Customer Project Lead

Company Description

To be the leading producer of glass bottles and jars worldwide you need passion, commitment and innovation baked into the very fabric of a business and its people. For more than 120 years, our glass makers have honed their craft—channeling their creativity into more than 1,800 patents held today. When you join O-I you become part of that story.

O-I has more than a century of experience crafting pure, sustainable, brand-building glass packaging for many of the world’s best-known food and beverage brands. We are proud to provide high quality glass packaging for beer, wine, spirits, food, non-alcoholic beverages, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. We are dedicated to make what matters to shape a healthier, more sustainable and more exciting world. We transform the industry to make glass more relevant and more accessible to more people.

Job Description

The Customer Project Lead drives flawless execution of large-scale, cross-functional projects that align with customer priorities for growth and maintenance of existing business. This role translates strategic commercial intent into integrated execution plans, proactively manages risks, and ensures reliable delivery of customer and internal commitments across all O-I functions. It takes ownership of a variety of initiatives spanning new customer onboarding, complex network transitions, and NPD projects involving significant operational impacts. This role communicates effectively at an executive level internally and externally, summarizing complex situations into clearly communicable action plans with confidence and authenticity.

Principal Accountabilities

• Commercial project leadership: Own end-to-end execution of large, complex commercial initiatives from initiation through stabilization; serve as the single execution owner across multiple workstreams.
• Translate strategy to execution: Convert commercial strategy and customer commitments into clear project scope, milestones, dependencies, and deliverables; maintain alignment with Commercial leadership on priorities.
• Program planning & governance: Build and maintain integrated program plans (scope, timelines, critical path, decision points); establish the right cadence, governance forums, and escalation paths.
• Execution rigor: Drive disciplined follow-through across functions; ensure accountability, action closure, and timely resolution of constraints that could impact delivery.
• Risk management & readiness: Identify execution, supply, quality, and customer risks; lead mitigation plans, contingency actions, and scenario planning; ensure readiness prior to major transitions, launches, and onboardings.
• Cross-functional orchestration: Lead teams across Commercial, Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Finance, IT, and external partners; influence without authority in a matrixed environment.
• Customer & commercial interface: Partner with Commercial leaders on strategic customer initiatives, transitions, and onboarding events; support executive-level customer engagements by ensuring internal alignment and execution clarity.
• Executive Internal & External communication: Deliver concise, executive-ready updates on progress, risks, and decisions needed; frame execution issues in commercial terms to enable informed tradeoffs.
  
  

SCOPE AND IMPACT

• Owns complex, cross-functional commercial projects including but not limited to
• New customer onboarding
• New product development involving operational changes / investment
• Complex network transitions impacting multiple customers / sites
• Leads multi-workstream initiatives with enterprise stakeholders; success depends on strong governance, risk management, and influence in a matrix.
• Improves execution discipline, visibility, and decision velocity across complex programs.
  

Qualifications

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree required; business, engineering, operations, supply chain, or related field preferred.
• Master’s Degree (MBA, MS Engineering, Operations) Preferred but not Mandatory
• 5 years of program/project leadership experience in a cross-functional, matrixed environment (commercial, operations, supply chain, engineering, or similar).
• Demonstrated ability to lead large-scale initiatives with multiple workstreams, tight timelines, and high business impact.
• Experience with structured planning (scope, schedule, dependencies, governance) and proactive risk management.
• Strong executive communication skills; able to translate complex issues into clear updates, decisions, and tradeoffs.
• PMP or equivalent Certification preferred, not required
• Manufacturing Experience Preferred
  
  

Additional Information

What we offer at O-I:

Salary Range: The expected salary for this position is around $105,000 to $136,990. Actual pay will be adjusted based upon candidate experience and other job-related factors permitted by law.

O-I offers a very generous benefit package – some of the highlights are:

• Vacation time and paid holidays
• Medical, dental, prescription and vision care coverage
• Pre-tax accounts
• Well-being program which includes opportunity to earn employer contributions
• Life and AD&D Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• 401(k) retirement saving plans with employer contributions
• Financial advisors to assist with retirement planning and financial wellness
• Employee Assistance Program
  
  

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

O-I is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or in order to perform the essential functions of a position, please contact O-I at hr.recruiters@o-i.com and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.