Program Manager - Engineering

fairlife, LLC is a Chicago-based dairy company that produces nourishing and great-tasting milk-based products made using a patented cold-filtration process that removes some natural sugars while concentrating the protein and calcium naturally found in real cows’ milk.

Our line of delicious, lactose-free fairlife® products includes: fairlife® ultra-filtered milk, which has 50% more protein and 50% less sugar than regular milk; fairlife® with DHA, ultra-filtered milk with DHA Omega-3 fatty acids to support brain health; fairlife YUP!®, a line of flavored milks; Core Power® High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery; fairlife® nutrition plan™, a nutrition shake to support one’s journey to better health; and the newly launched fairlife® creamers, coffee creamers designed to help enhance your coffee experience; and the newly launched fairlife® Light Ice Cream, a line of creamy, frozen desserts. In partnership with The Coca-Cola Company®, fairlife ultra-filtered milk and Core Power high protein shakes are distributed throughout the United States (U.S.) and Canada; all other fairlife products are available in the U.S.

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

job purpose: The Program Manager will support the capacity planning, capital planning, and project execution projects. In addition, this position will vet equipment & construction requirements for new sites, existing site expansion projects, and field funding requests. The PM will provide leadership in building capacity by tracking budgets, building cost models, reporting, managing critical path and helping other teams deliver capacity on time.
 

responsibilities:

• Develop and communicate detailed budgets and budget forecasts that will drive both capital planning and strategy over a multi-year time horizon
• Coordinate and lead the PMO 365 program
• Track costs on active projects and communicate overall program budget health to senior leadership on a regular basis
• Estimate pricing based on similar projects and varying market conditions and timelines
• Conduct multiple weekly standing meetings/ calls with internal teams to obtain or share information and track deliverables
• Evaluate current working procedure, increase structure, and add processes to streamline information flow and track deliverables
• Monitor critical path items and escalate to leadership on potential risks and delays
• Coordinate information between various teams in the organization
• Manage other critical one-off projects that are related to adding network capacity if needed
• Experience with detailed documentation and analytical thinking
• Experience leading and interacting with cross-functional teams
• Experience leading large scale programs
• Consult with and influence senior management at various levels in and across a wide variety of functions.
• Develop and coordinate cross-functional project plans and critical paths by utilizing project planning tools (e.g., MS project, periodic team meetings)
• Identify and acquire cross-functional resources needed for the project, based on plan agreed upon by Senior Leadership Team
• Act as a conduit to senior management on project progress and major threats to the agreed plan.

key partnerships: This position will sit on the Engineering team that is responsible for delivering the tools required to successfully execute new building, processing, and packaging line expansion launches. The Program Manager will also collaborate closely with Operations, Technical, Finance, Legal, IS, HR, Sales, and Marketing teams on a regular basis.

skills/qualifications required:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or related discipline required
• 5+ years’ experience performing project management responsibilities required
• Project Management and capital project experience in the dairy industry
• Experience with detailed documentation and analytical thinking
• Ability to lead and interact with cross-functional teams
• Experience leading large scale programs, and greenfield and brownfield capital projects
• Superior communication skills, including the proven ability to effectively manage, influence, negotiate, and communicate with external business partners and internal teams to meet organizational capacity needs
• Ability work independently in a fast paced, entrepreneurial environment

position location: Chicago, IL, Phoenix, AZ, Coopersville, MI, or Atlanta GA

reports to: VP, Engineering

travel requirements: 60%, time spent in all fairlife North America factories

fairlife, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, veteran status, or any other category protected by law. 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 [email protected].