Senior MES Project Manager

Key Responsibilities: - Lead and coordinate MES implementation activities across regional manufacturing sites. - Manage day-to-day execution of MES-related workstreams including production order execution, recipe management, shop floor data collection, shift reporting, OEE tracking, and MES integration. - Coordinate with global program leadership, site operations teams, systems integrators, MES platform vendors, OT teams, and IT stakeholders. - Track project milestones, dependencies, risks, issues, actions, and decisions. - Maintain RAID logs, project plans, governance trackers, steering committee updates, and executive reporting. - Manage systems integrator and vendor deliverables, ensuring accountability against scope, timeline, and quality expectations. - Act as a bridge between Operational Technology and Information Technology teams. - Support OT/IT integration areas such as PLC, SCADA, historian, edge layer, data platform, UNS, MQTT, or similar industrial connectivity environments. - Support go-live readiness, cutover planning, issue escalation, deployment coordination, and post-go-live stabilization. - Work under a global program structure while independently driving regional coordination and execution. Required Skills and Experience: - Strong direct experience in Manufacturing Execution System implementation or manufacturing digitization programs. - Prior hands-on exposure to MES workstreams such as: Recipe management, Production order execution, Shop floor data collection, Shift reporting, OEE tracking, MES-to-ERP or MES-to-LIMS integration. - Experience with MES platforms. - Strong understanding of manufacturing shop floor operations, including shifts, production schedules, downtime events, quality holds, and plant-level execution. - Working knowledge of OT/IT convergence, ISA-95, Purdue Model, industrial connectivity, PLC/SCADA data flows, edge layer, historian, data platform, or Unified Namespace architecture. - Experience managing systems integrators or implementation vendors from the client side. - Strong project governance experience including milestone tracking, RAID management, steering committee reporting, escalation management, and executive communication. - PMP certification or equivalent demonstrated project governance experience. - Ability to be productive with minimal ramp-up time. Preferred Skills: - Experience with a manufacturing company's digital or operational technology team. - Experience with Unified Namespace architecture, MQTT brokers, Ignition, Kepware, Litmus Edge, or similar industrial edge/connectivity platforms. - Background in CPG, specialty chemicals, food & beverage, industrial manufacturing, automotive, or pharmaceutical manufacturing. - Experience in OEE measurement, loss analysis, or manufacturing performance improvement programs. - CPIM/APICS certification or Six Sigma Black Belt. - Experience working in regional or global manufacturing transformation programs. Minimum Qualifications: - Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Information Systems, Computer Science, Industrial Engineering, or related field. - 10+ years of overall project/program management experience. - Strong experience in manufacturing technology, MES, OT/IT, plant digitization, or industrial systems implementation.