Project Manager

Overview

Do you want to join a team that's changing the world? Do you have a strong background as a Project Manager? Then we're looking for you! Check out the job description and apply now! Put your skills to meaningful use, gain unique experience, and work with world-class team members with diverse backgrounds and expertise who share the same vision. Join the PECNA team today!

Responsibilities

Meet the Recruiter: Eric Laffey

Summary:

Join us at Panasonic Energy as we expand to De Soto, Kansas, where we're building the world's largest lithium-ion battery factory. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career while contributing to the future of electric vehicles. As part of our team, you'll help push the limits of battery technology, enhancing performance and efficiency in sustainable transportation.

Our state-of-the-art facility, just outside the Kansas City Metro, will be a hub for innovation in green energy solutions. If you're passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute to the electric vehicle revolution, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team. Join us and make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation.

Job Summary:

The Project Manager leads cross-functional project execution for facility operations, capital improvements, and production scalability within a high-volume manufacturing environment. This role manages scope, schedule, budget, and risk to ensure safe, compliant, and timely project delivery. Working across engineering, procurement, operations, and vendor partners, the Project Manager drives alignment and execution without direct people leadership. Ideal candidates combine technical fluency, strong planning skills, and the ability to coordinate across functions in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Essential Duties:

Project Ownership & Execution:

• Lead planning and delivery of mid- to large-scale projects supporting infrastructure, production, or capital initiatives
• Define project scope, timelines, deliverables, and resource requirements in collaboration with stakeholders
• Maintain integrated project schedules and manage to critical path constraints
• Coordinate vendor activities, procurement timelines, and construction/installation milestones

Risk Management & Compliance:

• Proactively identify risks and execute mitigation strategies
• Ensure project compliance with internal quality, safety, and regulatory standards
• Maintain audit-ready documentation and support inspections as needed

Cross-Functional Communication:

• Interface with engineering, operations, procurement, and leadership to drive alignment
• Deliver consistent and transparent reporting through dashboards, status updates, and presentations
• Lead recurring project meetings, resolve conflicts, and escalate issues appropriately

Tool Proficiency & Continuous Improvement:

• Leverage Smartsheet, Power BI, JIRA, or other tools to track milestones and performance
• Support continuous improvement by refining workflows, templates, and processes
• Contribute lessons learned and share project closure documentation

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements:

• To ensure the health and safety in the workplace and for our employees' protection, wearing PPE is a possibility and includes equipment such as a full Tyvek suit, safety shoes, gloves, safety glasses, face mask, and a full hazmat suit that includes a respirator. A respirator fit test will be required based on functional area.

The foregoing description is not intended and should not be construed to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills and efforts or work conditions associated with the job. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the general nature and level of the job.

Qualifications

Required and/or Preferred:

Education:

• Required: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field. Relevant work experience may be substituted for required education.
• Preferred: Master's degree (e.g., MBA, MS in Project Management, Engineering Management, or Data Analytics) and/or formal training or certification in project management or portfolio reporting (e.g., PMP, PgMP, or PMI-ACP)

Essential Qualifications:

• 5+ years of project management experience, ideally in manufacturing, construction, or engineering
• Proficient in project management tools such as Smartsheet, Excel, PowerPoint, JIRA, or MS Project
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences
• Experience leading technical projects involving infrastructure, operations, or capital spend
• Ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority
• Fluent in written and spoken English

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in lithium-ion battery or high-volume manufacturing environments
• Familiarity with Lean, Six Sigma, Agile, or other structured methodologies
• Understanding of engineering drawings, capital expenditure projects, or facility systems
• Advanced proficiency in enterprise platforms (e.g., SAP, Oracle)
• Demonstrated ability to drive change and improve processes in fast-paced or evolving settings
• Alignment to Panasonic's seven (7) core principles (contribution to society, fairness and honesty, cooperation and team spirit, untiring effort for improvement, courtesy and humility, adaptability, gratitude)

Preferred Certification(s):

• PMP, CAPM, or equivalent project management certification

Physical Demands:

Physical Activities: Percentage of time (equaling 100%) during the normal workday the employee is required to:

• Sit: 40%
• Walk: 30%
• Stand: 20%
• Lift: 10%

Required Lifting and Carrying: Not required (0%), Occasional (1-33%), Frequent (34-66%), Continuous (67-100%)

For this position, the required frequency is:

• Up to 10 lbs.: Occasional
• Up to 20 lbs.: Occasional
• Up to 35 lbs.: Occasional
• Team-lift only (over 35 lbs.): Not Required

Benefits & Perks - What's In It For You:

Panasonic Energy prioritizes total well-being and offers comprehensive benefits options to support physical, emotional, financial, social, and environmental health:

• Highly inclusive and class-leading healthcare options to include family planning, mental health, and pet insurance
• Employee assistance programs that support total well-being with complimentary session offered each and every month
• Company-matched and fully vested 401K retirement program that starts immediately from date of enrollment
• Annual bonus program, High5 employee recognition and awards platform, quarterly and annual employee recognition
• Simplified access to self-guided and representative-supported short and long-term financial wellness and retirement planning
• Educational Assistance & Reimbursement Program
• Inclusion programs and associated employee resource groups that promote representation and belonging
• Leadership, career, and mentorship development programs opportunities at all levels across the organization
• Collaborative and motivating culture routed in continuous personal and professional growth and much more.

Where You'll Be:

For our onsite roles, Panasonic Energy is committed to fostering an ideal working environment that goes beyond the conventional. We understand the significance of moments that matter in your onsite experience, and we prioritize creating a workspace that not only promotes productivity but also ensures a fulfilling and positive work atmosphere. Join us at Panasonic Energy, where your onsite presence is valued, and we strive to make each moment count in your professional journey.

Who We Are:

Meet Panasonic Energy! At Panasonic Energy, you'll do work that matters as we are dedicated to transforming the world through the acceleration of sustainable energy. By producing safe, high-quality lithium-ion batteries, you become part of a team that plays a crucial role in creating technologies that move us.

This is an exciting time to join us as we expand our operations to De Soto, Kansas and build the world's largest lithium-ion battery factory. We will provide you with the opportunity to experience career growth in more ways than one.

As an innovative thinker, you'll thrive here, as we continually push the boundaries of lithium-ion battery technology and production capabilities to enhance efficiency and performance in EVs.

Being part of Panasonic Energy means positively contributing to society, aligning with our commitment to building a better world through sustainable energy solutions.

We care about what you care about, fostering an environment where your contributions make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation. Join us and be part of a team that values your work, encourages innovation, and actively contributes to a positive societal impact.

In addition to an environment that is as innovative as our products, we offer competitive salaries and benefits.

We Take Opportunity Seriously:

At Panasonic Energy, we are committed to a workplace that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. Fairness and Honesty have been part of our core values for more than 100 years and we are proud of our diverse culture as an equal opportunity employer.

We understand that your career search may look different than others and embrace the professional, personal, educational, and volunteer opportunities through which people gain experience. If you are actively looking or starting to explore new opportunities, submit your application!

Supplemental Information:

Pre-employment drug testing is required.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. All qualified individuals are required to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.

Due to the high volume of responses, we will only be able to respond to candidates of interest. All candidates must have valid authorization to work in the U.S. without restriction.

Thank you for your interest in Panasonic Energy Corporation of North America.

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