordinate project kickoffs with the responsible Sales Engineer, project team, and customer, then take primary responsibility for the project.
Support other Project Managers on larger, more complex projects, including site management when needed.
Work with the Scheduler, other Project Managers, and management to resolve resource conflicts and schedule conflicts and develop global schedules and resource assignments.
Approve project-related supplier invoices; promptly return held invoices to the coordinator and communicate the reason for holding them.
Assist in creating, reviewing, and executing the department’s yearly strategic initiatives.
Assist Sales in managing post-completion cost escrow amounts when applicable.
Track project budget margin and current forecast margin to within +/- 1% for major projects, advise management of significant expected deviations, and provide updated forecasts to accounting in ERP software.
Coordinate post-project warranty and customer-service resolutions with the Service Manager.
Estimate floor-space requirements for projects in fabrication and assembly phases.
Document, publish, and present project lessons learned, including capturing lessons-learned videos.
Ensure project close-out checklists are complete.
Estimate and direct internal resources needed to complete projects successfully, and communicate current and anticipated needs to team members.
Forward contact information to the Project Coordinator for inclusion in the CRM.
Maintain organized project files, work with the support specialist to archive documentation, and clean up the electronic file library.
Manage and publish project schedules using electronic Gantt chart software; communicate delays by other project parties, such as the customer, and maintain baseline schedules for comparison.
Obtain customer signatures on contractual documents, including functional scope and factory and final acceptance forms.
Participate in post-project victory engagements.
Provide weekly written project updates, including financial and milestone status, and publish weekly internal and external project status reports throughout the project life cycle.
Recommend the appropriate internal Toyota Automated Logistics team for each project.
Take primary responsibility for subcontractor selection, with input from Sales and Management; ensure subcontractor contracts are structured correctly and use existing company templates.
Own the content, format, and timeliness of project correspondence and submittals, including drawings, letters, equipment and controls documentation, spare-parts lists, and purchase orders.
Review and approve design releases associated with assigned projects.
Review proposals, contracts, and new orders for accuracy and commercial and technical issues; arrange for another team member to review key documents.
Support Project Managers and Senior Project Managers on larger projects, and assist Project Coordinators and Site Supervisors in the field when needed.
Work to maintain positive cash flow on projects and follow up on past-due invoices with the support specialist.
Follow information-security policies, protect confidential data, complete required training, and report suspected security incidents.
Perform other duties as assigned.