Director, Enterprise Program Management

KeHE Distributors, LLC•Naperville, IL

About The Position

Good people, working with good people, for our common good. Sound good? KeHE-a natural, organic, specialty and fresh food distributor-is all about "good" and is growing, so there's never been a more exciting time to join our team. If you're enthusiastic about working in an environment with a people-first culture and an organization committed to good living, good food and good service, we'd love to talk to you! The Director, Enterprise Program Management will serve as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to the Executive Leadership Team, driving enterprise-wide initiatives that enable organizational transformation, operational excellence, and sustainable growth. This role will lead the Program Management Office (PMO), ensuring governance, prioritization, and successful execution of high-impact programs across multiple business units. In addition to having responsibility over the “federal” or “hub” of the Enterprise PMO, and managing select high-profile projects, this role will also empower the “spoke” PMOs in each function (project managers within Operations, Sales, IT, and Shared Services). The ideal candidate is a visionary leader with deep expertise in program governance, portfolio management, and executive stakeholder engagement. As with all positions at KeHE Distributors, we expect that all actions will be consistent with KeHE’s Mission, Vision, and Values.

Requirements

Ability to plan and execute strategically across the enterprise, translating business objectives into scalable, measurable initiatives.
Ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams and leaders to align priorities and deliver enterprise-wide results.
Track record of leading organizational change initiatives, managing stakeholder impact and driving sustained adoption.
Skill in leveraging data and structured analysis to address complex business challenges and drive informed decision-making.
Capability translate between IT, Operations, and Finance to align stakeholders, clarify tradeoffs, and drive execution.
Ability to embed a customer-centric perspective into program design, process improvement, and decision-making.
Has strong business acumen, including understanding financial drivers, P&L implications, and return on investment
Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous and evolving environments while maintaining momentum and focus.
Effective in communicating complex concepts clearly and influence outcomes across multiple levels of the organization.
Ability to partner with technology leaders to select, implement, and optimize systems that enable scalable business operations.
Ability to design fit-for-purpose solutions that meet current business needs and evolve them over time as organizational capabilities mature.
Ability to tailor a solution to the needs of an organization (and mature that solution over time)
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Operations, or related field.
10+ years of experience in project/program management, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
Proven experience standing up a PMO from scratch (“0 to 1” experience)
Exceptional communication and presentation skills.
Ability to influence and engage senior stakeholders.
Proficiency in project management tools (e.g., Smartsheet, Asana, MS Project) and data visualization platforms (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).
Must be able to lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.
The employee is frequently required to sit.
Must be able to travel frequently.
While performing the duties of this position, the employee is subject to a typical office environment and is rarely exposed to outside weather conditions.
The noise level in the work environment is typically low to moderate.

Nice To Haves

Project Management Professional certification and Project Management Office Certified Practitioner heavily preferred.
Previous experience in Logistics, Supply Chain, or Food Distribution heavily preferred.

Responsibilities

Establish and lead the enterprise PMO framework, ensuring alignment with organizational strategy and business objectives.
Define and enforce governance standards, methodologies, and best practices for program and project delivery.
Oversee portfolio prioritization and resource allocation to maximize business impact and ROI.
Lead (as needed) monthly and quarterly reviews with functions or enterprise teams
Define and enforce a project “tiering” system that will enable us to identify which programs are best handled by the “federal” PMO vs within the function.
Create a stage-gate process to ensure that programs only continue if they are delivering clear ROI enabling us to stop projects on an as needed basis
Translate corporate strategy into actionable program roadmaps and execution plans.
Partner with senior executives to ensure initiatives deliver measurable outcomes tied to strategic goals.
Partner with Finance to track capitalized labor and validate project benefits hit the P&L
Identify resource bottlenecks before they happen
Provide executive-level reporting, insights, and recommendations to enable informed decision-making.
Drive consistency in program management tools, templates, and processes across the organization.
Support enterprise-wide training initiatives on set standards and best practices
Champion change management strategies to ensure adoption and minimize disruption.
Collaborate with HR, Communications, and functional leaders to support cultural and operational transformation.
Serve as the primary liaison between the PMO and Executive Leadership Team, facilitating Steering Committees and Board-level updates.
Deliver clear, concise, and compelling presentations to senior stakeholders, highlighting progress, risks, and mitigation plans.