Program Manager, Engineering

Company Overview

Why Choose Us?

Novolex is a leading manufacturer of food, beverage, and specialty packaging that supports multiple industries including foodservice, restaurant delivery and carryout, food processing, grocery and retail, and industrial sectors. Novolex manufacturing and sourcing expertise spans a diverse range of substrates including resin, paper, molded fiber, aluminum and more. We provide customers a broad array of stock and customized solutions with 120 product categories, 250 brands and over 39,000 SKUs.

Our Sustainability Commitment

The Novolex sustainability vision is built upon three pillars: our products, our operations and our people. Each is critically important to our growth and future as a business. These pillars form the foundation of our company-wide commitment to sustainability, helping us achieve our ambitious goals through our wide-ranging initiatives.

Job Description

Job Summary

The Engineering Program Manager is responsible for leading the safe, compliant, and cost-effective optimization of manufacturing facilities across multiple sites and workstreams.

This role directs cross-functional teams to execute all aspects of facility optimization, including vendor procurement, asset recovery, environmental compliance, IT system, and legal and real estate coordination.

The ideal candidate excels at managing complex, time-sensitive programs with significant financial, environmental, and operational implications, driving governance, risk mitigation, documentation control, and audit-ready execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end optimization programs across one or more facilities, overseeing all phases from initial planning through project closure.
• Develop and issue comprehensive Request for Quote (RFQ) packages for optimization services; evaluate bids, select vendors, negotiate commercial terms, and manage contractor performance to ensure adherence to scope, budget, schedule, and compliance requirements.
• Collaborate with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, IT, Real Estate and legal teams to coordinate and track completion of optimization-related tasks.
• Ensure full Environmental, Health & Safety (EH&S) compliance, by partnering with EH&S to identify, handle, transport, and dispose of all hazardous materials, waste streams, and regulated equipment in accordance with all applicable regulations.
• Manage asset acquisition, disposition and value-recovery initiatives, including financial documentation.
• Develop and maintain program-level plans, budgets, forecasts, risk registers, and executive-ready status reporting across all workstreams.
• Identify, escalate, and mitigate program risks related to safety, compliance, environmental exposure, contractual obligations, schedule, and cost.
• Ensure all optimization activities meet regulatory, corporate, and contractual requirements, supported by audit-ready documentation and controlled change management.

Required Skills & Competencies

• Strong background in manufacturing engineering with hands-on experience in production facilities, including deep knowledge of manufacturing processes, production equipment and plant operations.
• Proven experience leading complex, multi-site optimization programs within industrial or manufacturing environments.
• Strong knowledge of procurement and commercial processes, including RFQ development, vendor selection, contract negotiation, and performance management.
• Solid understanding of EH&S regulations, hazardous materials handling and waste stream management, environmental compliance requirements, and safe optimization practices.
• Excellent cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management skills across Operations, EH&S, IT, Real Estate, Finance, Legal, Engineering, and external vendors.
• Strong program management skills with the ability to lead multiple concurrent workstreams, manage dependencies, and drive governance and decision making.
• Experience with asset acquisition, disposition and value-recovery initiatives, including financial documentation.
• Outstanding organizational, communication, negotiation, and issue-escalation abilities, with a demonstrated ability to influence cross functional teams and external partners.
• Proficiency with program and project management tools (MS Project, Smartsheet, etc.), documentation systems, and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Ability to interpret leases, contracts, and regulatory requirements.
• Strong risk management capabilities, including identification, mitigation, and escalation of safety, environmental, contractual, and financial risks.
• Experience developing audit-ready documentation and maintaining compliance with corporate, environmental, and regulatory standards.
• Ability to manage change control processes across multiple workstreams.
• 50% Travel Required

A reasonable estimate of the current range is $145,000-$155,000 + bonus + benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. At Novolex, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.

The benefits for this role include 401(k) plan with company match, comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, flexible spending and health savings accounts, paid vacation, and sick days, paid parental leave, paid holidays and wellness program.

          #LI-Remote

#INDSalaried

Company Benefits

What You'll Get From Us

Benefits

With safety as our top priority and a commitment to employee well-being an important focus, we offer comprehensive and competitive benefits that include medical, dental and vision insurance as well as a variety of other well-being resources focused on mental, physical and financial health. Specific benefits and well-being programs may vary depending on where you work.

Community Engagement

At Novolex, giving back to the local communities that support us is important. Our Focused Giving Program prioritizes support for organizations whose missions promote sustainability initiatives or address food and hunger needs. We also encourage facility level support of activities in the communities where our employees live and work.

Training and Development

We offer constant opportunities for advancement. From skills development to advanced education programs, training and development programs and courses are available through MyLearning. Programs include company and industry training curricula, support for formal education through the Tuition Reimbursement Program (Non-Union), and a Learning Management System that supports and enhances employee skills at all levels of the organization.

Novolex is committed to providing equal employment opportunity in all employment practices, including but not limited to selection, hiring, promotion, transfer, and compensation to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to age, race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, handicap or disability, genetics, citizenship status, service member or veteran status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law. Any individual who, because of his or her disability, needs an accommodation in connection with an aspect of the Company's application process should contact myHRservices@novolex.com.

Formerly Pactiv Evergreen