CI Project Leader

Strategic Initiative Leader

Lead and orchestrate medium to large-scale, enterprise-wide strategic initiatives in highly ambiguous and evolving environments where success depends on aligning diverse stakeholders, competing priorities, and complex business challenges. Serve as the connective force across functions, bringing clarity to uncertainty by defining strategy, developing roadmaps, and creating actionable plans for problems without established solutions. Influence and lead without formal authority, building trust, driving accountability, and fostering collaboration across all levels of the organization. Apply exceptional communication, interpersonal, and facilitation skills to challenge assumptions, shape decisions, and inspire action. Demonstrate agility, curiosity, and charisma while navigating change, managing risk, and delivering transformational business outcomes.

You'll be disruptive through these duties and responsibilities:

Project & Program Leadership

• Lead the fuzzy front end of complex initiatives by bringing structure to ambiguity.
• Transform loosely defined opportunities into clear strategies and execution plans.
• Align cross-functional teams around a path forward despite evolving requirements and limited precedent
• Develop and execute project governance documents including charters, schedules, roadmaps, communication plans, and executive status reporting.
• Drive initiatives from strategy through execution while maintaining alignment with organizational priorities and business objectives.
• Establish credibility quickly and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization, including senior leadership.
• Define project scope, objectives, milestones, dependencies, and success metrics.
• Identify, assess, and proactively manage project risks, issues, assumptions, and dependencies.
• Translate complex business challenges into actionable plans and measurable outcomes.
• Maintain visibility to project progress through executive reporting, KPI tracking, and governance reviews.
• Drive accountability and decision-making across project teams and stakeholders.
• Ensure alignment across cross-functional teams and proactively resolve competing priorities.
• Facilitate project meetings, steering committee reviews, workshops, and leadership updates.
• Evaluate impacts across multiple functions and ensure integration of project deliverables into the broader business landscape.
• Escalate critical risks and decisions appropriately while providing recommended paths forward.
• Use data-driven insights to support prioritization, decision-making, and outcome measurement.

Change Leadership & Business Transformation

• Partner with business leaders to define future-state processes, capabilities, and organizational outcomes.
• Lead organizational change efforts to support successful project adoption and sustainment.
• Develop stakeholder engagement and communication strategies that build alignment and drive execution.
• Ensure changes are fully integrated into business operations and supported through transition.
• Support strategic transformation efforts by helping teams navigate ambiguity and organizational complexity.

Problem Solving & Continuous Improvement

• Analyze current business challenges and identify opportunities to improve performance, efficiency, and customer experience.
• Break down complex problems into manageable workstreams and facilitate alignment on priorities.
• Recommend practical and scalable solutions that create sustainable business value.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to evaluate alternatives, assess impacts, and make informed decisions.
• Drive a culture of accountability, execution excellence, and continuous improvement.

The tools you'll bring with you:

• Minimum 7 years of professional experience with at least 5 years leading complex cross-functional projects or programs.
• Demonstrated success delivering enterprise-scale initiatives with multiple stakeholders and interdependent workstreams.
• Strong project and program management capabilities, including planning, risk management, governance, and execution.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills across all organizational levels.
• Exceptional verbal, written, and presentation communication skills.
• Strong business acumen and ability to connect project activities to strategic business outcomes.
• Ability to effectively manage ambiguity, competing priorities, and organizational complexity.
• Results-driven with a proven ability to drive projects to successful completion.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Experience facilitating executive discussions, workshops, and alignment sessions.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Power BI, and project management tools.
• Experience with collaboration and whiteboarding platforms such as Lucidchart, Lucidspark, Miro, or equivalent.

Other tools we prefer you to have:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, Information Technology, or equivalent experience.
• PMP, PMI-ACP, or related project management certification.
• Experience delivering enterprise transformation, digital transformation, ERP, or technology-enabled business initiatives.
• Experience with portfolio governance and executive reporting.
• Change management experience and familiarity with organizational change methodologies.
• Experience working with ServiceNow, SharePoint, Microsoft Power Platform, Oracle, Salesforce or other business technology platforms.
• Lean Certification, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification

Working Conditions:

• Frequently required to stand, walk, bend, stretch, reach, and effectively communicate with others in the workplace
• Sitting for prolonged periods of time
• Prolonged exposure to computer screens
• Repetitive use of hands and fingers to operate office equipment
• Moderate noise such as talking, computers, phones, and printers
• Must be able to lift up to 25 pounds at a time
• May require travel dependent on company needs up to 25%

We provide these great perks and benefits:

• Robust health, dental and vision insurance plans
• Generous 401 (K) savings plan
• Education assistance
• On-site wellness, fitness center, food, and coffee service
• And many more, check out our benefits site HERE.

Milwaukee Tool is an equal opportunity employer.