Sr Project Manager, Process Design and Innovation, Development Team - Task Automation

Pay is based on several factors which vary based on position. These include labor markets and in some instances may include education, work experience and certifications. In addition to your pay, Target cares about and invests in you as a team member, so that you can take care of yourself and your family. Target offers eligible team members and their dependents comprehensive health benefits and programs, which may include medical, vision, dental, life insurance and more, to help you and your family take care of your whole selves. Other benefits for eligible team members include 401(k), employee discount, short term disability, long term disability, paid sick leave, paid national holidays, and paid vacation. Find competitive benefits from financial and education to well-being and beyond at https://corporate.target.com/careers/benefits.

About Us:

Working at Target means helping all families discover the joy of everyday life. We bring that vision to life through our values and culture. Learn more about Target here.

Target Global Supply Chain and Logistics is evolving at an incredible pace. We are constantly reimagining how we get the right product to the right guest faster and more cost effectively than before. We are becoming more intelligent, automated and data-driven in our decision-making, so that no matter how guests shop – in stores or on Target.com – we deliver the convenience and immediate gratification they demand and deserve. We are on a mission to win decisively over any competitor, with a seamless and superior guest service experience unlike any they can offer. Our teams work with the agility our mission requires, and we constantly come together to implement new processes in record time.  We’re looking for exceptional people who are proactive, creative, independent, innovative, risk-savvy and comfortable working in varying degrees of ambiguity. Are you a critical thinker who seeks the root cause and can analyze both qualitatively and quantitatively? Are you a creative problem-solver who simplifies problems, quickly identifies solutions, commits to a plan and then positively influences others to execute it? If so, you will have success on one of our dynamic teams.

About the Role:

A role on the Supply Chain Operations, Process Design and Innovation (PDI), Development Team means helping shape the future of Target's supply chain by leading an accelerated, data-driven intake and solution development process. The team brings together advanced analytics, proof of concept testing, and task automation to evaluate opportunities with the right speed and depth based on impact and risk. Through benchmarking, directional testing and analytics, root cause analysis, collaborative solution development, and validation, the team delivers recommendations that help stakeholders decide when to pause, stop, or accelerate solutions, ultimately scaling the most compelling ones.

As a Sr Project Manager, PDI Development Team, you will help shape the future of Target’s supply chain. What if your work could determine which automation and robotics solutions scale across our network? You will sit at the intersection of supply chain process design, automation evaluation, operational analytics, and scalable solution development. You will lead small-to-medium scope intake initiatives or own workstreams within larger intakes that evaluate automation and robotics solutions that can unlock step-change efficiency and capacity improvements across Target’s supply chain. This is hands-on solution development work where you will frame the problem and impact, translate process inefficiencies into measurable opportunities, partner with engineering, data, operations, finance, safety, field, vendor, and operations-owner teams, build the metric plan and business case, coordinate validation or pilot readiness, and create the recommendation that determines whether a solution should stop or scale with run-state teams.

Core responsibilities of this job are described within this job description. Job duties may change at any time due to business needs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead Task Automation intake work that evaluates modular automation and robotics solutions for potential use in Target supply chain operations.
• Apply the PDI Development intake approach from pre-scoping through full scoping, solution development, validation planning, pilot readiness, and handoff to run-state partners.
• Define clear problem statements, success measures, assumptions, risks, decision points, and business case inputs that support recommendations to pause, stop, accelerate, or scale.
• Coordinate cross-functional partners including process design, automation and design engineering, distribution operations, data and analytics, finance, safety, quality, field operations, supplier/vendor partners, and run-state owners.
• Use benchmarking, operational observations, data analysis, root cause analysis, and metric planning to determine whether a solution addresses the right problem and can create meaningful business value.
• Develop and manage project plans, decision logs, action items, test plans, validation criteria, and handoff documentation that keep work organized, aligned, and moving forward.
• Create clear, simple, and visually effective communication materials that translate complex insights, tradeoffs, progress, risks, decisions needed, and recommendations into a compelling story that builds stakeholder confidence and excitement in the team’s work.
• Facilitate meetings and working sessions that clarify roles, resolve misalignment, remove barriers, and maintain momentum across teams with different priorities and operating constraints.
• Support a healthy pipeline of intakes for our team by helping partners understand the intake process, improving intake quality, and surfacing higher-value opportunities across short-, medium-, and long-term horizons.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of PDI Development tools, templates, routines, and feedback mechanisms so the team can improve speed, quality, partner experience, and decision-making over time.

Minimum Position Requirements:

• Four-year degree or equivalent experience in automation engineering, industrial engineering, supply chain, process improvement, or a related field.
• 3+ years of relevant experience in supply chain, industrial engineering, automation, or process improvement work, including automation assessment, solution development, analytics, and cross-functional project leadership.
• Experience improving an operational process or evaluating a process or technology solution using a combination of data, observation, root-cause problem solving, and measurable success criteria.
• Experience leading small-to-medium scope initiatives or larger workstreams in cross-functional environments, including coordinating partners, managing action items, resolving issues, and developing recommendations.
• Working knowledge of structured problem-solving approaches such as Lean, Six Sigma, Design-Measure-Analyze-Design-Validate (DMADV), Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC), value stream mapping, metric planning, or pilot/validation planning.
• Strong analytical capability using Excel and operational data to size opportunities, validate assumptions, identify patterns, and support business recommendations; experience with SQL, data extraction, or data visualization is a plus.
• Ability to create clear written and visual materials that explain complex process, engineering, data, and business tradeoffs to cross-functional partners.
• Ability to travel up to 25% as needed to support benchmarking, validation, pilot, launch, handoff, or other business needs.

Desired Requirements:

• Experience with distribution center operations, warehouse process design, material handling systems, robotics, autonomous equipment, or modular automation solutions.
• Experience evaluating vendor or supplier technology solutions, developing business cases, designing pilots, validating operational performance, or transitioning solutions to operational-owner teams.
• Experience with SQL, data extraction, data visualization, simulation, Miro, Smartsheet, or other tools that support analysis, collaboration, and execution.
• Lean/Six Sigma Green Belt certification, supply chain, industrial engineering, or automation-related certifications preferred.

This position will operate as a Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement based on Target’s needs. A Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement means the team member’s core role will need to be performed both onsite at the Target HQ MN location the role is assigned to and virtually, depending upon what your role, team and tasks require for that day. Work duties cannot be performed outside of the country of the primary work location, unless otherwise prescribed by Target. Click here if you are curious to learn more about Minnesota. 

Benefits Eligibility

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

In compliance with state and federal laws, Target will make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please reach out to [email protected]. Non-accommodation-related requests, such as application follow-ups or technical issues, will not be addressed through this channel.