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Agile Project Manager

Umanist Staffing
Contract
On-site
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Position: Project Manager
Location: Chicago, IL, 60601
Duration:  10 Months     
Job Type: Temporary Assignment 
Work Type: Hybrid  
   
Job Description:   
  • We’re seeking a highly collaborative and proactive Scrum Master/Project Manager to join our cross-functional agile pod focused on driving innovation and growth in the Disruptive Innovation team.
  • In this role, you’ll be responsible for enabling and fit for purpose agile ways of working, removing barriers to progress, building timelines, and ensuring continuous delivery of high-impact solutions that are right-sized for our global innovation team.
  • This role will be embedded within a tight-knit team of R&D, Packaging, Supply Chain, Marketing, Finance, and Strategy leads, all working together to bring the next big thing on innovation to the market—faster and smarter.
Key Responsibilities:
  • Lead sprint planning, daily stand-ups, retrospectives, sprint reviews, and other agile rituals to keep the team focused, aligned, and on track.
  • Partner with Project Owner and Marketing Lead to manage end-to-end innovation & commercialization process, from initial concept to successful market launch.
  • Build and manage timeline of the project and product development; Align POD members on their commitments with the timelines to ensure on time delivery
  • Coach the pod on agile principles, flex when needed and helping the team balance speed and structure while adapting quickly to feedback and new insights.
  • Identify and resolve impediments that hinder progress—whether operational, organizational, or resource-related—to keep the initiatives moving forward.
  • Tracking key agile metrics such as CSat, Maturity, Capacity of the team, reporting progress, and making adjustments as needed to ensure project success.
  • Maintain clear documentation of sprint goals, backlog items, decisions, and velocity. Ensure the team and stakeholders have visibility into progress, risks, and timelines.
  • Guide the team in retrospectives to continuously improve delivery and collaboration.
  • Ensure alignment across all pod members, including R&D, Supply Chain, Finance, and Marketing, while fostering an environment of shared ownership and rapid iteration.
  • Tailor agile workflows to reflect the unique physical product innovation characteristics —helping the team move quickly from insight to execution while navigating pack simplification, retail constraints, and test-and-learn launches.
  • Help the team align on the highest-impact initiatives by working closely with the Pod Lead and cross-functional partners to manage and refine the product backlog.
Requirements:
  • Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, or related.
  • MUST HAVE: 5+ years of experience as a Scrum Master or Project Management, in the Food&beverages industry.
  • MUST HAVE: experience with physical product innovation in Food & Beverage with packaging projects, aligned with operations&manufacturing side: engineering, changing of machines, alignment with supply chain, etc.
  • Strong knowledge of Agile/Scrum methodologies or proven experience in product development and commercialization
  • Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment.
  • Strong experience in building timelines for projects with uncertainty, that demands a lot of changes multiple times throughout the project.
  • Excellent communication, facilitation, and conflict-resolution skills.
  • Experience supporting test-and-learn innovation cycles or commercialization processes.
  • Passion for team empowerment, iterative learning, and removing barriers to execution.
Must Haves:
  • Food industry experience (non negotiable).
  • Operations focused innovation project management background
    • Experience in supply chain development, factory engineering, or machinery related innovation delivery.
  • Commercialization process knowledge
    • Understand packaging changes, formula changes, feasibility constraints, machinery timelines.
  • Agile project management experience (emphasis)
    • 1–2 years running agile ceremonies and managing projects through sprints.
    • Comfortable facilitating sprint events and creating review materials.
  • Self-driven, proactive working style
    • Able to identify stakeholders, processes, and solutions independently.
  • Strong communication & relationship building skills
    • o Must navigate between technical and non technical teams, translating needs in both directions.