Junior Project Manager

About Zep Inc.

Zep Inc. is a leading manufacturer of cleaning solutions for businesses and consumers with operations across the U.S, Canada, and Europe. Our purpose is to make the planet cleaner, safer, and more productive. To fulfill our purpose, we focus on understanding and solving cleaning needs for consumers, as well as business customers across a variety of segments including transportation, industrial, institutional, and food & beverage. We also have a strong presence in the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) segment, where we develop products to help consumers and businesses maintain a clean and safe environment. Our products can be found online and at retail shelves at outlets like Home Depot, Amazon, Lowe's, Ace Hardware, Grainger, HD Supply, Walmart, and many others. We market our products under well recognized and established brand names, such as Zep, Enforcer, Misty, TimeMist, TimeWick, and Country Vet. Zep was founded in 1937 and is headquartered in Atlanta, GA. In 2021, Zep became the official cleaning partner of Atlanta United FC.

Job Description:

Overview

This is project management beyond IT. If you enjoy bringing people together, keeping projects moving, solving problems, and turning plans into results, this could be the opportunity for you.

The Junior Project Manager will play a key role in driving cross-functional business initiatives from idea to completion. You'll work across multiple Zep business units-including Supply Chain, Operations, Sales, Finance, Procurement, Retail/Marketing, and OEM -to coordinate people, priorities, tasks, and timelines.

This is not an IT project management role. While some projects may involve IT, the focus of this position is business and operational project management. You'll partner with teams across the organization to make sure projects stay organized, milestones are met, issues are addressed, and commitments turn into results.

You'll be part of the PMO and gain exposure to the full project lifecycle, including Initiation, Planning, Execution & Monitoring, and Closing.

What Success Looks Like

• Projects move forward and are delivered on time, within scope, and within budget
• Teams know what needs to happen, who owns it, and when it is due
• Communication is clear, proactive, and timely
• Risks and roadblocks are identified early and addressed quickly
• Project information is organized, accurate, and easy to understand
• You build strong relationships and can effectively influence without authority
• Leadership has a clear view of project progress and priorities

What You'll Do

• Manage approximately 8-10 cross-functional projects and initiatives at various stages of completion
• Partner with teams across Supply Chain, Sales, Finance, Procurement, Retail/Marketing, OEM, and IT
• Develop and maintain project plans, task lists, timelines, milestones, and deliverables
• Lead project kickoffs and recurring status meetings to keep teams aligned and moving forward
• Coordinate workstream activities and hold team members accountable for commitments
• Track project milestones, dependencies, risks, and issues; proactively escalate concerns and help drive solutions
• Prepare concise meeting recaps with clear decisions, action items, owners, and deadlines
• Keep project plans and status information current and ensure executive dashboards accurately reflect progress
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, increase efficiency, and make project execution more effective
• Build collaborative relationships across functions and serve as a central point of coordination throughout the project lifecycle

Your Experience Includes

• 1-2 years of project management experience, with experience supporting or leading cross-functional initiatives
• Experience managing multiple projects or priorities at the same time
• Strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to lead and influence without direct authority
• Comfortable working through ambiguity, changing priorities, and complex projects
• A proactive, solutions-oriented approach to getting things done
• Ability to build trust, create accountability, and collaborate effectively across departments
• Experience with project management or collaboration tools; Smartsheet and Microsoft Office Suite preferred
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience
• PMP certification is a plus

Why This Role?

This is an opportunity to build your project management career while gaining broad exposure to how a business operates. You won't be confined to a single department or function. You'll work with leaders and teams across the organization, tackle a variety of business challenges, and develop the skills needed to take on increasingly complex projects.

If you're organized, curious, collaborative, and energized by making things happen, we'd love to hear from you.

Thank You for Your Interest and Consideration in a Career with Zep!

www.zep.com

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities.

Our Values

At Zep, we have developed a set of values focused on bringing even greater cohesion to our workplace. As part of this plan, we introduced a values framework called S.P.E.E.D. to align with our purpose of making the planet cleaner, safer, and more productive.

• Stewardship: We continuously improve the safety of our people and products, and we protect the planet by innovating solutions to reduce our environmental impact.

• Passion for Problem Solving: We listen to our customers and actively work to find solutions for unique situations. We think creatively to innovate and seize opportunities that will drive growth and make all our customers' and consumers' lives better.

• Empowerment: We encourage and lead our people to be accountable by equipping them to make decisions and own the outcome

• Expertise: We create innovative solutions and partnerships that are relevant to service our communities and customers.

• Doing the Right Thing: We expect our people to understand ethical boundaries and be inclusive of other backgrounds, ideas, and perspectives. Demonstrating honesty, respect and integrity in all actions is always expected.

Zep Inc. is an organization that is committed to diversity within its workforce and encourages all interested candidates, including women, minorities, & former military personnel to apply. It is the policy of Zep Inc. that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability or sexual orientation.

As an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer, Zep Inc. provides full employment opportunities to all qualified persons without regard to race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, ancestry, or veteran status or any other distinction outlined in all applicable federal, state, and local laws.