Strategic Initiatives Leader

KION•Grand Rapids, MI

About The Position

Dematic is hiring a Strategic Initiatives Leader to support its Spare Parts & Repairs business unit within the North America Lifecycle Solutions and Services team, also known as Aftermarket. The team supports existing customer sites with services, parts, repairs, and upgrades to improve safety, reduce costs, optimize output, and improve efficiency throughout system lifecycles. The role leads high-impact, cross-functional strategic programs that advance business transformation, operational excellence, growth, and organizational priorities. The leader partners with executive leadership and teams across product, engineering, operations, finance, and commercial functions to define strategy, plan implementation, manage risks, and deliver initiatives. The position reports directly to the Sr. Director – Parts & Repairs Business. Dematic describes this as an opportunity for an experienced project manager who is looking to move into a leadership position within 18 to 24 months.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in business, Engineering, Information Technology, Operations Management, or a related field.
At least 5 years of project, program, or strategic initiative management experience, or consulting experience.
Demonstrated success leading complex cross-functional projects and business transformation initiatives.
Strong knowledge of project management methodologies, tools, and governance practices.
Experience managing executive stakeholders and influencing decision-making.
Excellent analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Project, Power BI, Excel, PowerPoint, and collaboration platforms.

Nice To Haves

PMP, PgMP, Agile, Scrum, Lean, or Six Sigma certification.
Experience in the material handling industry.
Experience supporting digital transformation, product modernization, operational excellence, or enterprise software initiatives.

Responsibilities

Lead enterprise and business-unit strategic initiatives from concept through execution and value realization.
Partner with executive leadership to define program objectives, success criteria, business outcomes, and implementation roadmaps.
Translate strategic goals into project plans, milestones, resource requirements, and measurable deliverables, and maintain alignment with organizational priorities.
Develop and maintain integrated project plans, schedules, budgets, dependencies, and resource forecasts.
Monitor program performance, identify risks and issues, develop mitigation plans, and track delivery against scope, cost, quality, and timeline commitments.
Establish governance frameworks and facilitate stakeholder decision-making.
Coordinate work across Operations, Engineering, Product Management, Sales, Marketing, Finance, IT, and Customer Support.
Facilitate alignment among stakeholders with competing priorities; lead program reviews, steering committee meetings, and executive status updates; and drive accountability and action-item closure.
Support organizational change initiatives, develop communication plans, identify process improvements, and promote best practices, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
Develop business cases, cost-benefit analyses, ROI assessments, and funding recommendations for strategic investments.
Monitor budgets and expenditures, track benefits realization, and report results against approved business objectives.
Support annual planning and strategic investment prioritization.
Provide senior leadership with concise updates on program status, risks, decisions, dependencies, and business impacts.
Develop executive presentations, reports, dashboards, and performance metrics; escalate critical issues and recommend corrective actions.
Support governance reviews and strategic planning discussions.