Senior Information Technology Project Manager

Position Summary

Experienced Senior Project Manager to lead high-impact strategic technology initiatives across the organization including; operations, technology, and business transformation. The Senior Project Manager will oversee enterprise-wide projects, ensuring on-time, on-budget delivery while optimizing efficiency and business outcomes.

This role requires expertise in project management, stakeholder collaboration, financial oversight, change and risk management. Ideally within the poultry, food production, or consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. The ideal candidate will have experience leading technology, supply chain, and operational efficiency projects, ensuring alignment with the company’s growth and sustainability objectives.

Key Responsibilities

1. Project Strategy & Execution

• Oversee and manage end-to-end strategic projects, including multi-year, long-term, multi-phase projects that align with the company’s digital transformation strategy, ensuring scope, timeline, and budget adherence.
• Drive technology initiatives, system implementations, and ensure identified business process improvements are achieved.
• Develop detailed project plans, risk assessments, and mitigation strategies.
• Ensure project alignment with corporate goals, regulatory compliance, and industry best practices.
• Ensure project practices are aligned with IT Project Management Standards beginning with the Project Intake process through the formal closing of a project.
• Cost Control: Ensures cost efficiency while achieving project goals, often delivering 5–10% cost savings through process optimization.

2. Cross-Functional Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement

• Ensure Organizational Change Management standards and practices are adhered to maximize stakeholder engagement.
• Lead collaboration between Operations, IT, Finance, Sales, and Supply Chain teams.
• Present project updates, risks, and recommendations to the Director of Strategic Projects and CIO.
• Act as the liaison between internal stakeholders, external vendors, and industry partners.
• Manage expectations and ensure seamless communication across departments.

3. Financial & Risk Management

• Oversee project budgets (up to $75M per project) and ensure cost-effective execution.
• Develop business cases and ROI analyses for proposed projects and system upgrades.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate operational, technical, and compliance risks.
• Ensure all projects adhere to USDA, FDA, and data security regulations.

4. Technology & Process Optimization

• Implement ERP systems (Infor, SAP, Oracle), IoT solutions, and AI-driven analytics.
• Improve production, logistics, and distribution processes using technology-driven solutions.
• Partner with IT to deploy cloud-based solutions, automation, and cybersecurity enhancements.
• Conduct post-implementation reviews and continuous improvement initiatives.

5. Leadership & Team Development

• Mentor, develop project managers, coordinators, and cross-functional teams.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and accountability.
• Provide training on project management best practices (Agile, Six Sigma, PMP methodologies).
• Lead change management efforts, ensuring successful project adoption.

Education & Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Project Management, IT, Engineering, or related field required.
• MBA or Master’s degree preferred.
• PMP, PRINCE2, or Six Sigma certifications strongly preferred.

Experience:

• 7–12 years of project management experience in food, manufacturing, retail, or CPG industries (preferred).
• Proven track record of leading enterprise-wide projects in technology, supply chain, or operations.
• Experience working with ERP systems, automation technologies, and data-driven solutions.
• Expertise in budget management, vendor negotiations, and ROI-driven decision-making.
• Strong understanding of regulatory compliance *Preferred* (USDA, FDA, OSHA, cybersecurity standards).
• Ideal candidate must have a proven track record of successfully managing a project schedule utilizing Microsoft Project

Skills & Competencies:

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to manage large, complex projects with business impact.
• Technical Proficiency: Experience in IT implementations, process automation, and enterprise systems.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong stakeholder management across departments.
• Problem-Solving & Risk Management: Expertise in identifying and mitigating project risks.
• Leadership & Change Management: Ability to influence and drive adoption of new processes.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Office

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to risk of injury in an office environment. Duties include a typical office setting including extensive computer work, sitting or standing. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Wayne-Sanderson does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, gender (sex), sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, citizenship status, a person’s veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law or executive order.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.