Project Manager – Manufacturing

Our client, an established life-sciences manufacturer in Phoenix, is building a new production line inside a facility that is already mid-renovation. The engineering consultants, general contractor, and subcontractors are in place. What's missing is the onsite project manager who orchestrates them. You'll own delivery of the line against a firm March go-live, with a second line expected to follow. You'll be backed by a senior PMO Squad advisor throughout the engagement.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Drive end-to-end delivery of a new manufacturing line, from facility readiness through equipment install, commissioning, and start-up.
• Manage third-party vendors, including the GC, engineering consultants, subcontractors, and equipment suppliers, holding each accountable to scope, schedule, and quality.
• Manage the project budget: track spend against plan, review vendor invoices and change orders, and flag variances early.
• Build and own the integrated schedule, critical path, and milestone plan to the March go-live.
• Stand up right-sized tracking, reporting, and risk/issue tools for a lean team.
• Run the onsite meeting cadence and give leadership clear status, risks, and decisions needed.
• Recommend process improvements that position the client to scale to its next line.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 7 years of project management experience on manufacturing projects, such as production line installations, plant expansions, or capital projects.
• Hands-on experience managing third-party vendors and contractors on a facility or production build-out.
• Experience owning a project budget, including change orders and vendor invoice review.
• Track record of delivering to a fixed go-live date.
• Strong scheduling skills (Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or similar).
• Confident communicator with executives, including a CEO.
• Local to the Phoenix area and able to work onsite 3–4 days per week.

NICE-TO-HAVE QUALIFICATIONS

• Pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, or other cGMP/FDA-regulated manufacturing experience.
• Commissioning and qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ) exposure.
• Liquid filling, packaging, or dry-goods line experience.
• PMP certification.

TOOLS & ENVIRONMENT
Microsoft Project or Smartsheet; Microsoft 365 (Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).

IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE
You've stood in a half-finished facility and been the one who got the GC, engineers, and equipment vendors pulling in the same direction. You're a project manager, not a facilities manager: your value is orchestration, sequencing, budget discipline, and accountability. You set up just enough structure to keep a lean team moving, tell executives what they need to hear early, and stay steady when the deadline is fixed and the dependencies aren't.