Project Governance Manager
Posted 1 week ago by Oscar Mayer Group UK
Negotiable
Undetermined
Undetermined
Wrexham, Wales, United Kingdom
Summary: The Stage and Gate Project Governance Manager will oversee the NPD process within a fast-paced food manufacturing environment, ensuring compliance with governance requirements throughout the project lifecycle. This role involves managing the Stage & Gate process, aligning cross-functional teams, and tracking project milestones from idea qualification to post-launch review. The successful candidate will also be responsible for maintaining key performance indicators and facilitating effective communication among stakeholders. A focus on continuous improvement and risk management is essential for this position.
Key Responsibilities:
- Own and manage the Stage & Gate Governance process, ensuring it remains fit for purpose.
- Ensure the KPI’s are in place, documented, and communicated through the period Executive meeting.
- Ensure all projects progress through each stage with the required documentation, approvals, and cross-functional alignment.
- Become the subject-matter expert on Recipe Professor.
- Schedule Gate meetings, ensuring relevant stakeholders attend and that decisions, actions, and next steps are documented.
- Create and track project plans for new products, highlighting risks to delivery and managing delays or issues.
- Manage, update, and communicate the Group NPD Project Tracker with input from various functions.
- Ensure all timelines, risks, and dependencies are visible to stakeholders, e.g., RAID log.
- Communicate project status, key risks, and upcoming gates clearly to senior stakeholders.
- Support post-launch reviews and learnings to drive continuous improvement within the NPD process.
- Perform any other duties or projects as agreed by the line manager.
Key Skills:
- Ideally qualified in project management, with relevant experience considered.
- Degree in Food Science or Product Development (desirable).
- Minimum 5 years’ experience in food manufacturing, specifically with chilled prepared multi-component products.
- Experience using Recipe Professor (Point 74) or similar software.
- Proven experience managing stage and gate projects from idea generation to launch.
- Experience implementing and operating Stage & Gate governance.
- Experience coordinating cross-functional teams within a manufacturing environment.
- Good understanding of food safety, technical, and operational considerations in product development.
Salary (Rate): undetermined
City: Wrexham
Country: United Kingdom
Working Arrangements: undetermined
IR35 Status: undetermined
Seniority Level: undetermined
Industry: Other
Stage and Gate Project Governance Manager - 12 Month Fixed Term Contract
ABOUT US: We are a fast-paced food manufacturing business, specialising in producing ready meals for a wide range of customers. Operating from a large-scale factory environment, we are committed to delivering high-quality, safe, and delicious products. The successful candidate will predominantly support low care production areas but also support other area within training, ensuring compliance with food safety, hygiene, and health and safety standards.
Main Purpose of Job
To ensure that the NPD process across the Group operates in a compliant manner in line with agreed business processes. This role is responsible for governing the Stage & Gate process, ensuring all projects follow governance requirements. This includes ensuring that key milestones are met, and cross-functional teams are aligned throughout the NPD lifecycle of each project – from idea qualification through to launch and post-launch review. To ensure that the stage and gate KPI’s are in place, updated and reported.
Key Responsibilities
- To own and manage the Stage & Gate Governance process, ensuring it remains fit for purpose.
- To ensure the KPI’s are in place and documented and communicated through the period Executive meeting.
- To ensure that all projects progress through each stage with the required documentation, approvals, and cross-functional alignment.
- To become the subject-matter expert on Recipe Professor.
- To ensure Gate meetings are scheduled, attended by the relevant stakeholders, and that decisions, actions, and next steps are documented, communicated, and followed up by those that are held responsible as per the Stage and Gate RACI.
- Ensuring project plans for new products are created and are tracked, highlighting risks to delivery, proactively managing and escalating delays or issues.
- To manage, update and communicate the Group NPD Project Tracker with input from the various functions.
- Ensuring all timelines, risks, and dependencies are visible to stakeholders, e.g. RAID log.
- To communicate project status, key risks, and upcoming gates clearly and promptly to senior stakeholders, ensuring that any critical issues are escalated to the appropriate stakeholders through the period executive meeting.
- To support post-launch reviews and learnings to drive continuous improvement within the NPD process.
- Any other duties or projects as agreed by their line manager.
Knowledge & Experience
Essential level of knowledge, qualification, training and experience necessary to enable the Jobholder to perform the job to an acceptable standard
Qualification
Ideally in project management but not essential if have relevant experience. Degree in Food Science or Product Development (desirable)
Knowledge & Experience
Minimum 5 years’ experience in food manufacturing working in chilled prepared multi component products. Experience of using Recipe Professor (Point 74) or similar software. Proven experience managing stage and gate projects or processes from idea generation through to launch, including critical path management and timeline adherence. Experience implementing and operating Stage & Gate governance. Experience coordinating cross-functional teams within a manufacturing environment. Good understanding of food safety, technical and operational considerations in product development.