Senior Manager, Strategic Operations

K. Hovnanian Companies•New York, NY

42d•$160,000 - $180,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Our goal is to make owning a beautiful designer home simple and affordable for our customers. While other top homebuilders are maintaining the status quo, in this changing market, we are focusing our energy on the single thing we can do the best: being a customer-centric homebuilder. This focus allows us to separate from the competition, redefine our industry, and grow our market share. To support this company-wide transformation we've spent four years creating and implementing a Program Management Office (PMO) to introduce new ways of working, project management best practices, and powerful but simple tools that have made us more effective, collaborative, and impactful. We are looking for an experienced, passionate professional who can help guide us forward as we prepare to take our organization - and our impact! - to the next level. The Senior Manager, Strategic Operations, will play a pivotal role in enabling enterprise-wide initiatives and ensuring that strategy translates into action. Reporting to the VP of National Program Management, this leader will shape and guide cross-functional planning, sequence and track critical initiatives, and cultivate the processes and practices that keep our leaders and teams aligned and focused on meaningful impact. In this role, you will not only drive execution but also help shape the direction of the company by surfacing opportunities, asking the right questions, influencing decision-making, and contributing to the evolution of not just what we do but how we do it together to reach our vision. We are seeking someone who brings creativity, curiosity, and a willingness to experiment with new approaches to solving complex problems - someone who can empower and enable leaders to be not only advocates for their own work but champions of our collective vision, mission, and strategy as "One Team, One KHov". This is an ideal role for someone who thrives at the intersection of strategy and execution, enjoys building connections across diverse functions, and can balance big-picture thinking with operational detail. To perform this job successfully, an Associate must be able to execute each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable Associates with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Requirements

4-year degree preferred or the equivalent of education and/or experience. 7-10 years of experience in strategic operations, management consulting, program/portfolio leadership, or a related field, ideally with exposure to scaling organizations, enabling executive decision-making, and leading cross-functional initiatives in fast-paced, complex environments.
Proven success partnering with senior leaders and cross-functional teams to deliver complex initiatives.
Exceptional people management and team development skills - you appreciate (and enjoy) what it takes to guide, direct, develop, and grow talented, high-potential people.
Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and distill complexity into clarity.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to create executive-ready presentations and updates.
High emotional intelligence, adaptability, and a collaborative working style.
Comfort working in fast-paced, evolving environments and balancing long-term strategies with short-term execution needs. You bring creativity, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to generate fresh ideas and approaches that influence the future direction of the company.
Moderate travel is required (20%)
This role qualifies for hybrid work schedule.

Nice To Haves

Experience in homebuilding, real estate, or large-scale operational environments is a plus, but not required.
Familiarity with project/portfolio management tools (e.g., Asana, Miro).

Responsibilities

Partner with senior leaders to advance strategic planning, translating organizational priorities into actionable initiatives and clear execution roadmaps.
Facilitate leadership workshops and forums that foster open dialogue, active management, collaborative accountability, and collective ownership.
Track progress on enterprise-wide initiatives, synthesize findings, and provide compelling updates and recommendations to promote clear executive decision-making.
Ask the right questions: Are we being thoughtful in our scoping and planning? Are people engaged and clear on expectations? Do we have the right talent and skill sets?
Mentor, motivate, and lead project team leaders to ensure they take action and accountability for their assigned projects and workloads.
Lead and manage critical cross-functional projects from initiation through delivery, applying strong project management practices to ensure clear plans, accountability, and measurable outcomes.
Manage and develop junior team members, providing oversight, coaching, and growth opportunities.
Build strong relationships across the business to ensure alignment, collaboration, and effective decision making.
Champion a culture of psychological safety, radical candor, and operational excellence, helping teams adopt simple, effective practices for planning, execution, and active management.