Junior Project Assistant Jobs in Kansas (NOW HIRING)

Job Title: Junior PMO

Job Description

This role supports the Project Management Office for the commissioning of a new dairy processing facility. You help ensure that activities from construction handover through equipment installation, utilities integration, testing, validation, and start-up run in a controlled, coordinated, and timely manner. You act as a central point of support for planning, governance, reporting, and cross-functional alignment across engineering, operations, quality, supply chain, and external contractors.

Responsibilities

• Support the establishment and maintenance of project governance frameworks, workflows, and documentation standards.
• Assist in developing commissioning master plans, schedules, and milestone tracking systems.
• Help ensure commissioning activities comply with regulatory, safety, and food industry standards.
• Maintain and update risk registers, mitigation plans, and issue resolution logs under guidance from senior team members.
• Coordinate readiness assessments and pre-commissioning checklists with cross-functional teams.
• Track critical path activities, flag delays, and support the team in developing recovery actions.
• Prepare executive-level dashboards, progress reports, and KPI summaries using data gathered from stakeholders.
• Communicate project status, risks, and key decisions to senior leadership and stakeholders through concise reports and updates.
• Maintain transparent documentation and version control for all commissioning deliverables, ensuring accurate and up-to-date records.
• Support budget tracking for commissioning activities, including contractor hours, materials, and equipment costs.
• Monitor resource allocation and help identify gaps in staffing or technical expertise for escalation.
• Assist in procurement planning for commissioning tools, spare parts, and consumables by coordinating with procurement and technical teams.
• Help ensure commissioning activities follow GMP, HACCP, and dairy industry regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with quality assurance teams to support execution and documentation of validation protocols (IQ/OQ/PQ).
• Support EHS teams in enforcing safety procedures during start-up and testing activities.
• Capture lessons learned from commissioning phases and contribute to best-practice frameworks for future projects.
• Contribute to the optimization of workflows, documentation templates, and commissioning processes.
• Promote a culture of operational excellence and accountability by modeling organized, proactive, and detail-oriented work habits.
• Perform data entry related to project activities, including SAP entries, vendor invoices, and project documentation updates.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Project Management, Food Technology, or a related field.
• 7+ years of project management experience, preferably in food manufacturing or dairy processing.
• Proven experience in commissioning large-scale industrial or processing facilities.
• Strong understanding of dairy processing equipment, including pasteurizers, separators, homogenizers, CIP systems, and filling/packaging lines.
• Familiarity with utilities commissioning, including steam, refrigeration, compressed air, and water treatment systems.
• Proficiency with project management tools such as MS Project, Primavera, or similar applications.
• Knowledge of GMP, HACCP, and food safety regulations relevant to dairy and food manufacturing.
• Experience with SAP for project-related activities and vendor invoice processing.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management abilities, with the capacity to work across multiple functions.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret project data and recommend actions.
• Ability to lead and support cross-functional teams working under tight timelines.
• High level of organization, attention to detail, and a proactive approach to managing tasks and issues.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience in project management for commissioning activities in industrial or processing environments.
• Hands-on exposure to dairy processing or broader food manufacturing operations.
• Familiarity with automation systems and integration within processing facilities.
• Experience supporting or executing validation protocols such as IQ, OQ, and PQ.
• Comfort working with executive-level reporting, dashboards, and KPI tracking.
• Ability to facilitate meetings and drive follow-up actions among diverse stakeholder groups.
• Demonstrated interest in continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Capability to adapt to changing project priorities and timelines while maintaining quality and compliance.

Why Work Here?

You join a high-impact project that brings a new dairy processing facility from construction to full operational readiness, giving you exposure to complex commissioning work and cross-functional collaboration. You gain experience in a structured project environment that values governance, safety, and quality, while working closely with engineering, operations, and leadership teams. The role offers a clear view of how large-scale industrial projects are delivered, helping you build strong project management, technical, and stakeholder engagement skills for the next step in your career.

Work Environment

This role primarily operates on-site at a dairy processing facility, with approximately 80% of the time spent in Hugoton, Kansas, and up to 20% in Kansas City for those based there. You work closely with engineering, operations, quality, maintenance, EHS, procurement, and external contractors in a production and commissioning environment. The facility includes utilities such as steam, refrigeration, compressed air, and water treatment, as well as dairy processing equipment like pasteurizers, separators, homogenizers, CIP systems, and packaging lines. The work involves regular coordination meetings, on-floor checks, and interaction with technical systems and project management tools. You can expect a structured, safety-focused environment that follows GMP, HACCP, and other food industry regulatory standards, with adherence to appropriate industrial and food-production attire and PPE as required by site policies.

This is a Contract position based out of New Century, KS.

The pay range for this position is $36.06 - $48.08/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully onsite position in New Century,KS.

This position is anticipated to close on Aug 14, 2026.

Aerotek® Inc. provides staffing and services solutions in manufacturing, logistics, construction, aviation, facilities and maintenance. We provide the expertise, solutions and people required to rise to the challenges of North American industry. Headquartered in Hanover, Md., Aerotek operates a unified network of over 200 offices across North America, supporting more than 18,000 clients each year. Aerotek is an Allegis Group company, the global leader in workforce and business solutions. To learn more, visit: Aerotek.com | 1-888-AEROTEK.

Aerotek offers weekly pay, employee benefits including medical, dental & vision, life insurance, health advocacy and employee assistance programs, a 401(k) plan, and employee discounts.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regards to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance:
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector:
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):
We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.

We know that finding work is hard, and finding meaningful work is harder. Aerotek connects 180,000+ light industrial and skilled trades workers with 14,000+ employers each year, helping our workers navigate an evolving labor market and find jobs that meet their goals, skills, and interests. Since 1983, we have provided a variety of career opportunities across North American industry – from short-term assignments at Fortune 500 companies where you can build your skills, to long-term opportunities where you can play a vital role in solving companies’ construction, manufacturing, and maintenance challenges. Our 1,500+ experienced recruiters across 250+ offices work relentlessly to put our workforce in a position to thrive. Let us rise to meet your challenges and put our people-are-everything spirit to the test as your career continues to grow.