Director of Strategic Projects

Watchfire•Danville, IL

About The Position

Watchfire is seeking a highly capable and execution-oriented Director of Strategic Projects to partner directly with the CEO and Executive Leadership Team to drive the Company’s most critical, enterprise-wide strategic initiatives. This role will serve as the central owner for a portfolio of high-impact strategic projects spanning both product development and major commercial initiatives, each essential to Watchfire’s growth, scalability, and long-term value creation. Approximately half or more of the role will focus on non-product, commercially oriented initiatives, including go-to-market programs, sales effectiveness initiatives, channel strategy, and the deployment of advanced tools and capabilities to improve commercial execution. Examples include the launch of a loyalty program for third-party dealer representatives in the on-premise channel, scaling and professionalizing the Sports salesforce, and implementing AI-enabled tools to improve sales call preparation, targeting, and customer engagement. In parallel, the Director of Strategic Projects will lead select complex product development and commercialization programs, working closely with R&D, Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Supply Chain while ensuring alignment with Sales, Marketing, and other commercial leaders. This role requires a leader who can bridge strategy and execution—bringing structure, discipline, and accountability to diverse initiatives, aligning technical, operational, and commercial stakeholders, and ensuring delivery on specification, on time, and on budget. The ideal candidate will be equally comfortable driving product programs and leading commercial transformation initiatives in a fast-paced, private equity–backed environment. This is a highly visible role with significant exposure to the CEO and Executive Leadership Team and represents a unique opportunity to directly shape Watchfire’s growth trajectory.

Requirements

Demonstrated success leading high-impact, enterprise-wide initiatives with clear ownership and measurable outcomes.
Direct experience leading or supporting sales, marketing, channel, or customer-facing initiatives such as salesforce effectiveness, channel programs, pricing, or loyalty initiatives.
Experience participating in new product development or major product enhancement programs within a manufacturing or technology-enabled environment.
Experience evaluating and implementing tools that improve commercial or operational performance (e.g., CRM enhancements, AI-enabled sales tools, analytics platforms).
Proven ability to lead diverse teams and stakeholders without direct authority, balancing competing priorities and perspectives.
Strong program management capabilities, including planning, governance, risk management, and performance tracking.
Ability to manage budgets, assess ROI, and understand the financial impact of strategic initiatives.
Comfort operating in ambiguous environments and driving adoption of new processes, tools, and ways of working.
Ability to synthesize complex initiatives and communicate clearly with senior executives.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Strong sense of ownership and accountability with an intense drive for results.
High integrity with a collaborative leadership style.
Highly organized, detail-oriented, and capable of managing multiple complex initiatives simultaneously.
Influential communicator with strong EQ and stakeholder management skills.
Structured problem-solver who brings clarity, rigor, and pragmatism to complex challenges.
Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, operations, marketing, or a related field required.
Legal authorization to work in the US required.

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced degree is a plus.
Formal training or certification in project or program management is beneficial but not required.

Responsibilities

Lead and own a portfolio of the Company’s most critical strategic initiatives across product, commercial, and operational domains, serving as the single point of accountability from concept through execution.
Lead select major product development and commercialization programs in collaboration with R&D, Engineering, Operations, and Supply Chain, ensuring solutions meet technical, cost, quality, and market requirements. Follow the New Product Introduction (NPI) process to help guide product development efforts.
Drive major commercial and go-to-market initiatives, including but not limited to: Design and launch of a loyalty program for third-party dealer representatives in the on-premise channel, Scaling, structuring, and enabling the Sports salesforce to support accelerated growth, Implementation of AI-enabled tools to enhance sales call preparation, account planning, and customer engagement.
Partner closely with Sales, Marketing, and Channel leaders to ensure commercial initiatives improve productivity, effectiveness, and customer outcomes while aligning with broader company strategy.
Coordinate stakeholders across R&D, Operations, Sales, Marketing, Finance, IT, Quality, and Customer Support to align priorities, resolve conflicts, and drive execution without direct authority.
Establish clear project plans, milestones, budgets, resource requirements, and governance structures. Proactively identify risks, manage dependencies, and drive accountability.
Ensure all strategic initiatives—product and commercial—are delivered in accordance with defined scope, timelines, and financial targets, with disciplined change management.
Partner with IT and functional leaders to evaluate, select, and deploy enabling technologies (including AI tools) that materially improve execution, insight, and scalability.
Prepare and deliver concise, data-driven updates to the CEO, Executive Leadership Team, and Board highlighting progress, risks, decision points, and value realization.
Ensure initiatives drive measurable impact across revenue growth, margin improvement, customer experience, and organizational effectiveness.