Manager, Software Project Management

Overview

Company

Daifuku Intralogistics America Corporation is a leading provider of intelligent material handling systems. With hundreds of engineers in-house, the company designs, manufactures, integrates, and installs a full spectrum of intralogistics solutions to meet the evolving needs of our clients. Our solutions include advanced conveyor and sortation systems, voice- and light-directed order fulfillment equipment, warehouse controls and execution software, robotics, Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS), mezzanines, and structures—all supported by critical round-the-clock service and technical support.

 

Position Overview

The Manager, Software Project Management is responsible for leading the Software Project Management team responsible for the successful delivery of warehouse automation software implementation projects. This position provides strategic leadership, operational oversight, coaching, and resource management while ensuring projects are delivered on schedule, within budget, and in accordance with company quality standards.

 

The Manager partners with Engineering, Controls, Product Management, Operations, Sales, Corporate Services, and Executive Leadership to establish project management best practices, optimize resource utilization, improve project execution, and drive customer satisfaction across the software portfolio. In addition to managing the team, this role serves as executive escalation for complex customer engagements and oversees

the software project portfolio from project initiation through customer acceptance and transition to support.

Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, mentor, coach, and develop a team of Software Project Managers.
• Establish performance expectations, conduct performance reviews, and create employee development plans.
• Recruit, onboard, and retain high-performing project management talent.
• Provide technical and project management guidance throughout the software implementation lifecycle.
• Assign project managers based on project complexity, customer requirements, and resource availability.
• Foster collaboration across Software Engineering, Controls Engineering, Field Engineering, Product Management, Sales, and Operations.
• Lead department meetings, establish team objectives, and promote continuous improvement.
• Develop succession planning and career development opportunities within the Software Project Management organization.
• Promote a culture focused on accountability, customer satisfaction, quality, and operational excellence.

Project Portfolio Management

• Own the Software Project Management portfolio across all active customer implementations.
• Balance project assignments, workloads, and resource capacity across the department.
• Monitor portfolio health, identifying schedule conflicts, staffing constraints, and project risks.
• Review project financial performance, forecasts, margins, and resource utilization.
• Establish department KPIs and metrics for schedule adherence, budget performance, customer satisfaction, quality, and resource efficiency.
• Create executive dashboards and portfolio reports for leadership.
• Utilize Microsoft Project Web App and other project management tools to analyze project health, resource allocation, and delivery performance.
• Identify portfolio risks and develop mitigation strategies.

Project Oversight

• Ensure Software Project Managers thoroughly understand project scopes, requirements, RFQs, proposals, contracts, and cost estimates.
• Oversee development of software implementation schedules and milestone planning.
• Ensure consistent execution of Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) processes across all projects.
• Provide executive oversight for:
  • Business Requirements Documents (BRDs)
  • UML documentation
  • Hardware and network planning
  • Internal QA
  • Conference Room Pilot (CRP)
  • Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT)
  • Site Commissioning
  • User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
  • Go-Live Support
  • Project Closeout
  • Monitor project risks, issues, scope changes, and customer escalations.
  • Ensure successful customer acceptance and transition to support organizations.
  • Serve as executive escalation point for high-priority customer issues

Customer & Business Leadership

• Build and maintain executive-level customer relationships.
• Participate in project kickoff meetings and executive business reviews.
• Support contract reviews, change management, and commercial discussions.