Project ManagerThe Project Manager is responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing cross-functional projects that support business objectives, operational excellence, and strategic growth within a precision optics facility. This role leads NPI and facility projects that may span multiple departments, manufacturing sites, business units, suppliers, and customer programs, partnering with leaders across engineering, operations, supply chain, quality, finance, and other functions to deliver successful outcomes.
The Project Manager establishes project plans, manages risks, drives accountability, and communicates progress to stakeholders while balancing competing priorities. This position also develops and maintains project management standards, improves project execution practices, and strengthens collaboration across teams, sites, and customers.
Essential Responsibilities- Lead multiple concurrent projects from initiation through implementation and project closeout.
- Develop and maintain project plans, governance standards, templates, tools, schedules, budgets, resource plans, risk registers, and reporting to support consistent project execution across the organization.
- Coordinate cross-functional project activities and build strong partnerships across sites, business functions, suppliers, customers, and external stakeholders to align priorities, remove barriers, resolve issues, and drive project execution.
- Facilitate project meetings and communicate project status, risks, milestones, key decisions, project health, and executive-level updates to stakeholders and leadership.
- Monitor project scope, schedule, budget, milestones, and financial performance, including forecasts, resource utilization, and cost impacts, proactively identifying and mitigating risks and escalating variances as appropriate.
- Drive accountability by tracking commitments, facilitating decision-making, and escalating issues when appropriate.
- Facilitate project governance activities, including stage gate reviews, change control, risk management, stakeholder communication, and executive reporting.
- Support capital, operational, continuous improvement, new product introduction (NPI), customer, and strategic business projects as assigned.
- Measure project outcomes, conduct project closeout activities, capture lessons learned, and identify opportunities to improve project management processes and organizational effectiveness.
- Ensure projects comply with applicable quality, safety, regulatory, and company requirements.
- Support change management activities, including communication, implementation planning, stakeholder engagement, and adoption.
- Maintain accurate project documentation and records.
Education & Experience- Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Operations Management, Project Management, or a related field required.
- 3-5 years of NPI, product transfer, and product lifecycle management (PLCM) project management experience in a manufacturing, engineering, industrial, or technical environment required.
- Experience leading cross-functional projects involving multiple stakeholders, sites, business functions, and customer programs required.
- Experience managing project schedules, budgets, risks, resources, and project financial performance required.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and project management software (e.g., Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or similar platforms) required.
- Project Management Professional (PMP) certification preferred.
- Experience supporting capital equipment, manufacturing, engineering, operational improvement, or customer-driven projects preferred.
- Experience within a Lean manufacturing environment preferred.
- Experience with ERP systems such as JDE preferred.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities- Strong project planning, organization, and time management skills.
- Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
- Ability to influence, collaborate, and build relationships across multiple sites, business functions, customer programs, and time zones without direct authority.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, decision-making, and critical thinking skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities, make sound decisions with incomplete information, and adapt to changing business needs.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and project management software.
Working Conditions- Primarily office-based with occasional time spent in manufacturing, laboratory, warehouse, or production environments as business needs require.
- Ability to travel as needed to support project execution, customer engagements, suppliers, or other company locations.
- Ability to work a flexible schedule, as needed, to support project milestones and collaboration across multiple time zones.
Additional Requirement- Certain positions with IDEX Corporation and its business units require access to controlled goods and technologies subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations or the Export Administration Regulations. Applicants for these positions may need to be "U.S. Persons," as defined in these regulations. Generally, a "U.S. Person" is a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, or an individual who has been granted refugee or asylum status.
