Senior Project Manager

The Judge Group is seeking a Senior Project Manager for a client in Santa Fe Springs, CA. This is a full time, on site, direct hire role with a salary range of $130k-$140k.

We’re seeking an experienced

Project Manager

to lead the full lifecycle of high-impact strategic and operational initiatives across

R\&D, manufacturing, and supply chain

. This role owns complex, multi-phase programs, drives Agile delivery, mentors project management staff, and serves as the primary point of accountability for

project governance, portfolio performance, and PM capability development

.

You’ll partner closely with executive leadership to align initiatives with company strategy while championing best-in-class project management and Agile practices across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Planning \& Portfolio Management

• Lead project intake, prioritization, and portfolio planning aligned with business objectives
• Define project charters, OKRs, scope, and success metrics at project kickoff
• Build and manage integrated master schedules using WBS and critical path analysis
• Apply PLM frameworks to govern stage-gate reviews and milestone approvals
• Implement automated tracking systems with real-time KPI dashboards

Agile Execution

• Champion Scrum, Kanban, and hybrid Agile frameworks across cross-functional teams
• Facilitate sprint planning, daily stand-ups, reviews, and retrospectives
• Manage and groom product backlogs; maintain burndown charts and velocity metrics
• Balance Agile delivery with food/pharma regulatory and compliance requirements

Risk Management

• Own the project risk register: identification, scoring, assignment, and tracking
• Develop proactive risk response and mitigation plans with defined trigger criteria
• Apply root cause analysis techniques (5 Whys, Fishbone) to prevent recurrence
• Conduct pre-mortem analyses for high-risk initiatives prior to execution

Quality \& Continuous Improvement

• Integrate quality gates aligned with SQF, GMP, and internal quality standards
• Apply Lean and Six Sigma methodologies (DMAIC, Kaizen) to streamline workflows
• Lead structured lessons-learned sessions and institutionalize improvements

Team Leadership, Mentorship \& Management

• Directly manage Associate Project Managers and Project Coordinators
• Set goals, provide ongoing feedback, and conduct performance reviews
• Mentor team members through 1:1 coaching and structured development plans
• Foster a high-trust, high-accountability team culture
• Identify skills gaps and drive training, certification, and cross-functional learning

Resource \& Capacity Management

• Maintain and optimize resource capacity models across the project portfolio
• Surface constraints early; negotiate priorities across departments
• Manage vendors and contractors, including SOWs, SLAs, and performance reviews

Stakeholder \& Executive Communication

• Build stakeholder engagement plans tailored to diverse audiences
• Deliver executive dashboards, milestone updates, and steering committee reports
• Facilitate cross-functional alignment and resolve conflict through negotiation

Project Closure \& Knowledge Management

• Lead formal project closure including deliverable acceptance and financial reconciliation
• Recognize team contributions and ensure smooth transitions to operations
• Archive documentation and maintain a shared PM knowledge repository
• Produce final reports summarizing ROI, schedule performance, and quality outcomes

Qualifications

Education \& Certifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Food Science, or a related field (

required

)

• MBA or Master’s in Project Management (

preferred

)

• PMP certification required
• PMI-ACP or Certified Scrum Master (CSM)

strongly preferred

• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher

preferred

Technical Skills

• Proficiency with

Monday.com, Jira, MS Project, or Smartsheet

• Experience with

ERP, CRM, and/or PLM systems

(NetSuite or similar)

• Strong

KPI dashboarding, reporting, and data analysis

skills

• Advanced Microsoft 365 skills (Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint)
• Working proficiency with

AI tools and platforms

(e.g., Claude, similar)

Experience

• 7\+ years

of project management experience

• 5\+ years

in food, nutraceuticals, CPG, or other regulated manufacturing environments

• Demonstrated success delivering

Agile/Scrum projects

across cross-functional teams

• Portfolio-scale experience managing

100\+ concurrent projects

totaling

$30M\+

in value

• Proven people management and mentorship experience