Senior Manager, Project Management

Wabtec•Greenville, SC

16h•$104,800 - $149,300•Onsite

About The Position

Wabtec Corporation is a leading global provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions, and value-added services for freight and transit rail. Drawing on nearly four centuries of collective experience across Wabtec, GE Transportation, and Faiveley Transport, the company has unmatched digital expertise, technological innovation, and world-class manufacturing and services, enabling the digital-rail-and-transit ecosystems. Wabtec is focused on performance that drives progress, creating transportation solutions that move and improve the world. Wabtec has approximately 27,000 employees in facilities throughout the world. Visit the company’s new website at: http://www.WabtecCorp.com. It’s not just about your career… or your job title… it’s about who you are and the impact you are going to make on the world. Do you want to go into uncharted waters… do things that haven’t been done to make your and someone else's life better? Wabtec has been doing that for decades, and we will continue to do so! Through our people, leadership development, services, technology, and scale, Wabtec delivers better outcomes for global customers by speaking the language of industry. Who Will You Be Working With? As the Manager, Project Management, you will lead a team of Project Managers each lead complex projects and are responsible for every aspect of project success - from planning and execution to customer satisfaction and financial performance. Your portfolio, however, spans multiple product lines, requiring prioritization, governance, and alignment across the Greenville site and stakeholders within each product line. You will serve multiple roles: Functional reporting: to the RSC Product Line, with a dotted line to the TSG Product Line, ensuring consistent execution, financial discipline, and alignment with each product line’s strategy. Site leadership: Member of the Greenville cross functional leadership team, partnering closely with Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and Finance to ensure delivery commitments are met and customers are satisfied. You’re the senior escalation point, aligning stakeholders, motivating contributors, and driving accountability across functions and product lines. Additionally, you serve as the upper interface with customers when escalations arise from Project Managers. How Will You Make a Difference? As the Manager, Project Management, you will take full ownership of the site’s project portfolio—from planning and execution of governance to customer satisfaction and financial performance. While your direct reports are Project Managers, success in this role depends on leading through influence, stakeholder alignment, and clear communication across the broader organization. You will plan, direct, and ensure proper management of projects through the coaching of Project Managers, applying effective tools and procedures grounded in good practices for risk and opportunity management. This role is ideal for someone with a proven track record of delivering results, a can-do mindset, and ambition to progress as a leader. You’ll be expected to drive accountability, resolve challenges, and inspire collaboration across engineering, manufacturing, sales, field support, and product line stakeholders—elevating performance across the entire portfolio. You will: Drive portfolio performance (scope, schedule, cost, quality, cash, and margin). Ensure project teams respect time, cost, quality, and other expectations; negotiate necessary modifications so resources meet objectives according to the schedule. Standardize governance (planning, gate reviews, risk & opportunity management, and EAC discipline). Supervise monthly reviews and gate reviews by assisting Project Managers in presenting project status across resources, finances, quality, and performance indicators. Strengthen customer trust through proactive escalation management and commercial rigor. Check customer satisfaction and participate in customer events, teleconferences, and meetings to fully understand concerns and complaints; take internal actions to eliminate these problems. Develop PM talent and build a disciplined, repeatable execution culture. Supervise Project Managers—including the distribution of tasks, training, problem solving, performance evaluation, and recommendations—and demonstrate the ability to adapt, lead, coach, and encourage change. What Do We Want to Know About You? Education bachelor's degree in engineering, Business, Project Management, or related field. PMP (or equivalent) is an asset. Experience 10+ years of project management experience in manufacturing, engineering to order, or industrial environments. Experience leading Project Managers or project teams; portfolio leadership across multiple product lines preferred. Demonstrated success in customer facing commercial projects with financial accountability. Rail/transit/rolling stock component experience is a plus. Skills & Competencies Portfolio leadership and cross product line prioritization Customer and stakeholder management Commercial and financial acumen (revenue, margin, cash, EAC) Risk & opportunity management; contract/change/claims fluency Coaching and talent development Effective communication and influence in a matrixed environment Problem solving under pressure in dynamic manufacturing contexts Tools Proficiency in Microsoft Office and common ERP/PM systems. What Will Your Typical Day Look Like? Portfolio leadership: Review portfolio health across product lines; confirm priorities, risks, and mitigations; adjust resource plans as needed. Determine the required resources and expertise needs for each project to achieve objectives and complete planned deliverables. Accountable for overall site project portfolio health including contract and commercial management of topics affecting financial performance. Execution: lead the organization to deliver on its commitments by aligning stakeholders, partnering with the other functions at the site, removing roadblocks, communicating clearly, and driving accountability. Governance: Lead project gate reviews and monthly portfolio reviews; ensure consistent standards and accurate reporting. Maintain close connection with each Project Manager regarding project status and to ensure action plans are in place for unresolved issues; lead any required routine meetings necessary to ensure cross functional alignment. Actively participate in meetings led by other functions as appropriate. Customer focus: Address escalations; support commercial negotiations and changes; reinforce day to day ownership at the Project Manager level. Contract management, change control, and claim strategy across the site portfolio. Financial rigor: Drive revenue, margin, cash flow, and discipline and rigor with respect to EAC accuracy. Other responsibilities including: Systematic risk and opportunity management including proactively anticipating risks, mitigating threats, and realizing opportunities. drive Contract Margin Improvement Plans (CMIP) and structured recovery actions on underperforming projects; lead cross functional mitigation plans and/or corrective actions when required to achieve expected results. Talent development: Coach Project Managers, conduct one-on-ones, provide feedback, and support growth plans. Serve as a role model for Wabtec Values. Continuous improvement: Identify systemic issues; drive the improvement of processes, tools, and routines to elevate execution performance across product lines. Drive Project Success & Customer Satisfaction Elevate customer experience through proactive communication and issue resolution. Ensure contract deliverables are fulfilled with high quality and on time. Optimize project margin and profitability across the portfolio. Foster disciplined collaboration and accountability across functions. Portfolio Governance & Cross Functional Collaboration Establish consistent routines for reviews, KPIs, and decision making. Coordinate hand offs and dependencies across product lines and functions. Maintain transparency when competing priorities exist; broker alignment and tradeoffs. What About the Physical Demands of the Job? Primarily office based with regular interaction in manufacturing environments. On-site presence during normal working days/hours is required. Requires talking, hearing, sitting, and light physical activity. Travel up to ~30% to customer sites, suppliers, and other company locations (primarily within North America). You may also be asked to perform other duties outside of your function, for which adequate training will be provided if necessary.

