Project Manager - Engineering

Overview

Who We Are:

Lippert is a leading, global manufacturer and supplier of highly engineered products and customized solutions, dedicated to shaping, growing and bettering the RV, marine, automotive, commercial vehicle and building products industries.  We combine our strategic manufacturing capabilities with the power of our winning team culture to deliver unrivaled customer service, award-winning innovation and premium products to all of our customers.

Why We are Different:

At Lippert, Everyone Matters. This is not just a tagline or empty promise; it is who we are.  We have intentionally created a culture that values and celebrates our team members’ unique and varied backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.  We strive to give our team members a deeper sense of purpose at work, and we continue to build a better work environment by aligning our cultural and business strategies with the needs of our team members.

What You will Get:

1. A unique, inclusive and supportive company culture.
2. Comprehensive benefit offerings including medical, dental, vision, 401k with employer match, vacation, and more!
3. Fair and competitive compensation.
4. Career development, mentoring and opportunities to grow.
5. Holiday, personal and vacation days.

Summary/Objective:

The Project Manager is responsible for leading and managing the portfolio of projects for the organization's engineering team from project intake and scoping through production.     

This leader must be able to effectively communicate cross-functionally and to all levels of the organization, including face-to-face updates to senior leaders.  They should be able to lead their project teams to accomplish challenging goals.  This leader must be passionate, hardworking and have a sense of urgency.

In addition to leading projects, the Project Manager will work closely with the corporate PMO to define and implement project management process continuous improvement initiatives.

Duties and Responsibilities:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties and responsibilities.

1. Manage multiple projects simultaneously
2. Understand business objectives and opportunities
3. Manage new project intake process
4. Lead cross functional project scoping
5. Assess and communicate resource constraints
6. Develop project charters to align project scope, schedule, budget, and KPI's (quality, cost, ROI, etc.) with project sponsors and stakeholders.
7. Establishes and manages the project schedule.  Assigns clear tasks to specific team members and ensures project deliverables are completed as planned and documented in PLM system.
8. Leads project core team to ensure cross functional coordination of all project activities.
9. Supports the preparation for and ensures the completion of design reviews.
10. Leads preparation for and conducts project gate reviews.
11. Manage project scope through disciplined use of change management process
12. Manage Risk Register and Issues List.  Transparently communicate issues and action plans.  Effective and timely escalation of issues not able to be addressed within project team or established timing. 
13. Own project status reporting.  Communicates project updates to senior leadership and stakeholders in monthly reviews.
14. Role model for project management best practices.  Responsible for defining, teaching, and enforcing the use of good project management practices. 
15. Work with PMO team to continuously improve project management processes

Working Conditions:

1. Primarily indoors in an office environment.
2. May sit for several hours at a time
3. May experience periods of prolonged exposure to computer screens.
4. May require use of hands to operate computers, printers, and copiers.

Qualifications:

1. Bachelor's degree in engineering, project management, business, or similar field
2. 5+ years experience leading new product development projects
3. Multiple reps successfully leading projects from initiation through launch
4. PMP Certification
5. Written and spoken communication proficiency, coaching, organizational skills, initiative, team player, decision making, time management, and thoroughness 
6. Able to effectively engage, manage, and communicate to stakeholders including senior leadership
7. Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously 

Competencies:

1. Understands and able to manage the project management “triple constraint” of scope, time, and cost.
2. Risk management - able to effectively identify, analyze, communicate, and respond to project risks
3. Communications management - effectively manages and tailors project reporting and communications based on the needs of stakeholders
4. Stakeholder management - able to identify and engage stakeholders effectively
5. Leadership - able to build, guide, and motivate project teams
6. Decision making - able to make informed and timely decisions that are well documented, and “sticky” i.e. not second guessed or overturned. Able to recognize what decisions can and should be made within the project team vs. those that require escalation.
7. Financial literacy - working knowledge of project related financial analysis including management of inputs (resources, expenses, capital) and the calculation of project financial metrics (Payback, NPV, Revenue, DCM, etc.)
8. Strong business acumen - understands the many dimensions of a growing company, their importance, and new product development relationships within each.
9. Basic understanding of mechanical engineering concepts and manufacturing processes (metal cutting, forming, welding, assembly, etc.); can effectively interact cross functionally to understand and communicate status of tasks, actions, risks, and issues.
10. Makes things happen - must be able to articulate problems, bring the right people together and facilitate the solution to those problems, know when the problem has been properly addressed and closed. All this with the proper sense of urgency that the problem requires. 

Supervisory Responsibility:

This position does not have direct supervisory responsibility

Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a Team Member to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the team member is regularly required to talk and hear. This position is active and requires standing, walking, bending, kneeling, and stooping. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:

This is a full-time position, and the expected work hours are a minimum of 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday; weekend and overnight work could also become necessary.

Travel:

Local and/or minimal out of state travel is expected for this position.

Work Authorization/Security Clearance:

Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Other Duties:
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the Team Member for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Pay Group : AAP/EEO Statement

Lippert provides equal employment opportunity to all team members and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, genetic information, disability, citizen status, protected veteran status, military service, marital status or any other legally protected category as established by federal, state, or local law.  This policy governs all employment decisions, including recruitment, hiring, job assignment, compensation, training, promotion, discipline, transfer, leave-of-absence, access to benefits, layoff, recall, termination and other personnel matters.  All employment and personnel-related decisions are based solely upon legitimate, job-related factors, such as skill, ability, past performance, and length of service with Lippert.

Lippert’s strong commitment to equal employment opportunity requires a commitment by each individual team member.  Compliance with the letter and spirit of this policy is required of all team members.  Violations of this policy should be immediately reported to your leader or to any member of leadership.  Team members who violate this policy will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

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