Project Manager – Operations & Innovation

The OpportunityFootage Tools is looking for a high-potential Project Manager – Operations & Innovation to become a key execution resource across our manufacturing business. This is a hands-on, cross-functional role for someone who likes taking complex moving pieces, turning them into one clear plan, and making sure the right people stay aligned to deliver it.You will work across Production, Scheduling, Purchasing, Engineering, Quality and leadership. You will not manage these functions or do their work for them. Your job is to own the project-management process and integrated plan: coordinate the owners, drive execution against commitments, surface risks early, facilitate resolution, and escalate when necessary.The CompanyFootage Tools has been building specialty tools for underground infrastructure since 1982. Based in Vaughan, Ontario, we design and manufacture premium equipment used in natural gas, water, oil & gas and underground construction applications across North America and internationally. Our product portfolio includes squeeze-off, tapping, piercing and other specialty utility tools, supported by in-house engineering, CNC machining, assembly and testing.We are an ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturer with an entrepreneurial culture and ambitious growth plans. Our values—Doing What’s Right, Pursuit of Ongoing Improvement (PONGI), Committed Together and Purpose-Driven Passion—shape how we work and how we expect people to show up.What You Will OwnProduction Planning CoordinationYou will facilitate the daily production huddle and coordinate the monthly 8–12 week production outlook, connecting Scheduling, Purchasing, CNC Production and other functions around the existing production plan. You will surface material, capacity, engineering and downstream constraints early, ensure actions have owners and dates, and escalate when cross-functional issues threaten commitments.Stage-Gate & InnovationYou will own the project-management process behind our Stage-Gate innovation system. Engineering and other functional teams own the technical work and decisions; you keep the portfolio, integrated timelines, gates, dependencies, decisions and actions moving. Your standard: no gate arrives as a surprise and no important dependency disappears between functions.Major Production ProgramsFor our C2400 Squeeze Boss production program, you will run the weekly project meeting, own the integrated Gantt, coordinate internal stakeholders, identify critical-path risks and facilitate problem solving through to shipment. The functional teams do the work; you make sure the work converges on one plan.Facilities, Capex & Continuous ImprovementYou will project-manage selected facility improvements, equipment integrations, production expansions, layout/flow changes and larger cross-functional CI initiatives. You may identify opportunities yourself, but your primary value is helping teams implement meaningful initiatives with discipline.Special ProjectsFrom time to time, senior leadership will hand you an important cross-functional problem or initiative that needs structure. You will clarify the objective, build the plan, coordinate owners, maintain visibility and keep execution moving.How You Will Work

• Own the process and integrated project plan—not every functional deliverable.
• Create clarity from multiple inputs and maintain one source of truth for milestones, dependencies, risks and actions.
• Follow up persistently and professionally; commitments do not disappear because the meeting ended.
• Use escalation as a management tool, not a last resort after the deadline has already passed.
• Keep project controls practical. We want disciplined execution, not bureaucracy.
• Spend time where the work happens. This is an on-site manufacturing role, not a remote PMO position.
• Coordinate production measurables and operating visibility while functional leaders remain accountable for their results.What You Bring
• Approximately 3–8 years of relevant professional experience, including at least 2 years in a manufacturing environment; we will consider exceptional candidates outside this range.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating multiple concurrent, cross-functional projects or programs.
• PMP certification strongly preferred. Equivalent formal project-management training plus a strong track record of disciplined execution will be considered.
• Strong Excel, Microsoft Office and project-management software skills, including Gantt planning and practical project controls.
• Solid business acumen: you understand how schedule, material, capacity, inventory, engineering changes and customer commitments connect.
• Ability to influence without authority and hold peers and managers to clear commitments professionally.
• Strong written and verbal communication; able to synthesize a complex project into a concise, actionable status.
• Post-secondary education in business, engineering, operations, manufacturing, supply chain, project management or a related field preferred.
• ERP/MRP, Stage-Gate, Lean/CI, NPD, facility or capital-project experience is an asset.Who Thrives HereThe right person is organized without being rigid, persistent without being abrasive, and confident enough to ask direct questions of people with deeper technical expertise. You like being close to the operation. You notice when two workstreams do not line up. You would rather surface a risk three weeks early than explain a miss three days late.You are also ambitious in the right way. This role offers unusually broad exposure to a growing manufacturing business and can build a foundation for larger project, program or operational leadership responsibilities over time. We are not promising a near-term title change; we are offering meaningful responsibility, visibility and the opportunity to earn broader scope through performance.This Role Is Not
• An Operations Manager role or a people-management role.
• A production scheduler, buyer, engineer, quality manager or maintenance role.
• A meeting-coordinator position where success means good notes and a full calendar.
• A role where you take over someone else’s work when they miss a commitment.
• A corporate PMO seat that values process over outcomes.The Seat in SummaryThis is a rare generalist project-management seat inside a growing Canadian manufacturer. You will be close to production, innovation and leadership; you will see how the whole business works; and your impact will be visible. If you can bring disciplined project management, manufacturing fluency, strong judgment and pleasantly relentless follow-through, you can become an important part of how Footage Tools scales.If you are the person who naturally turns “we need to get this done” into a clear plan, owners, milestones, risks and follow-through, this role was built for you.This is a current vacancy with a base salary between $80,000 and $110,000.