Project Director

Position Summary

The Project Director is responsible for leading high-priority, enterprise-wide initiatives while establishing

a centralized Project / Program Management Office (PMO) that enables consistent, disciplined execution

across the organization. This role combines hands-on leadership of strategic projects with responsibility

for defining project standards, governance, and portfolio visibility.

The Project Director owns assigned initiatives from initiation through post-implementation review and

partners closely with executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders. While the role does not

initially include direct reports, the Project Director will routinely lead and influence project teams across

the business.

This is a highly visible role critical to executing corporate strategy and building long-term project delivery

capability.

2 Updated 12/29/2025

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Project Ownership & Delivery

 Own end-to-end delivery of assigned strategic initiatives, including scope, planning, execution,

and post-project review

 Manage interdependencies across concurrent initiatives

 Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans, timelines, milestones, budgets, and

resource requirements

 Ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and within budget, while meeting defined

quality standards

PMO Establishment & Management

 Design and implement a scalable PMO framework, including methodologies, tools, templates,

and reporting standards

 Establish project intake, prioritization, and governance processes with senior leadership

 Provide portfolio-level visibility into project status, risks, capacity, and outcomes

 Build project management capability across the organization through standards and coaching

Stakeholder & Leadership Engagement

 Serve as the primary point of contact for project and portfolio communications

 Partner with executives and functional leaders to align initiatives with business priorities

 Interface regularly with executive leadership, business unit leaders, and cross-functional teams

 Facilitate decision-making by clearly communicating project status, risks, dependencies, and

recommendations

 Prepare and present project updates to senior leadership, governance committees, and other

key stakeholders

Cross-Functional Leadership and Collaboration

 Lead and coordinate efforts across multiple lines of business, including but not limited to

Operations, Finance, IT, Legal, HR, and Marketing

 Align stakeholders around project objectives, deliverables, and timelines

 Leverage influence to resolve issues, remove obstacles, and maintain momentum

Risk, Issue & Change Management

 Proactively manage project risks, issues, and change control

 Lead post-implementation reviews and continuously improve PMO and project practices

 Develop mitigation plans and escalate concerns as appropriate

 Manage scope changes through formal change control processes

Execution & Governance

 Establish governance structures, decision rights, success metrics, and best practices

 Track progress against key performance indicators and project success metrics

 Ensure appropriate documentation is created, maintained, and archived

Post-Project Review & Continuous Improvement

3 Updated 12/29/2025

 Lead post-project reviews to evaluate outcomes, lessons learned, and process improvements

 Document and communicate findings to stakeholders and leadership

 Contribute to continuous improvement of project management practices and methodologies

Required Qualifications

 Bachelor’s degree in Business, Management, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent

experience)

 7 years leading complex, cross-functional projects or programs

 Proven success delivering high-visibility, enterprise initiatives

 Strong executive communication, presentation and facilitation skills

 Proven ability to successfully manage a cadre of assignments as the same time

 Experience working within a PMO

 Proficiency with project management tools and methodologies (e.g., MS Project, Smartsheet,

Jira, Asana, Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid approaches)

Preferred Qualifications

 PMP or equivalent certification

 Experience establishing a PMO

 Familiarity with portfolio management, budgeting, and business case development

 Experience working directly with C-suite and senior leaders

Core Competencies

 Ownership mindset and accountability

 Strategic thinking with operational rigor

 Exceptional organizational and time management skills

 Structured problem solving and sound judgment

 Strong problem-solving and decision-making ability

 Ability to lead through influence without direct authority

 Comfortable operating in fast-paced, evolving environments

Hybrid Position (3 days on-site at Home Office in Lombard, Il. )