Project Manager

This is a w2 project only.

PLEASE - No C2C assistance of any kind

Candidates must have Pharmaceutical Manufacturing experience - supporting IT systems.

REMOTE with occasional onsite visits to MFG plants per quarter.

Required to have GMP and Pharma experience.

Candidates should have high level of exec comm skills, high level of organizational skills, ability to run 6+ projects/workstreams simultaneously. Strong experience working on Smartsheets.

Senior Program Manager – Digital Manufacturing Transformation

12+ Month W2 Contract

Must sit in Central or East Coast Time Zone

Preference for candidates local to New Albany, OH

Travel: Approximately 4-8 trips to New Albany, Ohio per year.

Position Overview

Milestone is seeking an experienced Senior Program Manager with pharmaceutical, life sciences, or manufacturing technology experience to lead a portfolio of strategic digital transformation initiatives across manufacturing operations, operational technology (OT), infrastructure, cybersecurity, analytics, and AI-driven solutions.

This individual will be responsible for managing multiple interconnected programs and workstreams, providing leadership across business, manufacturing, engineering, IT, cybersecurity, and vendor teams. The ideal candidate is a hands-on program leader who can establish governance, drive accountability, manage budgets, mitigate risks, and ensure successful execution of complex enterprise initiatives.

This role requires exceptional stakeholder management skills, executive communications experience, and the ability to align diverse teams toward common business outcomes while operating in a highly regulated manufacturing environment.

Program Portfolio Responsibilities:

The Senior Program Manager will provide leadership and oversight for the following key initiatives:

PI Implementation

• Lead enterprise deployment and adoption of PI System capabilities within manufacturing environments.
• Coordinate integration efforts between operational technology, manufacturing systems, and business applications.
• Establish program plans, governance structures, reporting cadences, and implementation roadmaps.
• Drive stakeholder alignment and adoption strategies across manufacturing sites.

Passwordless Authentication

• Lead enterprise-wide passwordless authentication initiatives in partnership with cybersecurity and infrastructure teams.
• Manage implementation plans, risk mitigation strategies, user readiness, and adoption activities.
• Coordinate cross-functional resources to ensure successful rollout and compliance with security standards.

PlantApps

• Oversee implementation and enhancement of PlantApps capabilities supporting manufacturing operations.
• Partner with business and plant leadership to prioritize requirements and deliver operational improvements.
• Manage vendor engagement, project dependencies, and deployment activities.

Equipment Copilot

• Lead deployment of AI-enabled Equipment Copilot solutions.
• Coordinate pilot programs, business adoption, requirements gathering, and scaling efforts.
• Drive integration with existing manufacturing and operational technologies.
• Measure and report business value, operational efficiencies, and adoption metrics.

Operational Effectiveness & Graphs

• Lead initiatives focused on operational reporting, metrics, dashboards, visualization tools, and analytics capabilities.
• Partner with business leaders to define KPIs and performance measurement frameworks.
• Drive transparency and data-driven decision-making across manufacturing operations.

Manufacturing Peripheral Hardware

• Oversee deployment and lifecycle management of manufacturing peripheral hardware including scanners, printers, mobile devices, and shop-floor technology.
• Manage procurement, vendor coordination, deployment planning, logistics, and site readiness activities.
• Ensure minimal disruption to manufacturing operations during implementations.

Key Responsibilities

Program Leadership

• Manage a portfolio of complex, cross-functional programs and projects simultaneously.
• Develop and maintain integrated program plans, schedules, milestones, dependencies, and resource forecasts.
• Establish program governance, steering committees, and executive reporting processes.
• Drive successful delivery of strategic initiatives through effective planning and execution.

Stakeholder Management

• Serve as primary point of contact for executive sponsors, business leaders, and project stakeholders.
• Facilitate governance meetings, leadership reviews, and steering committee sessions.
• Build strong working relationships across business, manufacturing, engineering, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and vendor teams.
• Communicate program status, key decisions, risks, and business impacts to leadership.

Financial & Vendor Management

• Track project expenditures and provide financial reporting to leadership teams.
• Coordinate and manage third-party vendors, implementation partners, and consulting resources.

Risk & Issue Management

• Identify, assess, and manage program risks, issues, and dependencies.
• Develop mitigation and contingency plans to address delivery challenges.
• Drive issue resolution across multiple stakeholder groups and organizations.
• Escalate critical concerns appropriately and proactively.

Change Management & Adoption

• Support organizational change management strategies and communication plans.
• Coordinate training, readiness, and user adoption activities.
• Ensure successful transition from implementation into operational support.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Systems, Engineering, Computer Science, or related field experience.
• 12+ years of Project or Program Management experience, including management of large-scale enterprise initiatives.
• Pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life sciences, or regulated manufacturing experience.
• Experience working within GxP-regulated environments.
• Knowledge of Operational Technology (OT) and manufacturing systems.
• Experience leading PI System implementations.
• Experience supporting cybersecurity and identity management initiatives.
• Experience implementing AI-enabled solutions, Copilot technologies, or advanced analytics platforms.
• PMP, PgMP, SAFe, Agile, or similar certifications preferred.
• Experience leading multiple concurrent workstreams across complex organizational environments.
• Experience managing technology, manufacturing, infrastructure, cybersecurity, or digital transformation programs.
• Strong knowledge of Agile, Scrum, and traditional project delivery methodologies.
• Proven ability to manage executive stakeholders and cross-functional teams.
• Experience managing budgets, forecasts, vendors, purchase orders, and invoices.
• Exceptional communication, facilitation, and organizational skills.
• Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.

Required Tools & Technologies

• Smartsheet
• Jira
• Confluence
• Miro
• Microsoft Office 365
• Microsoft Teams
• SharePoint
• Teams Meetings