Customer Project Manager Jobs in Rochester Hills, MI

• Manage multiple projects simultaneously from quotation handoff through final customer acceptance.
• Develop comprehensive project plans, schedules, milestones, budgets, risk registers, and resource requirements.
• Lead project kickoff meetings with customers, internal stakeholders, engineering, operations, and suppliers.
• Monitor project progress and initiate corrective actions when risks, scope changes, or delays arise.
• Maintain accountability for project scope, schedule, budget, quality, safety, and customer satisfaction.

• Serve as the primary customer contact throughout the project lifecycle.
• Provide clear, timely project status updates, meeting minutes, action-item lists, and executive summaries.
• Facilitate technical discussions, customer design reviews, equipment inspections, and project meetings.
• Maintain professional relationships with customers, suppliers, installation partners, and strategic vendors.
• Address customer concerns promptly while keeping expectations aligned with contractual scope and project objectives.

• Work closely with mechanical, electrical, controls, manufacturing, service, and quality teams.
• Coordinate engineering deliverables and review technical drawings, specifications, layouts, and documentation.
• Track engineering changes and ensure design modifications are properly evaluated, documented, and approved.
• Support technical problem-solving, root cause analysis, and corrective-action activities during project execution.

• Coordinate procurement activities, supplier schedules, production timelines, and internal manufacturing milestones.
• Monitor manufacturing progress and identify bottlenecks before they impact delivery schedules.
• Use ERP/MRP systems and project tools to track materials, purchase orders, inventory status, labor progress, and delivery commitments.
• Work with operations, quality, and production teams to ensure project objectives are achieved.
• Support sourcing, vendor follow-up, expediting, and supplier issue resolution as required.

• Evaluate customer requests, engineering changes, and field modifications for schedule, cost, quality, and resource impacts.
• Prepare, communicate, and manage change orders while obtaining required internal and customer approvals.
• Develop and maintain project budgets, cost tracking, forecasts, and margin visibility.
• Review supplier quotations, purchase orders, project expenditures, and budget variances.
• Maintain project risk registers and implement mitigation plans to minimize disruptions.
• Prepare project cost reports and performance updates for management review.

• Coordinate equipment installation, startup, commissioning, testing, validation, and customer acceptance activities.
• Travel to customer facilities throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico to oversee project execution and ensure successful implementation.
• Provide direct on-site supervision of contractors, installation crews, suppliers, and customer personnel during critical project phases.
• Remain on-site for extended periods ranging from several days to several weeks when required for installation, commissioning, troubleshooting, launch support, or customer acceptance.
• Lead site meetings, project reviews, punch-list management, equipment inspections, and startup coordination.
• Ensure work performed at customer locations meets contractual requirements, customer specifications, safety standards, and quality expectations.
• Support training, final documentation, customer sign-off, and formal project closeout.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Project Management, or a related technical field.
• Minimum of 5 years of project management experience in a manufacturing, automation, industrial equipment, tooling, or engineering environment.
• Proven experience managing technical engineering projects, preferably with budgets exceeding $250,000.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, engineering workflows, industrial project execution, and customer-site implementation.
• Experience managing customer-driven change orders, engineering revisions, project risks, budgets, schedules, and cross-functional resources.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, technical specifications, equipment layouts, and manufacturing documentation.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems, project scheduling tools, and Microsoft Office applications.
• Excellent communication, leadership, customer-facing, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability and willingness to travel 25-50%, including extended stays at customer sites, based on project needs.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel within the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Valid passport or ability to obtain one is preferred.

• PMP certification or equivalent project management training.
• Experience within die casting, automotive, automation, tooling, industrial equipment, or capital equipment industries.
• Experience managing machine builds, automation systems, equipment installations, commissioning, and field startup activities.
• Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience using ERP platforms such as SAP or comparable systems.
• Master’s degree in Engineering Management, Business Administration, or related discipline.
• Knowledge of contract management, commercial project administration, and supplier performance management.

Technical Skills

Leadership Skills

Business Skills

Project scheduling and planning

Cross-functional team leadership

Budget and cost management