Manager, Project Management

Manager, Project Management

Position Summary

Within Operations Services, the Manager, Project Management leads complex cross-functional initiatives from inception through full rollout. The role translates business objectives into executable plans and ensures initiatives are delivered on time, within budget, and to the expectations of the executive sponsor and organization. The Manager partners across Panera to manage dependencies, resolve barriers, prepare the organization for change, and deliver measurable business outcomes.

Location: Newton, MA moving to Weston, MA (hybrid)

Key Responsibilities

Project Leadership & Execution

• Lead projects through discovery, business case development, scope definition, planning, design, testing, pilot, deployment, rollout, stabilization, and closeout.
• Develop integrated plans covering scope, milestones, workstreams, dependencies, resources, budgets, decisions, communications, risks, and success measures.
• Create accountability across project teams and ensure owners deliver against commitments.
• Manage multiple projects or workstreams while maintaining focus on business value, quality, timing, and cost.

Cross-Functional Partnership & Governance

• Serve as the central coordination point across Operations, Marketing, Digital, Technology, Supply Chain, Finance, Human Resources, Development, Learning & Development, and other partners.
• Align stakeholders around objectives, scope, decision rights, timelines, deliverables, and success measures.
• Facilitate project meetings, working sessions, steering committees, and executive sponsor updates.
• Drive timely decisions, surface tradeoffs, and resolve cross-functional issues.

Risk, Change & Readiness

• Identify and manage risks, issues, dependencies, resource constraints, and barriers.
• Develop mitigation and contingency plans and escalate appropriately.
• Manage scope changes through disciplined impact assessment and documentation.
• Build rollout and operational-readiness plans addressing people, process, tools, training, communications, field support, and adoption.

Communication, Financial & Vendor Management

• Provide accurate project updates and executive-ready presentations, dashboards, and decision documents.
• Manage approved budgets, forecasts, expenditures, vendors, and financial risks.
• Maintain complete project documentation, decisions, approvals, governance materials, and closeout records.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required.
• 3+ years of project management experience leading cross-functional initiatives through implementation and rollout.
• Experience managing scope, schedules, resources, risks, vendors, and budgets.
• Restaurant, retail, hospitality, franchise, or multi-unit operations experience preferred.
• Project-management certification preferred.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Exceptional project planning, organization, prioritization, and follow-through.
• Strong business acumen, analytical thinking, judgment, and creative problem-solving.
• Ability to influence without authority, navigate ambiguity, and build stakeholder alignment.
• Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, and executive presentation skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and project-management tools.
• Ability to travel based on business needs

Equal Opportunity Employer: Disabled/Veterans

Competitive Pay $92,055 - $110,466 annually

The actual pay offered will be determined by multiple factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s relevant experience, job-related knowledge, skills, and geographical location. Individual compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.

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