Head of Project Management & Strategy

Our client is a private equity-backed family of creative brands that manufacture and distribute supplies for makers and sell them through their own e-commerce channels. Over the past two years, they have brought five businesses together onto one ERP, one e-commerce platform and two distribution facilities, and they are now focused on completing a portfolio of foundational projects that will give them a scalable platform for future growth and acquisitions.

Director of Strategic Projects Role

Our client is seeking a Director of Strategic Projects. This individual will report to the CEO and drive execution across the leadership team's prioritized portfolio of strategic projects, working with accountable functional owners and personally leading selected workstreams. This is a team-of-one role with no direct reports, partnering closely with the VP of IT and the operations leader to complement their teams.

The ideal candidate is a tech-savvy project leader with hands-on systems experience and a product or technical project management mindset, who understands how integrated systems, software and internal applications power a modern business. They are adaptable, comfortable managing change and operate with a strong bias toward action and results. They exercise exceptional discretion with confidential information.

Success in this role means projects that are completed and adopted, deadlines the business can rely on, fewer cross-functional surprises, and less recurring coordination work coming back to the CEO.

This will be a full-time, exempt position with Independence, Ohio (Greater Cleveland) as the home base, involvement at the company's second facility about 20 minutes away, and a minimum of four days per week on-site.

Strategic Project Leadership

Drive execution across the leadership team's prioritized portfolio of foundational projects, working with accountable functional owners to deliver each one on time.

Personally lead selected work-streams from start to finish, setting clear milestones, owners and deadlines and running the operating rhythm that keeps work moving, including sprint planning, stand-ups and progress reviews.

Identify risks and blockers early and work directly with project owners to remove them, so that the focus stays on unblocking work rather than reporting on it.

Partner with the VP of IT and the operations leader, complementing their teams.

Gather and document business requirements, and map downstream impacts before changes go live.

Coordinate testing, training and rollout for technology-driven changes in areas such as costing, payables, work orders, special order handling, quality control, fulfillment and inventory.

Find gaps across the company's integrated systems and internal applications, and improve the processes that connect them.

Experiment with AI tools in practical ways to help projects move faster and teams work more efficiently.

Keep the CEO informed through daily check-ins and clear, quantified updates on priorities, progress, risks and recommended solutions.

Help every team understand the why, the how and the what behind changes, giving people early visibility so they can prepare and contribute with confidence.

10+ years of professional work experience, with demonstrated ability to influence across an organization without formal authority.

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Hands-on experience delivering technology, product or systems implementations, from requirements gathering through testing, training, rollout and adoption.
• Proven track record of driving multiple cross-functional projects to on-time completion.
• Strong understanding of integrated business systems such as ERP, e-commerce, warehouse and inventory applications.
• Based in the Greater Cleveland or Akron area and able to work on-site at least four days per week.

ERP implementation experience strongly preferred; A product management, engineering or technical project management background, including experience with Agile methods, sprint cycles and product rollouts.

SQL, Power BI or similar data skills a plus.

An MBA, PMP or Agile certification is valued but not required.

Experience in e-commerce, manufacturing, distribution or consumer products, in a private equity-backed company, or in an organization with $500 million or more in revenue.

Compensation: DOE $190,000 to $210,000 USD annual base salary + 20% to 25% annual target bonus

Health, Retirement and Time Off Benefits

• Medical, dental and vision coverage
• Health savings and reimbursement accounts to help with healthcare costs
• Short-term and long-term disability coverage
• Employee assistance program and wellbeing support
• Travel assistance
• Paid time off plus company holidays

Chief of Staff Association Screening: 15 min phone interview and 30 min video interview

• CEO Interview: 30 to 45 min virtual interview with the CEO, with a possible follow-up conversation
• Virtual interview with a representative from the private equity partner
• Final Interview: In-person interview on-site at the company's headquarters in Independence, Ohio

We welcome all persons into our community. We embrace the diversity of gender, gender identity or expression, race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, age, physical and mental disabilities, medical condition, genetic characteristic, sexual orientation, marital status, family care or medical leave status, military or veteran status, or perceived membership in any of these groups.

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