Director, Project & Change Management

Clearstead Advisors LLC•Cleveland, OH

2d•$110,000 - $140,000

About The Position

Clearstead is seeking a Director, Project & Change Management to lead the execution and adoption of important firm-wide initiatives. This hands-on leadership role provides structure, discipline, and accountability for complex, cross-functional projects while preparing and supporting affected employees as they adopt new tools, processes, and ways of working. The Director guides initiatives from planning through implementation, adoption, stabilization, and completion, coordinating across teams, leaders, vendors, and technology partners. The role requires a strong technology orientation and active use of AI, automation, and digital tools to reduce administrative work, improve visibility, and streamline execution. It initially operates as an individual-contributor role with no direct reports. The Director leads project and program management, change management and adoption, and the development of practical project and change management capabilities across Clearstead. The position establishes appropriate project practices and operating cadence, communicates progress and risks to executive sponsors and stakeholders, supports readiness and adoption, and helps build scalable standards, tools, templates, and ways of working. The work environment may be an office, home office, or mixed environment based on business needs; the specific arrangement is to be confirmed. Travel requirements are to be confirmed by the hiring manager.

Requirements

At least 8 years of experience in project or program management, change management, technology implementation, business operations, or related work.
Demonstrated experience personally leading complex, cross-functional initiatives from planning through implementation and adoption.
Strong project management discipline and ability to manage multiple initiatives, priorities, stakeholders, and dependencies simultaneously.
Experience leading the people side of significant technology, process, or organizational change.
Experience supporting large-scale system or technology implementations.
Strong technology orientation and demonstrated ability to use AI, automation, and digital tools to increase effectiveness and efficiency.
Ability to operate at both strategic and detailed levels, moving between executive-level discussions and hands-on project execution.
Strong problem-solving, organization, judgment, written communication, and verbal communication skills.
Ability to influence and create accountability across teams without relying solely on direct authority.
Ability to identify readiness gaps, provide appropriate communication and training support, and adjust plans when adoption outcomes are not achieved.
Primarily sitting, standing, walking, and keyboarding; other job-related physical requirements may apply.
Ability to sustain attention, analyze and prioritize, solve problems, and communicate clearly in writing and verbally across multiple stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Experience in financial services, wealth management, or professional services.
Project management certification, such as PMP.

Responsibilities

Lead complex, cross-functional initiatives from planning through implementation, adoption, stabilization, and completion.
Translate objectives into project plans with defined scope, deliverables, milestones, owners, dependencies, risks, decisions, and success measures.
Establish an appropriate operating cadence that creates project visibility and accountability without unnecessary administrative burden.
Coordinate work across business functions, technology teams, subject matter experts, external partners, and vendors.
Monitor progress, identify risks and roadblocks, drive issues toward resolution, and escalate decisions when needed to maintain momentum.
Provide executive sponsors and stakeholders with clear, concise updates on progress, risks, decisions, and required actions.
Manage multiple priorities and initiatives while focusing on the most important work.
Maintain accountability through implementation and stabilization, ensuring projects are completed and intended outcomes are achieved.
Lead change management for initiatives that significantly affect employees, clients, processes, technology, or ways of working.
Incorporate change management into project planning from the beginning.
Conduct stakeholder and change-impact assessments to determine who will be affected, how work will change, and what support is needed.
Develop practical change, communication, training, readiness, and adoption plans suited to each initiative’s scope and complexity.
Partner with executive sponsors, project leaders, managers, and functional teams to create alignment and reinforce accountability for change.
Identify resistance, readiness gaps, and adoption barriers early, and develop strategies to address them.
Measure readiness and adoption, adjust approaches when expected outcomes are not achieved, and help embed changes into day-to-day operations.
Establish practical and scalable project and change management standards, tools, templates, and ways of working across Clearstead.
Apply a technology-forward mindset and seek simpler, more effective ways to get work done.
Create consistency that improves execution and transparency without adding unnecessary process or bureaucracy.
Share effective practices with project owners, managers, and employees responsible for leading initiatives.
Help determine the capabilities, resources, and structure required to support a growing project and change management function as organizational needs evolve.
Deliver assigned initiatives with clear scope, ownership, milestones, risk management, decision tracking, and success measures.
Maintain transparent, concise communication with executive sponsors and stakeholders regarding progress, risks, decisions, and required actions.
Build practical, scalable project and change management standards that improve consistency, execution, and visibility without unnecessary bureaucracy.