Project Manager 

Project Manager

Company: Hariss International Limited
Location: Kampala
Employment Type: Full-Time
Category: Management
Division/Department: Operations
Reports To: Head of Engineering and Maintenance
Deadline: 7th January 2026

Role Purpose

Hariss International Limited is hiring a Project Manager to coordinate and oversee construction and industrial projects from initiation to close-out. The role is responsible for defining project scope, developing plans, controlling budgets, managing contractors and suppliers, and ensuring delivery on time, within cost, and to required quality and safety standards. This includes managing procurement support, tracking progress, reporting project status, and ensuring approved designs are implemented during execution.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1) Project Definition and Planning

• Define, scope, and structure projects from concept to completion, ensuring clear deliverables, timelines, and responsibilities.

• Prepare CAPEX applications and develop strong business justifications for investment approval.

• Maintain a project development tracker and ensure accurate progress updates.

2) Design Management and Technical Compliance

• Understand and apply design, technical specifications, and engineering requirements from concept through detailed design to support preparation of RFQs and execution readiness.

• Ensure final approved designs are implemented during the build phase.

• Manage design changes using the project management system, ensuring impacts on quality, cost, time, and outputs are documented, justified, and approved with decision-support notes.

• Review and approve packaging specifications that form part of OEM equipment supply.

3) Procurement Support and Supplier Management

• Participate in technical supplier adjudications to support appointment of contractors and suppliers that meet operational performance, usage, and safety KPIs.

• Support contract discussions by clarifying technical requirements, scope boundaries, and deliverables where needed.

• After supplier appointment, support the implementation team to enable effective process integration across multiple contractors.

4) Plant Layout and Value Engineering

• Work with stakeholders to review and optimize plant layouts to ensure cost-effective installation and operation of process and packaging equipment.

• Promote a value engineering mindset during design reviews to drive efficiency and reduce total lifecycle costs.

5) Quality Assurance, Safety, and Factory Acceptance

• Participate in, and where necessary arrange for qualified process personnel to participate in FATs, HAZOPs, and other quality assurance and risk interventions.

• Ensure projects follow established safety requirements and best practices across all phases of execution.

6) Monitoring, Reporting, and Control

• Provide regular updates on the project development tracker and maintain clear project documentation.

• Produce project status reports as required, highlighting progress, risks, costs, and corrective actions.

Education and Work Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent, with 8 to 10 years of relevant work experience.

• At least 5 years of beverage project management experience.

• Demonstrated design experience for packaging and process equipment in an FMCG environment on projects above USD 3.5 million.

• Strong understanding of project management tools and techniques, including PMBOK.

• Experience in plant operations.

• Ability to technically review contractor bids and adjudicate options based on pros, cons, risk, cost, quality, and performance.

• Experience in the FMCG industry is preferred.

Key Requirements and Competencies

• Strong stakeholder communication skills to ensure design inputs from all disciplines are defined early and delivered on time.

• Process-oriented and assertive approach to ensure projects are executed using proven practices and safety standards.

• Proven ability to solve packaging project challenges using practical, effective solutions.

• Excellent organizational skills with systematic prioritization and disciplined follow-through.

• Strong commercial and financial understanding, including budget and cost control.

• Leadership, interpersonal, and teamwork skills, with the ability to manage people and resolve conflict.

• Proficiency in computer applications including Excel, PowerPoint, and MS Project.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Hariss International Limited is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status. Minorities, females, people with disabilities, protected veterans, and applicants of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply.