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Sr. Project Manager, Automation

Coopersville, Michigan, United States; Goodyear, Arizona, United States; Webster, New York, United States

fairlife, LLC is a Chicago-based nutrition company that creates great-tasting, nutrition-rich and dairy products to nourish consumers.

With over $3B in annual retail sales, fairlife’s portfolio of delicious, lactose-free, real dairy products includes: fairlife® ultra-filtered milk; Core Power® High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery; fairlife® nutrition plan™, a nutrition shake to support the journey to better health.

A wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola company, fairlife, LLC has been recognized by both Fast Company and Nielsen for its industry leading innovation.

To learn more about fairlife and its complete line of products, please visit fairlife.com.

job purpose:  

 

The Automation Project Manager has accountability for leading efforts in the planning and delivery of large, complex, or multi-location capital projects including, but not limited to: Operational Technology (OT) Infrastructures, Manufacturing automation and Engineering. The role will be responsible for leading and managing complex projects involving the integration of engineering systems, automation technologies, construction activities, and programming solutions. This is a challenging and dynamic role that requires strong leadership, technical proficiency, and exceptional project management skills. 

 

responsibilities:  

  • Develop automation project plans, define project scope, objectives, and deliverables, and create detailed schedules. 
  • Coordinate with cross-functional teams to ensure successful execution of automation projects, adhering to timelines, budget constraints, and quality standards. 
  • Oversee and monitor automation project progress, identify potential risks or roadblocks, and implement mitigation strategies. 
  • Collaborate with stakeholders to gather requirements, establish automation project goals, and align expectations. 
  • Utilize engineering knowledge and expertise to oversee the integration of various engineering systems and automation technologies. 
  • Coordinate with Operations to ensure seamless integration of automation solutions into the overall project plan. 
  • Provide technical guidance and support in the design, development, and implementation of engineering and automation solutions. 
  • Coordinate with software development teams to design and deploy custom applications or automation scripts tailored to project requirements. 
  • Perform code reviews, ensure adherence to coding standards, and oversee software testing and quality assurance processes. 
  • Strategizes and proactively plans to identify schedule, cost, or field service expectation issues before they come to fruition and can develop action plans to meet project needs. 
  • Builds and leverages external connections to technology, vendors, and equipment suppliers to identify new innovations and optimize current technologies. 
  • Qualifies new Contractors for critical areas of the business. 
  • Develops and manages forecasts and cost control to value engineer scope and compress/accelerate schedules. 
  • Develops and promote strategies to maximize the organization’s ability to innovate, improve, and produce high quality results. 
  • Defines commissioning, qualification, and validation requirements and ensures our OEMs are held accountable for adherence through Master Services Agreements, Purchasing Agreements, etc. 

skills/qualifications required:  

  • 10+ years in the dairy or beverage industry, with a minimum of 7 years in an Automation project management role. 
  • Exceptional project management capabilities. 
  • Strong cost management and forecasting experience and knowledge. 
  • Knowledge of installation and construction standards. 
  • Ability to lead and develop others and build effective teams. 
  • High level of collaboration, influencing, & communication skills. 
  • Exceptional time management. 
  • Ability to manage extreme complexity and multiple workstreams. 
  • Understanding of the business justification process for productivity. 
  • Must be able to travel 50% of the time. 
  • Strong SharePoint, PMO 365 and Office 365 skills to develop and maintain project trackers and web hosted applications. 
  • Strong leadership skills. 
  • Strong collaborative skills and ability to work with a diverse team of resources. 
  • Strong verbal and written skills. 
  • Ability to lead a team of technical resources and manage a team budget. 
  • Ability to communicate clearly within the organization and externally. 
  • Experience with Automation Products hardware and software product suites (Ignition, ControlLogix, Logix 5000, FT View, FT Historian, and Canary Historian). 
  • Able to understand and utilize engineering drawings, operating manuals, and blueprints to conduct business 
  • Ability to update P&ID’s, mechanical/electrical prints (CAD/SolidWorks preferred) 
  • Aseptic/Dairy experience required including UHT’s, homogenizers, separators, filtration plants, mix proof valves, motors, pumps. 

 

 

position location: GDY or CV or WB 

reports to: Director of Manufacturing Automation 

travel requirements: 50% 

#LI-BB1

*Base pay offered may vary depending on geography, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. A full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position, is offered.

Base pay range:

$160,000 - $175,000 USD

fairlife, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. All qualified applicants and employees will be given equal opportunity. Selection decisions are based on job-related factors.

In addition to its nondiscrimination commitment, the Company will also provide reasonable accommodation of qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the Company. If you have a disability and would like to request accommodation in order to apply for a position with us, please email careers@fairlife.com.


For Recruitment Agencies

At fairlife, we manage the majority of our hiring internally through our dedicated Talent Acquisition team, which is actively engaged in direct candidate sourcing. Most of our roles are filled through applications submitted via our careers site or through direct outreach by our team.

As our recruitment is primarily handled in-house, we work only occasionally with external agencies, and only those on our existing, pre-approved vendor list. At this time, we are not reviewing or expanding that list.

Unsolicited resumes or submissions from external agencies not authorized by our Talent Acquisition team will be considered direct candidate applications. As such, fairlife will not assume responsibility for any placement fees associated with these submissions.


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