Job Title: Factory Systems Project Manager
Location: Crewe 3 days a week
Industry: Automotive Manufacturing
Contract Length: 6 months initially
Day Rate: Up to £550
IR 35 Status: Outside
The Factory Systems Project Manager is responsible for the end-to-end delivery of factory and manufacturing systems projects across automotive production environments. The role ensures the successful implementation of plant IT and OT solutions - including MES, SCADA, PLC integrations, quality, traceability, maintenance, and production systems - while maintaining operational continuity, safety, and regulatory compliance.
The role bridges IT and manufacturing operations, ensuring projects deliver tangible improvements in throughput, quality, cost, and resilience across factory environments.
Key Responsibilities
* Own project delivery from business case and planning through to go-live and benefits realisation.
* Develop cost estimates, budgets, and delivery schedules, aligned to production constraints.
* Manage factory systems implementations, including MES, SCADA, PLC integrations, automation, and ERP interfaces.
* Coordinate internal teams and external vendors / systems integrators.
* Lead risk, issue, and change management, particularly where live production is impacted.
* Ensure robust governance, reporting, and stakeholder communication.
* Track and report on manufacturing benefits (e.g. OEE, quality, traceability).
* Manage formal project closure and operational handover.
Skills & Experience
* Proven experience delivering factory systems or manufacturing IT/OT projects in an automotive or discrete manufacturing environment.
* Strong understanding of MES, SCADA, PLCs, automation, and plant integrations.
* Experience managing projects in live production environments with minimal disruption.
* Strong commercial and supplier management capability.
* Experience working within regulated, safety-critical environments.
* Ability to communicate effectively with both technical teams and manufacturing leadership.
* Proven experience working with Waterfall Methodologies.
* Prince 2 Qualifications.
Personal Attributes
* Pragmatic, delivery-focused, and comfortable operating on the factory floor.
* Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.
* Calm under pressure in time-critical production environments.
* Structured, safety-aware, and outcomes-driven.