Project Manager

Henry Broch Foods•Waukegan, IL

20d

About The Position

The Project Manager is responsible for leading the end-to-end project lifecycle from Feasibility through Post-Launch, ensuring projects are clearly defined, properly scoped, and executed with strong cross-functional alignment. This role owns project planning, Stage Gate governance, timelines, and communication, enabling efficient project execution and seamless transition into commercialization. The Project Manager serves as the central point of accountability for project progression, driving alignment, managing risk, and ensuring teams deliver on commitments throughout the project lifecycle. This role partners closely with the Commercialization Project Manager, who leads execution from project acceptance through first production and post-launch stabilization.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Supply Chain, Food Science, or a related field; PMP or other project management certification is a plus
5+ years of experience in project management, commercialization, or manufacturing environments
Proven experience managing cross-functional projects from concept through commercialization
Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, scale-up, and operational constraints, including GMP/HACCP programs
Experience with Stage Gate or phased-gate project processes and collaborative project management tools (e.g., Teams, SharePoint, Asana)
Excellent organizational, analytical, and communication skills, with ability to drive accountability and follow-through across teams

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end projects from feasibility through post-launch closeout
Establish project scope, objectives, assumptions, and success criteria in alignment with stakeholders
Develop and maintain detailed project plans, timelines, and milestone tracking within the project management system
Monitor overall project health, identifying risks, dependencies, and constraints
Drive accountability across teams to ensure timely completion of deliverables
Own and manage the Stage Gate framework, ensuring disciplined progression through each phase
Define and enforce gate readiness criteria, deliverables, and decision requirements
Facilitate gate review meetings, ensuring clear decisions, ownership, and next steps
Proactively drive projects forward, removing bottlenecks and preventing delays
Identify risks, gaps, and dependencies early; develop mitigation plans and escalate as needed
Manage scope and change control, communicating impacts to timeline, cost, and resources
Use project data and insights to anticipate challenges and improve planning and execution
Serve as the primary liaison across Sales, Commercialization, Operations, Quality/Regulatory, Supply Chain, and Procurement
Ensure alignment on scope, assumptions, responsibilities, and deliverables across all functions
Drive decision-making by presenting clear options, impacts, and trade-offs
Partner closely with the Commercialization Project Manager to ensure seamless transition from project planning into execution
Act as the primary project-level contact for customers throughout the project lifecycle
Lead regular project update meetings, ensuring clear communication of progress, risks, and timelines
Align and manage customer expectations regarding scope, timeline, and Stage Gate requirements
Ensure effective project closeout, including documentation of outcomes and key learnings
Identify opportunities to improve project execution, Stage Gate effectiveness, and cross-functional alignment
Drive continuous improvement of project management tools, systems, and ways of working