Project Coordinator – Operations & Supply Chain

Project Coordinator – Operations & Supply Chain

Location: North Chicago, IL (Hybrid)
Schedule: Monday & Friday Remote | Tuesday–Thursday Onsite
Duration: 4-month Initial Contract to start

$33-$37/hr based on benefit selection

Orion Group is seeking a Project Coordinator – Operations & Supply Chain to support a leading global pharmaceutical organization. This role is ideal for an organized, proactive project professional who enjoys coordinating cross-functional initiatives, managing timelines, and driving operational excellence across supply chain and manufacturing organizations.

The successful candidate will partner with Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Procurement, Quality, R&D, Commercial, and other cross-functional teams to coordinate strategic operations projects, including new product introductions (NPI), supply continuity initiatives, manufacturing technology transfers, and continuous improvement programs. This position serves as a central point of coordination to ensure projects remain on schedule, risks are proactively managed, and business objectives are achieved.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate cross-functional operations and supply chain projects from initiation through completion.
• Develop and maintain project plans, timelines, milestones, RAID logs (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, and Dependencies), and project dashboards.
• Support New Product Introduction (NPI) activities by coordinating launch timelines, stage-gate reviews, resource planning, and cross-functional meetings.
• Track project deliverables, action items, risks, and dependencies while escalating issues when necessary.
• Coordinate supply disruption initiatives related to raw material shortages, packaging constraints, supplier issues, or manufacturing capacity challenges.
• Partner with Procurement, Planning, Manufacturing, Quality, and Technical teams to support material qualifications, alternative sourcing efforts, and technology transfer activities.
• Prepare project status reports, executive summaries, metrics, and presentations for leadership.
• Monitor project budgets, schedules, and resource utilization while ensuring compliance with project governance standards.
• Facilitate communication across Supply Chain, Operations, Brand, Commercial, Finance, and other business partners to ensure alignment on priorities and deliverables.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives by identifying process enhancements and driving operational efficiencies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field preferred.
• 3–5 years of experience in project coordination, supply chain, manufacturing, operations, or related business functions.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional projects with multiple stakeholders.
• Strong organizational, communication, and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Experience creating project plans, tracking milestones, managing risks, and preparing project status reports.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams.
• Experience using project management tools such as Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Asana, Monday.com, or similar platforms.
• ERP system experience (SAP, Oracle, or similar) is preferred.
• Knowledge of supply chain operations, procurement, manufacturing, demand planning, or S&OP processes is preferred.
• Experience within pharmaceutical, consumer packaged goods (CPG), food & beverage, manufacturing, or another regulated industry is a plus.
• CAPM, PMP, APICS CSCP, or CPIM certifications are preferred but not required.

Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a highly organized project professional who enjoys working across multiple business functions to keep complex initiatives moving forward. They are comfortable coordinating timelines, managing project documentation, communicating with stakeholders at all levels of the organization, and proactively identifying risks while supporting supply chain and operational excellence initiatives. Experience within manufacturing or supply chain environments is highly preferred, along with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
 


People are our business worldwide
 
Orion Group was founded in 1987 and is now one of the largest, independent, international recruitment companies. We have a network of 200 employees working from 24 offices, delivering a range of services – Talent Acquisition, Recruitment Outsourcing Services, Retained Search, Global Workforce Solutions, Completions & Commissioning and Materials Management – across 68 countries. As a global leader in workforce solutions, we recruit personnel across the Engineering & Technical, Office & Commercial, Scientific and Skilled Trades disciplines, for sectors including Oil & Gas, Life Science, Power & Utilities, Constructions & Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Renewables.