Project Manager - Manufacturing Automation - Columbus, OH

About Abbott 

Abbott is a global healthcare leader, creating breakthrough science to improve people’s health. We’re always looking towards the future, anticipating changes in medical science and technology. Our nutrition business develops science-based nutrition products for people of all ages, from helping babies and children grow, to keeping adult bodies strong and active. Millions of people around the world count on our leading brands – including Similac®, PediaSure®, Pedialyte®, Ensure®, and Glucerna® – to help get the nutrients they need to live their healthiest life. 

Working at Abbott 

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and family, be your true self and live a full life. You’ll also have access to: 

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of. 

• Free medical coverage for employees* via the Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO 

• An excellent retirement savings plan with high employer contribution 

• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree. 

• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries around the world and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.  

• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as a best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.  

• The stability of a company with a record of strong financial performance and history of being actively involved in local communities 

WHAT YOU’LL DO 

Capital Project Leadership

• Leads comprehensive capital upgrades to modernize OT infrastructures within a manufacturing environment across multiple North America sites. 
• Develop project charters, scopes, budgets, schedules, risk assessments, and execution plans aligned with business objectives.
• Manage projects from concept through commissioning, startup, validation, and closeout.
• Coordinate internal stakeholders, contractors, OEMs, system integrators, and suppliers to ensure successful project delivery.
• Utilize established PM tools and techniques (FEP, Cash Flow Projections, Scope / Schedule Control, etc.) to stay within authorized budget limits and achieve the overall project and organizational objectives.
• Develops project plan documenting the actions necessary to define, prepare, integrate and coordinate all subsidiary plans. Project plan ensures vertical startups and sustained operations by assessing change impact of OT and automation changes through process equipment.
• Supports development of project strategy to align and achieve key customer business objectives. Contributes to the development of long-term business and organizational strategies.
• Leads cross functional collaboration or integration of muti-technical disciplines.
• Coordinates with corporate or divisional purchasing for procurement of equipment and / or services and contracting. Effectively leverages and manages services and suppliers.
• Anticipates and identifies areas of risk and mitigates risks through early risk assessments and implementation of fallback / mitigation strategies.
• Develop capital requests, cost estimates, cash flow projections, and project justification documentation.
• Effectively delegates work based on team capabilities and project priorities, empowering others to execute technical deliverables while maintaining ownership of project outcomes. Monitors progress, removes barriers, and provides coaching to ensure successful execution of OT and automation capital projects.
• Balances oversight with autonomy, enabling efficient project execution while developing team capabilities and ensuring compliance with site and corporate standards.
• Simplifies complex technical details into concise and understandable narratives for business leaders.

Controls & Operational Technology

• Develop and review automation specifications, control narratives, network architectures, and system integration requirements.
• Support control system design, programming, testing, commissioning, troubleshooting, and optimization.
• Drive standardization of controls and OT architectures across manufacturing facilities.
• Lead implementation and upgrades of manufacturing technologies including PLC, HMI, OT Servers and historians.

OT Infrastructure & Cybersecurity

• Partner with IT and Cybersecurity teams to design, implement, and maintain secure OT environments.
• Support OT network architecture, system lifecycle management, backup and recovery strategies, and cybersecurity compliance.
• Identify and mitigate operational and cybersecurity risks associated with industrial control systems.

Continuous Improvement & Technical Leadership

• Lead root cause investigations and identify opportunities to improve reliability, OEE, quality, and productivity.
• Evaluate emerging automation and digital manufacturing technologies to support modernization initiatives.
• Build strong relationships with operations, maintenance, engineering, and leadership teams while promoting standardization and best practices.

Compliance & Quality

• Ensure compliance with Quality, EHS, cybersecurity, and engineering standards.
• Support validation activities and maintain awareness of operational, quality, and safety impacts of control system changes.
• Ensure engineering solutions are robust, maintainable, and aligned with business requirements.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE YOU’LL BRING 

Required: 

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Automation Engineering, Computer Engineering, Engineering Technology, or related discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in industrial automation, controls engineering, OT, manufacturing engineering, or capital project management.
• Experience working within an FDA regulated manufacturing environment.
• Experience delivering automation and controls projects from concept through startup and commissioning.
• Strong knowledge of:
  • PLCs (Rockwell, Siemens, etc.)
  • HMI/SCADA systems
  • Industrial networking and communications
  • Process instrumentation and control systems
  • Manufacturing systems integration
• Proven project management, vendor management, and leadership experience.
• Approximately 25% travel to support manufacturing facilities and project execution activities.

Preferred:

• PMP certification.
• Knowledge of OT cybersecurity frameworks (ISA/IEC 62443, NIST).
• ​A hands-on automation and OT leader with strong capital project experience, capable of delivering manufacturing modernization, digital transformation, controls standardization, and OT cybersecurity initiatives across multiple sites.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.

Apply Now 

Learn more about our health and wellness benefits, which provide the security to help you and your family live full lives:  www.abbottbenefits.com 

Follow your career aspirations to Abbott for diverse opportunities with a company that can help you build your future and live your best life. Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity. 

Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal.