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:

About the Job

The Junior Project Manager provides cross-functional project management support across multiple Zep Business Units, coordinating people, tasks, timelines, risks, and project communications to help initiatives progress through completion. The role supports the full PMO project lifecycle, including Project Initiation, Planning, Execution & Monitoring, and Closing. Initially, this position will coordinate activity across the PMO portfolio and own assigned project tasks. As capability and independent judgment are demonstrated, the Junior Project Manager is expected to assume direct ownership of selected lower-complexity projects.

Success in This Role Is Measured By:

- Consistently maintains accurate project plans, task ownership, timelines, risks, dependencies, and status information.
- Communicates proactively and clearly with project teams, business stakeholders, and leadership.
- Develops sound judgment in applying established PMO governance, meeting cadence, project structure, and escalation protocols.
- Builds trust and accountability across cross-functional workstreams and follows through on commitments.
- Demonstrates readiness within approximately 3-6 months to independently manage designated lower-complexity projects, based on weekly coaching and assessment by the Vice President of Transformation.
- Contributes meaningfully to successful project completion through strong task ownership, problem solving, communication, and continuous improvement.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

- Coordinate project activity across the PMO portfolio, including projects and initiatives spanning Supply Chain, Sales, IT, Finance, Procurement, Retail/Marketing, and OEM.
- Own assigned project tasks and maintain project plans, task lists, timelines, milestones, dependencies, and risks.
- Coordinate project kickoffs and recurring status meetings; recommend an appropriate meeting cadence, track commitments, and follow up with workstream members on next steps.
- Apply established PMO governance and status reporting standards; exercise judgment regarding when escalation is appropriate and escalate risks and issues in a timely manner.
- Prepare concise meeting recaps and project communications that clearly identify decisions, next steps, owners, and due dates.
- Maintain current and accurate project status information and executive dashboard updates in the PMO Project Suite.
- Participate in select executive meetings to support project coordination, capture decisions and actions, and ensure appropriate follow-through; formal executive presentations are not a routine expectation of this role.

Qualifications / Competencies

- 1–3 years of project management, project coordination, or PMO experience, including experience supporting or leading cross-functional projects or initiatives.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects or workstreams simultaneously while balancing competing priorities and deadlines.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to maintain accurate project plans, action items, timelines, and status information.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize information into concise, executive-ready updates.
- Ability to facilitate cross-functional meetings, document clear decisions and action items, and track stakeholder commitments and deadlines.
- Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment, identify when escalation is needed, and recommend appropriate next steps within established processes.
- Comfortable working through ambiguity, asking the right questions, and assisting in developing structure when requirements or next steps are not fully defined.
- Collaborative approach with the ability to build trust, influence without direct authority, and work effectively across business functions.
- Continuous-improvement mindset with the ability to identify opportunities to improve project processes and ways of working.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office; experience with Smartsheet or similar project management/collaboration tools preferred.
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
- Project management certification or related training is a plus.

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.