Services Principal Project Manager

AVEVA•Chicago, IL

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

AVEVA is creating software trusted by over 90% of leading industrial companies. This pay range represents the minimum and maximum compensation that the position offers, and final compensation can vary within the range depending on work location, job experience, skills, and relevant educational attainment and/or training. We’re seeking a high‑performing Principal Project Manager to lead end‑to‑end delivery of software projects within our Global Services team. This role goes beyond traditional project management, requiring a strong grasp of technical concepts and client business processes, along with the ability to quickly learn, adapt, and provide effective guidance. This role will engage with senior executives through high‑level presentations and collaborate in detailed technical discussions with internal teams and client experts.

Requirements

8–12+ years of project/program management experience with industrial software (MES/SCADA/IoT/Manufacturing Analytics/Edge/Automation).
Proven delivery in production/plant environments with multi-site or global rollouts.
Hands-on experience coordinating OT and IT teams and integrating with ERP/PLM/MOM.
Strong command of project management methodologies (Agile/Scrum/Kanban/Waterfall/Hybrid) and tooling (e.g., Azure DevOps, Jira, MS Project, Smartsheet).
Demonstrated success managing $1M–$10M+ projects and complex stakeholder landscapes.
Excellent executive communication, conflict resolution, and negotiation skills.
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Industrial/Manufacturing Systems, or related field (or equivalent experience).

Nice To Haves

Industry experience in one or more: Automotive, CPG, Pharma/Life Sciences, Chemicals, Oil & Gas, Semiconductors, Heavy Industry.
Familiarity with platforms such as Aveva/Wonderware, Rockwell FactoryTalk, Siemens Opcenter/WinCC, Ignition, GE Digital, PTC ThingWorx, Azure IoT/AWS IoT, OSIsoft/AVEVA PI, Snowflake/Databricks.
Experience with data pipelines/ETL, historians, time-series databases, and manufacturing analytics.
Knowledge of cybersecurity in OT (ISA/IEC 62443), ISA‑95/ISA‑88, and CSV/GxP for regulated industries.
Certifications: PMP, PgMP, PRINCE2, ScrumMaster/SAFe, ITIL, or Six Sigma/Lean.

Responsibilities

Own the full MES project lifecycle (initiation → planning → design/configuration → integration → commissioning → go‑live → hypercare → operational handoff) across single‑site and multi‑plant deployments.
Establish and lead project governance—daily standups, sprint reviews, defect triage, risk reviews, steering committees, and QBRs—tailored to plant operations and downtime constraints.
Ensure MES projects meet scope, quality, cost, schedule, and compliance requirements, including validation and audit readiness where necessary.
Serve as the primary point of contact for manufacturing clients, OEM automation partners, system integrators, and OT/IT stakeholders.
Deliver executive-ready communication summarizing plant readiness, risks to production, integration complexity, and key decisions with clear trade‑offs.
Collaborate with solution architects to validate MES/SCADA/IIoT/digital twin solution designs, edge architecture, and cloud analytics integrations.
Ensure adherence to manufacturing standards such as ISA‑95/ISA‑88 (integration hierarchy, batch models), ISA‑99/IEC 62443 (OT security), data governance, and GxP/safety requirements where applicable.
Review and approve technical MES artifacts including HLD/LLD, interface designs, configuration guides, validation protocols, test plans, and cutover runbooks.
Manage project financials including budget planning, forecasting, burn tracking, margin protection, and change order governance.
Lead management of SOWs, SLAs, acceptance criteria, and vendor/subcontractor performance for MES integrators and automation partners.
Negotiate scope changes and commercial terms, balancing plant needs with project constraints while maintaining strong client relationships.