Project Manager – New Product Launch

Pridgeon & Clay•Grand Rapids, MI

16h

About The Position

The Project Manager manages successful new-product launches in accordance with company policies and customer requirements. The role coordinates launch activities across finance, quality, production, shipping, and customer service, while maintaining project schedules, budgets, documentation, and communication with internal teams and customers. The position supports launches across company plants, tracks tooling and capital expenses, customer billing, production and shipping readiness, and APQP tasks and milestones. The Project Manager identifies and escalates risks, facilitates meetings, maintains project status records, and helps ensure that launch deliverables and customer-specific requirements are completed on time. Pridgeon and Clay describes itself as an independent manufacturer and supplier of automotive stamped and fine-blanked components, founded in 1948. It offers a comprehensive benefits plan, a safe and team-oriented work environment, opportunities to participate in continuous improvement, work/life balance, and career growth.

Requirements

Associate degree; Business preferred.
Experience in a project management environment.
Ability to coordinate multiple projects and drive on-time program completion with a high degree of detail.
High proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Project.
Strong self-motivation and ability to manage workload with minimal supervision.
Ability and willingness to work effectively in a team-based setting and build work relationships through collaboration.
Excellent written and verbal communication, customer service, and interpersonal skills.
Strong organizational and detail-oriented project-management skills.
Excellent problem-solving skills.
Dependability and confidentiality.
Excellent work record, including attendance.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree; Business preferred.
Previous experience in the automotive industry.
Working knowledge of Advanced Product Quality Process (APQP).
Experience with AIAG Core Tools: APQP, PPAP, FMEA, SPC, and MSA.
Strong technical skills.

Responsibilities

Initiate and track customer billing according to project budgets, and monitor tooling expenses, cost of goods sold, and capital expenditure projects related to launches.
Meet weekly with the Program Launch Business Manager and communicate changes in forecasted profit and loss on tooling projects.
Prepare budget-overrun justifications and corrective actions with launch-team input for management review and approval.
Support the Strategic Sourcing Specialist with supplier authorization letters, purchase orders, and progressive payments for tools and gauges.
Issue kickoff and engineering-change notices for the Grand Rapids, Franklin, Mexico, and Hungry plants.
Initiate, monitor, and record supplier tooling runoff, home-line capability runoff, and PPAP submission dates.
Initiate and preload Flowing Form documentation; create, monitor, and drive completion of APQP project tasks.
Maintain and organize APQP documents in part folders, manage gate milestones, and escalate and drive closure of project action items.
Keep the daily project-file tracker current and accurate, and facilitate required team meetings.
Organize and track on-time production and shipping of early parts, dies, gauges, and PPAP packages.
Submit requests for updates and additions to Launch/Production Planning Meeting agendas and submit presentation requests for Gate Review Meeting agendas.
Work with customers to define and document new-product launch goals and objectives; identify and communicate launch-plan risks to management.
Communicate critical-path launch due dates to the APQP team and organize or attend customer program meetings and conference calls as required.
Create and manage project timelines and provide timing plans and status updates to customers as requested or required.
Inform Customer Service about orders to add or remove for early parts, cap runs, and prove-out runs.
Inform the Information Technology Department about routers and bills of materials and ensure the information is updated correctly.
Inform the team of customer-specific forms and practices and ensure compliance, including feasibility forms, asset tags, die pictures, and die biographies.
Communicate effectively with co-workers and management, provide timely and accurate feedback, maintain an efficient work area, and follow company policies, procedures, standards, and safety regulations.
Maintain appropriate attendance and professionalism, accept duties positively, treat co-workers with dignity and respect, and support company values through daily actions.

Benefits

Competitive total compensation.
Comprehensive benefits plan with premium medical and prescription coverage; employee coverage starts at $5.00 per week.
Dental coverage.
Vision coverage.
401(k) with company match.
Tuition reimbursement.
Safe, team-oriented work environment with a leadership team that values employee input.
Opportunity to participate in continuous-improvement and problem-solving events.
Positive work/life balance.
Career-growth opportunities; the posting states that over 70% of leaders have been promoted from within.