Project Manager, Operations (Agile)

Instant Systems Inc

• $88K — $105K *
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-7 years of project management experience in an operations environment, preferably in regulated industries.
  • Proven experience applying Agile methodologies in project execution and team coaching.
  • Strong understanding of ISO 13485 and FDA compliance requirements.
  • Experience managing cross-functional teams and vendor relationships without direct authority.
  • Excellent communication skills for effective stakeholder engagement and reporting.

Responsibilities

  • Lead cross-functional teams in the delivery of short, high-impact operations projects.
  • Collaborate with the Operations Leader to set project priorities and gather fast feedback from floor staff.
  • Coach teams in Agile and Lean principles to improve project execution efficiency.
  • Manage vendors and contractors for small equipment and fixture installations, ensuring timely execution.
  • Utilize a hybrid project management approach for larger initiatives, combining Agile sprints with formal project stages.

Benefits

  • Opportunity for rapid career growth unique to high-impact project management roles.
  • Access to cutting-edge project management tools and methodologies.
  • Engagement in a dynamic work environment that values continuous improvement and feedback.
  • Exposure to cross-functional collaboration across multiple departments.
  • Training and development opportunities in Agile and Lean practices.
Full Job Description
Division

Description

Job Summary: The Project Manager, Operations (Agile) delivers a steady flow of short, high-impact operations projects for SUS Company 1, finishing them in weeks rather than months. Typical projects include line layout and changeover improvements, fixtures and small equipment, capacity quick-wins, scrap and yield fixes, 5S and visual management, pilot runs, new customer assemblies and reporting or system improvements. The role uses agile methods (short sprints, visual boards, daily stand-ups and quick feedback loops) to deliver working results early and adjust fast. It also builds change control, validation and documentation into each sprint, so that speed never comes at the expense of compliance under ISO 13485 and FDA requirements.

Responsibilities:
    • Lead small cross-functional teams from Production, Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, EHS and IT, often without direct authority.
    • Work with the Operations Leader as the product owner who sets priorities, and brings floor operators and supervisors into sprint reviews for fast feedback.
    • Coach teams and supervisors in agile and lean practices such as stand-ups, visual management, retrospectives and problem solving.
    • Manage vendors and contractors for small equipment, fixtures and installations, including quick quotes, purchase requests, installation and acceptance testing.
    • For larger projects (e.g., new cleanroom or production line, major equipment), use a hybrid approach: formal stage gates, business case and capital request (CapEx) at the top level, with agile sprints for design, build, test and validation work inside each phase.
    • Maintain an overall milestone plan and budget for these projects, and track cost and forecast-at-completion against the approved budget.
    • Hand over each result to operations with updated SOPs or work instructions, trained people and support in place.
    • Confirm benefits (e.g., capacity, savings, yield, cycle time) 30-90 days after go-live against the charter.
    • Capture lessons learned in every retrospective and improve templates, tools and the project process for Operations.
    • Report monthly on portfolio flow: projects completed, cycle times, benefits delivered and blockers.
    • Run a single intake process for operations project requests; screen each one for value, effort, urgency and compliance impact.
    • Scope each project on a one-page charter or A3 within 2-3 business days: problem, goal, measurable success criteria, scope limits, team, target finish date and change-control path.
    • Break larger ideas into small, independently valuable deliverables (for example: pilot on one line, then roll out to others) so results arrive early.
    • Keep a prioritized operations project backlog with the Operations Leader, re-ranked every 2 weeks based on business value, risk and capacity.
    • Use risk-based approval tiers so small, low-risk projects get quick sign-off, and reserve full stage-gate reviews for high-risk or high-cost work.
    • Plan work in 1-2 week sprints with clear sprint goals; hold sprint planning, 15-minute daily stand-ups at a visual board on the floor, sprint reviews and retrospectives.
    • Manage the project portfolio on a Kanban board (e.g., Backlog, Ready, In Progress, Validation/Documentation, Done) with work-in-progress limits so teams finish before they start new work.
    • Deliver a minimum viable result early (e.g., a trial fixture, temporary layout or pilot run), measure it, and improve it in the next sprint.
    • Remove blockers within 24-48 hours: secure decisions, parts, people and production time, and escalate quickly when needed.
    • Run rapid-improvement (kaizen) events of 3-5 days with production teams for focused problems.
    • Coordinate project work with Production Planning so trials, installations and cut-overs fit into planned downtime and protect customer deliveries.
    • Share progress openly with visual boards, burndown or cumulative flow charts and short weekly updates instead of long status reports.
    • Treat compliance as part of "done": a deliverable is only complete when its change control, validation, documentation and training are complete.
    • Screen each project at intake for impact on product, process, equipment, facility, software, customers or registrations, and choose the right change-control path early.
    • Plan validation (IQ/OQ/PQ, process and test method validation, computer system validation) with Quality and Validation from sprint one, and run documentation in parallel with the build, not after it.
    • Use pre-approved templates and standard protocols for repeat project types (e.g., fixtures, like-for-like equipment, layout changes) to shorten approval and validation time.
    • Keep project records audit-ready in line with ISO 13485:2016, FDA 21 CFR Part 820 (Quality Management System Regulation) and Good Documentation Practices.
    • Coordinate customer change notifications and regulatory assessments with Quality and Regulatory whenever a project could affect customer products.
      • Other Responsibilities as assigned


Full-Time/Part-Time
Full-Time

Salary Range

This position is currently accepting applications.

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