Project Manager- Service

About ATS Industrial Automation

With 40+ Years of experience bringing excellence to the automation field, ATS is an industry-leading automation solutions provider to many of the world’s most successful companies. We leverage our experience by creating custom automation, repeat automation, and services in industries such as transportation, consumer products and energy.

About the Role

The Project Manager - Service plans, executes, and supports the delivery of factory automation service projects, ranging from small reactive work to large, complex upgrades and retrofits. Accountable through assigned technical resources, this role leads projects from initial proposal support through execution, installation, financial performance, and customer satisfaction through the warranty period.

Serving as the primary customer contact, the Project Manager - Service coordinates internal and field teams, manages technical information, and ensures projects are delivered safely, on schedule, within budget, and to quality expectations. As a key contributor to the project delivery team, this role ensures customer needs are met while upholding ATS standards for quality, safety, and professionalism.

This is a highly dynamic and fast-paced role requiring an agile leader who can manage multiple service projects with competing and shifting priorities. The Project Manager - Service is expected to demonstrate integrity, professional competence, and adhere to all ATS Quality Procedures, process flows, safety requirements, and company policies.

Job Duties

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Plan, create, and own project schedules appropriate to scope, ranging from urgent reactive service work to detailed, multi‑phase upgrade and retrofit projects.
• Develop, manage, and control project material and labor budgets across service engagements of varying size, urgency, and complexity.
• Review incoming purchase orders to ensure alignment with approved proposals, scope of work, assumptions, and commercial terms.
• Serve as the primary customer point of contact, managing communication, expectations, and issue resolution from project initiation through closeout.
• Lead and facilitate regular internal project team meetings; document and track actions, risks, and decisions.
• Lead customer-facing project meetings appropriate to project complexity—from rapid coordination for reactive work to formal reviews for larger upgrade and retrofit projects.
• Coordinate and track engineering, design, and build activities using resource plans, schedules, and project controls.
• Manage project scope and contractual changes using documented Change Order Requests (COR’s); maintain revision histories and approval records.
• Own all change orders for assigned projects, including pricing, approvals, execution, and impacts to schedule and cost.
• Create and maintain accurate project forecasts, including cost, margin, and schedule, and present updates during regular Project Status Meetings (PSMs).
• Plan, coordinate, document, communicate, and obtain customer approval for Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) activities.
• Initiate customer invoices in alignment with contractual milestones and track billing progress to support positive cash flow.
• Collaborate with sales, applications and engineering teams to define mechanical scope of work, division of responsibilities, and customer-specific requirements.
• Adapt project management approach based on project size and urgency, applying streamlined controls for reactive service work and structured governance for larger upgrade and retrofit projects.
• Manage multiple concurrent service projects while balancing competing demands, shifting priorities, and evolving customer needs.
• Ensure execution in compliance with ATS quality standards, safety procedures, work instructions, and applicable company policies.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work closely with the Operations Director and functional leaders to coordinate personnel for project and field execution.
• Demonstrate strong teamwork and collaboration while providing support to project team members as needed.
• Build strong working relationships with customers and cross‑functional teams to resolve issues and meet deadlines.
• Perform effectively in fast‑paced, deadline‑driven environments while maintaining focus on safety, quality, and customer satisfaction.
• Demonstrate strong initiative, attention to detail, and a continuous improvement mindset using ATS Business Model (ABM) tools such as Daily Visual Management (DVM’s).
• Manage project financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting with accuracy and accountability.
• Communicate clearly and professionally with customers, project teams, and leadership.
• Lead or participate in Service Project Kick‑Off (PKO) meetings and Project Execution Planning (PEP) activities.
• Maintain proficiency with Microsoft Project, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Travel up to 10–25% within Canada and the U.S. as required.

Qualifications

Education:

•     A bachelor's degree in mechanical design, mechanical engineering or equivalent is preferred.

Experience:

• A minimum of two years project management experience in a similar manufacturing environment is preferred.
• Must have a working knowledge of mechanical and controls aspects of factory automation systems. 
• A working knowledge of PC based Microsoft applications for business is required. 
• Must have ability to work with and communicate effectively with people at all levels of the organization.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS:

•    The employee may be required to stand, walk, push, pull, reach overhead, and bend to the floor.
•    Exert up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or exert up to 10 pounds of force frequently. 
•    Visual Acuity – Normal requirements for reading written instructions and computer screens
•    Hearing Ability – Normal requirements for understanding verbal instructions. 
•    Working Conditions – The employee is subject to a normal office environment with occasional exposure to high noise levels and/or physical hazards when visiting manufacturing floor. 

HEALTH, SAFETY, & ENVIRONMENTAL (HSE) REQUIREMENTS:

All employees have the responsibility to work in a healthy and safe manner, report any health, safety or environmental concern to their manager or supervisor in a timely manner, and participate in the safety culture of the organization.

Employee responsibilities for Health, Safety and Environment include:

· Work in conformance with divisional health, safety and environmental procedures and compliance to legislative requirements.
· Refrain from removing or altering safety devices or guarding unless hazardous energies are controlled through  lockout-tagout methods.
· Report any unsafe conditions or unsafe acts, defects in any equipment or protective device, and any accidents/incidents to the supervisor.
· Ensure that the required protective equipment is used for assigned tasks.
· Attend all required health, safety and environmental training.
· Assist in investigating accidents/incidents where applicable.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or 
responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change, or 
new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice