Project Manager - Food Manufacturing

Teklysium Inc•DeForest, WI

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

This is a hands-on role in an active manufacturing environment, requiring regular presence on the plant floor and close collaboration with Operations, Maintenance, Quality and external partners. If you thrive in fast-paced production settings and enjoy turning complex projects into real-world results, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on our facilities and operations. This is a hybrid role based in DeForest, WI with regular on-site plant presence and occasional travel across Canada and the U.S.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or a related technical field; equivalent experience in a manufacturing or industrial environment will be considered.
5–10 years of experience managing capital projects within food, beverage, fresh produce, or CPG manufacturing environments.
Demonstrated success managing a capital project portfolio in the $1MM–$10MM+ range.
Strong technical understanding of manufacturing equipment, utilities, automation, and facility/plant infrastructure systems.
Proven experience managing contractors, OEMs, and engineering firms within active, high-uptime production environments.
Strong financial acumen, including capital budgeting, forecasting, cost control, and variance analysis.
Familiarity with Stage-Gate, FEL, or other phase-gated project delivery methodologies.
Experience supporting multi-site manufacturing operations.
Experience using project management software (e.g., MS Project, Asana, Smartsheet).
Valid driver’s license and passport are required.

Nice To Haves

PMP (or equivalent project management certification) preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end delivery of capital projects across two processing facilities, including equipment installations, automation, utilities, infrastructure upgrades, and facility modifications.
Plan, execute, monitor, and close projects in accordance with PPMO standards, engineering best practices, and the Stage-Gate governance framework.
Develop and maintain integrated project plans covering scope, schedule, budget, resources, procurement, risk, commissioning, and start-up.
Facilitate cross-functional alignment with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, and external partners to define requirements and deliverables.
Track performance against milestones, budgets, and risk profiles; implement mitigation strategies to protect safety, food safety, production continuity, and capital outcomes.
Provide clear status reporting, dashboards, and Stage-Gate updates to the Director, PPMO and Plant Leadership.
Select, manage, and oversee OEMs, engineering firms, and contractors, ensuring compliance with scope, safety, food safety, quality, and technical requirements.
Coordinate plant-floor construction and installation activities to minimize production disruption and maintain OH&S/OSHA, CFIA/FDA, environmental, and site-specific standards.
Review engineering packages, drawings, commissioning documentation, and validate progress claims and invoices.
Lead quality assurance, commissioning, and start-up activities (FAT, SAT, validation, go-live readiness).
Maintain active risk and issue registers; conduct root-cause analysis and escalate risks as required.
Manage project financials, including cost tracking, forecasting, change control, and capital closeout, in collaboration with Finance and Procurement.
Support annual capital planning through business cases, cost estimates, and portfolio inputs.
Lead projects through all Stage-Gate phases, preparing and presenting gate reviews with required deliverables and recommendations.
Ensure complete, accurate project documentation and data within capital and portfolio management systems.
Participate in post-implementation reviews to capture lessons learned and strengthen capital execution practices.