Requirements

bachelor's degree in engineering, Business, Project Management, or related field.
10+ years of project management experience in manufacturing, engineering to order, or industrial environments.
Experience leading Project Managers or project teams; portfolio leadership across multiple product lines preferred.
Demonstrated success in customer facing commercial projects with financial accountability.
Portfolio leadership and cross product line prioritization
Customer and stakeholder management
Commercial and financial acumen (revenue, margin, cash, EAC)
Risk & opportunity management; contract/change/claims fluency
Coaching and talent development
Effective communication and influence in a matrixed environment
Problem solving under pressure in dynamic manufacturing contexts
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and common ERP/PM systems.

Nice To Haves

PMP (or equivalent) is an asset.
Rail/transit/rolling stock component experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

Drive portfolio performance (scope, schedule, cost, quality, cash, and margin). Ensure project teams respect time, cost, quality, and other expectations; negotiate necessary modifications so resources meet objectives according to the schedule.
Standardize governance (planning, gate reviews, risk & opportunity management, and EAC discipline). Supervise monthly reviews and gate reviews by assisting Project Managers in presenting project status across resources, finances, quality, and performance indicators.
Strengthen customer trust through proactive escalation management and commercial rigor. Check customer satisfaction and participate in customer events, teleconferences, and meetings to fully understand concerns and complaints; take internal actions to eliminate these problems.
Develop PM talent and build a disciplined, repeatable execution culture. Supervise Project Managers—including the distribution of tasks, training, problem solving, performance evaluation, and recommendations—and demonstrate the ability to adapt, lead, coach, and encourage change.
Elevate customer experience through proactive communication and issue resolution.
Ensure contract deliverables are fulfilled with high quality and on time.
Optimize project margin and profitability across the portfolio.
Foster disciplined collaboration and accountability across functions.
Establish consistent routines for reviews, KPIs, and decision making.
Coordinate hand offs and dependencies across product lines and functions.
Maintain transparency when competing priorities exist; broker alignment and tradeoffs.