Project Manager The Operations Project Manager is responsible for leading and managing operational initiatives that improve business processes, increase efficiency, reduce costs, and support organizational objectives. This role collaborates with cross-functional teams to plan, execute, and monitor projects while ensuring operational excellence, compliance, and continuous improvement. The ideal candidate possesses strong leadership, communication, project management skills and problem-solving, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. Key Responsibilities Develop and manage comprehensive project plans, schedules, budgets, resource allocations, and timelines to ensure successful project execution. Define project scope, objectives, deliverables, success criteria, and governance frameworks aligned with organizational goals. Lead cross-functional teams to ensure timely completion of project milestones. Identify project risks and develop proactive mitigation and contingency plans to minimize project impact. Monitor project performance, risks, budgets, and schedules, implementing corrective actions as needed. Facilitate project team meetings, status reviews, and post-project evaluations while ensuring accountability for assigned deliverables. Communicate project status, key risks, progress updates, and strategic recommendations to stakeholders, executive leadership, and senior management. Coordinate activities across internal departments, clients, vendors, and third-party partners to ensure seamless project execution. Maintain accurate project documentation, reports, dashboards, performance metrics, and governance artifacts. Prepare executive-level presentations and reports highlighting project health, operational performance, KPIs, and business outcomes. Collaborate with department leaders to align operational initiatives with business goals. Manage vendor relationships and coordinate third-party resources when required. Ensure compliance with company policies, regulatory requirements, and quality standards. Support organizational change management efforts and facilitate adoption of new processes and systems. Track and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs), identifying opportunities to improve operational efficiency, project delivery, and business performance. Will help introduce a new Software called Red Zone to 12 plants Required Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field. 5-8+ years of experience in project management or Change Management 5+ years in business operations, change management, or process improvement in manufacturing environment. Excellent understanding of project management principles and methodologies. Demonstrated success leading cross-functional operational projects. Strong understanding of manufacturing operations and performance metrics. Experience with project management software Advanced Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint skills. Excellent organizational and communication skills. Preferred Qualifications Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification. Experience with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, or Microsoft Dynamics. Knowledge of business intelligence tools such as Power BI or Tableau. Key Competencies Project Planning and Execution Business Process Analysis Communication and Presentation Change Management Cross-Functional Collaboration Budget and Resource Management Risk Assessment and Mitigation Data Analysis and Reporting Continuous Improvement Strategic Planning Problem Solving Decision Making Time Management Performance Measures Demonstrate exceptional project management expertise by effectively planning, executing, monitoring, and closing projects while consistently achieving defined business objectives. Demonstrate leadership, accountability, professionalism, and a commitment to continuous improvement by promoting project management best practices Maintain effective control of project scope, schedules, budgets, resources, and performance metrics while delivering sustainable business value. Lead organizational change initiatives by influencing stakeholders, driving adoption of new processes and systems, and ensuring successful implementation outcomes. Work Environment Full-time position with hybrid work options depending on business needs. Approximately 25-40% travel to manufacturing facilities as required. Fast-paced environment requiring effective prioritization and management of multiple concurrent initiatives. Hybrid- 3 days home/2 days office $60.00-70.00/hr Temporary-6 months Lake Forest, IL All employees of Elite Staffing must be 18 years or older and authorized to work in the United States. Elite Staffing, Inc. is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Our policy of equal employment opportunity is to recruit, hire, train and promote persons without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, handicap or any other protected status. Elite Staffing offers the following benefit programs for your participation: Medical, Dental, Vision, Voluntary Benefits, 401k Retirement Plan, and Commuter benefits. Our hiring process may include the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist in recruiting candidates. AI may be used to collect information and grade, rank, or score your answers. All employment decisions are made by human reviewers. By submitting your application, you authorize Elite Staffing, Inc. to contact you using the contact information you have provided for employment-related activities via any method, including SMS, email, and phone calls, including through the use of automated technology, AI generative voice, and pre-recorded and/or artificial voice messages. For accommodations or to opt out of AI-assisted communication, you may unsubscribe from any SMS message and/or inform the AI technology of your request to opt out of AI-assisted communications. All personal information provided will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy found on our website. #IND1

Pay:

$60.00 - $70.00 per hour

Benefits:

401(k) Dental insurance Health insurance Paid time off Vision insurance

Experience:

Project management: 5 years (Preferred) Business management: 5 years (Preferred)

Microsoft Excel:

1 year (Preferred) Organizational skills: 1 year (Preferred)

Work Location:

In person