Junior Project Manager

Project Manager – Plastics Manufacturing

Location: Manchester, CT

Employment Type: Full-Time, Exempt

Salary - 70,000 to 90,000 - DOE - with benefits

Please note that plastics manufacturing experience is preferred but not required. Our client is open to considering Project Managers with a strong manufacturing background, even if their experience is outside of the plastics industry.

Position Overview

The Project Manager is responsible for leading new tooling and molding programs from project award through final production release. This role serves as the primary point of contact for customers and internal teams, ensuring projects are completed on time, within scope, and in accordance with customer requirements. The Project Manager will oversee multiple programs simultaneously while coordinating engineering, tooling, quality, and manufacturing activities throughout the project lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Manage projects from award through design, tooling, development, validation, and final release.
• Develop and maintain project schedules, timelines, and Gantt charts to ensure successful project execution.
• Provide regular project updates and status reports to customers.
• Conduct feasibility reviews, tolerance studies, and manufacturability assessments.
• Coordinate internal resources and project activities to ensure timely completion of milestones.
• Support mold trials and provide direction to Process Technicians during development activities.
• Serve as a technical resource for customers regarding plastics materials, tooling, and processing.
• Review quality data and manufacturing performance to identify opportunities for tooling and process improvements.
• Lead product and tooling design reviews with customers and internal teams.
• Drive APQP activities and ensure compliance with customer and internal quality requirements.
• Manage contract reviews, purchase order acknowledgements, and engineering change processes.
• Coordinate the purchase and implementation of automation and auxiliary equipment as needed.
• Maintain drawing revision control through established ECN procedures.
• Serve as a key liaison between customers, sales, engineering, quality, and manufacturing teams.
• Travel to customer sites as required.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 7 years of experience within the plastics manufacturing industry. Is highly preferred
• Proven project management experience supporting tooling, molding, product development, or manufacturing programs.
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Plastics Engineering, or a related field preferred.
• Strong understanding of injection molding processes, tooling development, and manufacturing operations.
• Experience working with quality systems, APQP methodologies, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Strong mechanical aptitude and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent communication and customer-facing skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, and Project.
• Basic CAD experience preferred.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Preferred Experience

• Injection molding and plastics manufacturing.
• Tooling design, development, and qualification.
• APQP and quality-driven project management.
• Customer-facing technical project leadership.
• ISO-regulated manufacturing environments.
• Cross-functional coordination between engineering, quality, manufacturing, and sales teams.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive compensation based on experience
• Comprehensive benefits package
• Opportunity to work on highly technical manufacturing projects
• Long-term career growth within a collaborative engineering environment