Total Quality Management Senior Manager jobs in Santa Barbara, CA

ABOUT KATE FARMS

Kate Farms is a company with heart. Our company was founded on the belief that good nutrition leads to good health, and good health opens the door to endless possibilities. That’s why our mission is to make nutrition the cornerstone of healthcare so people can live their best lives. We are a medical food company that makes complete nutrition formulas for people who have a medical need for liquid nutrition. 

 Kate Farms works to be the place where a diverse mix of talented individuals want to come, stay, and do their best work. Ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace where we learn from each other is at the core of Kate Farms’ values. We are an equal-opportunity employer and fully focused on equality; we believe deeply in diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin, and all the other fascinating characteristics that make us different. We invite you to do the best work of your life with us at Kate Farms.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Sr. Manager, Project Management is a critical member of the Project Management Team and is responsible for providing end-to-end project management of highly complex cross-functional projects. They will leverage planning and execution expertise, leadership skills, and broad business knowledge to integrate the cross-functional projects, processes, and teams that grow and transform our business.

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Manage highly complex cross-functional projects end-to-end, covering an array of subject matter and disciplines, including new product innovation, expansion into new categories and channels, and implementation of new IT platforms. Key responsibilities include:

-            Inspiring and energizing the team to deliver business objectives through challenging project goals and engaging and motivating them to achieve them.

-            Ensuring that project objectives, scope, and success criteria are clearly stated and aligned.

-            Organizing work (e.g., project workstreams) according to project needs and structuring project teams accordingly (e.g., stream leads and teams).

-            Leading proactive identification and management of opportunities, risks, and change impacts.

-            Effectively managing and appropriately influencing project stakeholders, including defining project governance, facilitating, and guiding decision-making, and transparently communicating status.

-            Defining project resource needs, securing them from resource owners, and escalating gaps.

-            Managing external partners and suppliers through legal, purchasing, and accounts payable processes; tracking and reporting spend versus budget; integrating their resources, deliverables, and timing into the overall project structure and plan; and holding them accountable to deliver.

Evolve and strengthen organizational capabilities by:

-            Identifying organizational project management needs/opportunities, defining related project management standards, and training and coaching project managers accordingly.

-            Recognizing process needs/opportunities and leading initiatives to improve existing processes or implement new processes where none exist, including piloting new methodologies (e.g., Agile).

MINIMUM JOB REQUIREMENTS

-            Bachelor’s degree required, MBA a plus, PMP (Project Management Professional) certification a plus.

-            Minimum 7 years of business experience, including a minimum 5 years of end-to-end cross-functional project management experience, preferably in new product development and/or IT and preferably in food/beverage.

-            Can manage highly complex projects with autonomy, creating order out of chaos by creating new work and team structures.

-            Highly organized with the ability to manage lots of details; lives simultaneously in the details and big picture, helping the team to pivot between them.

-            Can manage multiple projects simultaneously and sort quickly through issues and risks, helping teams focus on the right things at the right time.

-            Feels accountability for business objectives, understands how projects contribute, aligns project goals, and energizes and engages teams to deliver.

-            Can bring together diverse and unfamiliar teams and create a climate of trust that enables them to take risks together and deliver strong results.

-            Can break the inertia of highly ambiguous situations and drive projects and teams forward.

-            Has highly developed communication and facilitation skills with the ability to focus discussions on key topics and constructively challenge at all levels to positively affect project decisions and outcomes.

-            Proactively builds connections with key stakeholders and leverages them to align their project objectives and requirements with business strategies and plans.

-            Can effectively use project planning software (e.g., MS Project, Wrike, Smartsheets, etc.) and standard MS Office applications (i.e., Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

-            Has a strong commitment to the company's mission and values.

-            Can work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

-            Respectfully shares and accepts feedback willingly from all levels of the organization.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Effectively handle lifting of various objects weighing up to 12 pounds.

While performing the essential functions of the job, the employee will be required to bend, stoop, kneel, reach, and climb stairs.

Possess the ability to sit at a computer for extended periods of time.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

This position will work in a home/office environment with occasional trips to the corporate office or other meeting locations.

It is Kate Farms policy that any position that requires regular interaction with healthcare professionals require that, if hired, you be vaccinated against COVID-19 unless you need a reasonable accommodation due to sincerely held religious beliefs, medical needs, or other reasons protected by applicable federal, state, and local law.

Kate Farms cares well for its employees and it shows through the provision of standout benefits such as Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, FSA, 401k Retirement Plan, Paid Time Off, Remote Work options, and many more outstanding company perks.