What are the responsibilities and job description for the Project Manager position at somafina?
Why Somafina
Somafina is an industry leader in contract manufacturing of dietary supplements. Our commitment to our customers and our aggressive growth strategy provide opportunities to manage uniquely complex projects with a team of dedicated and expert collaborators.
Position Summary
The Project Manager - Commercialization is the primary owner of new business commercialization projects. This role works directly with customers and all internal departments to convert new sales opportunities into fully executed product launches. These Project Managers champion complex sales projects with R&D, capital, and operational factors. They will influence the way Somafina improves our execution of sales projects. Excelling in this role requires experience managing full life-cycle product launches in a manufacturing environment, a strong sense of ownership and accountability, and a proven ability to drive collaborative problem-solving across departments.
Definition of Success
Success in this position is defined by on-time product launches that achieve expectations for quality, profitability, and customer satisfaction.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
• Lead project-focused communication with customers, internal teams, and stakeholders, including regular meetings and status reports.
• Identify and communicate risks to project timelines, deliverables, and profitability
• Maintain detailed and accurate project plans for every project and use these plans to drive execution to project goals.
• Provide regular project status reports, both written and verbal, to customers, senior leadership, and shareholders.
• Assist the Senior Director, Business Development with management of the most high-stakes and high-risk projects.
• Lead collaboration with customers, suppliers, and internal teams to resolve risks to these projects.
• Identify and manage change requests throughout the projects.
• Train internal teams on any new processes or tasks associated with these projects.
• Directly contribute to completion of high-priority project tasks as required.
• Create project management tools tailored to Somafina needs and train internal teams on their use.
• Additional duties may be assigned as business needs evolve.
Minimum Qualifications
• Experience: 5 years progressive project management of product development and launch projects within a manufacturing environment. This experience must include considerable B2B customer relationship management.
• Technical: Proven ability to manage complex product launches in a manufacturing context.
• Tools: Project Management Software, such as MS Project, Asana, Jira, Monday, Smartsheet, or similar.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or other relevant field. Degree focus is flexible if considerable relevant experience is demonstrated.
• Soft Skills: Exceptional written, verbal, and data-driven communication; able to influence customers, suppliers, and senior leadership.
Preferred Qualifications
• Masters in Business Administration
• Experience commercializing products within a cGMP-regulated food, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, or similar regulatory environment.
• Experience working closely with senior executives on commercialization projects.
• PMP or ability to achieve within 12 months.
Core Competencies
Competency Demonstrated Behaviors
Customer Focus Anticipates and translates complex customer & regulatory needs into scalable, cost-effective solutions.
Leadership & Ownership Drives projects with full accountability, setting clear priorities and coaching cross-functional partners.
Financial Acumen Quantifies benefit, risk, and ROI to guide capital allocation and improvement decisions. Understands shareholder financial requirements and strategy.
Strategic Thinking Connects project-level decisions to broader customer, margin, and company objectives.
Continuous Improvement Identifies and implements sustainable gains in OEE, yield, and cost without compromising quality.
Adaptability Seamlessly shifts between detailed troubleshooting and portfolio-level planning in a fast-growing environment.
Physical & Work-Environment Requirements
• Hybrid mix of office, lab, and manufacturing floor; must be able to stand/walk production areas and occasionally lift ≤ 40 lbs.
• Routine use of standard PPE (safety glasses, hair/beard covering, hearing protection, etc.).
• Domestic travel up to 10%
