Project Director

QUEST FOOD MANAGEMENT SERVICES LLC•Lombard, IL

10h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Project Director is responsible for leading high-priority, enterprise-wide initiatives while establishing a centralized Project / Program Management Office (PMO) that enables consistent, disciplined execution across the organization. This role combines hands-on leadership of strategic projects with responsibility for defining project standards, governance, and portfolio visibility. The Project Director owns assigned initiatives from initiation through post-implementation review and partners closely with executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders. While the role does not initially include direct reports, the Project Director will routinely lead and influence project teams across the business. This is a highly visible role critical to executing corporate strategy and building long-term project delivery capability.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Management, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)
7+ years leading complex, cross-functional projects or programs
Proven success delivering high-visibility, enterprise initiatives
Strong executive communication, presentation and facilitation skills
Proven ability to successfully manage a cadre of assignments as the same time
Experience working within a PMO
Proficiency with project management tools and methodologies (e.g., MS Project, Smartsheet, Jira, Asana, Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid approaches)

Nice To Haves

PMP or equivalent certification
Experience establishing a PMO
Familiarity with portfolio management, budgeting, and business case development
Experience working directly with C-suite and senior leaders

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end delivery of assigned strategic initiatives, including scope, planning, execution, and post-project review
Manage interdependencies across concurrent initiatives
Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans, timelines, milestones, budgets, and resource requirements
Ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and within budget, while meeting defined quality standards
Design and implement a scalable PMO framework, including methodologies, tools, templates, and reporting standards
Establish project intake, prioritization, and governance processes with senior leadership
Provide portfolio-level visibility into project status, risks, capacity, and outcomes
Build project management capability across the organization through standards and coaching
Serve as the primary point of contact for project and portfolio communications
Partner with executives and functional leaders to align initiatives with business priorities
Interface regularly with executive leadership, business unit leaders, and cross-functional teams
Facilitate decision-making by clearly communicating project status, risks, dependencies, and recommendations
Prepare and present project updates to senior leadership, governance committees, and other key stakeholders
Lead and coordinate efforts across multiple lines of business, including but not limited to Operations, Finance, IT, Legal, HR, and Marketing
Align stakeholders around project objectives, deliverables, and timelines
Leverage influence to resolve issues, remove obstacles, and maintain momentum
Proactively manage project risks, issues, and change control
Lead post-implementation reviews and continuously improve PMO and project practices
Develop mitigation plans and escalate concerns as appropriate
Manage scope changes through formal change control processes
Establish governance structures, decision rights, success metrics, and best practices
Track progress against key performance indicators and project success metrics
Ensure appropriate documentation is created, maintained, and archived
Lead post-project reviews to evaluate outcomes, lessons learned, and process improvements
Document and communicate findings to stakeholders and leadership
Contribute to continuous improvement of project management practices and methodologies