Strategic Initiatives Project Manager

KION Group•Wauwatosa, WI

1d•$102,750 - $150,700

About The Position

Dematic has an immediate need for a Strategic Initiatives Project Manager in the Mods and Upgrades Business Unit for the United States. This role is part of the North America Lifecycle Solutions and Services team (commonly referred to as Aftermarket) that works to support our existing customer sites with Modifications and Upgrades to their systems based on our expansive domain knowledge to help improve their safety, lower their costs and be more productive through all phases of the system’s lifecycle. The Strategic Initiatives Project Manager is responsible for leading and executing high-impact, cross-functional strategic programs that drive business transformation, operational excellence, growth, and organizational priorities. This role partners closely with executive leadership, business stakeholders, product teams, engineering, operations, finance, and commercial organizations to define strategy, develop implementation plans, manage risks, and ensure successful delivery of strategic initiatives. The ideal candidate combines strong project management expertise, business acumen, stakeholder management skills, and the ability to drive alignment and execution across complex organizations. This role will report directly to the Vice President of Mods & Upgrades; the ideal candidate is someone with Project Management experience that is looking to step into a leadership position within the next 18 to 24 months.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Information Technology, Operations Management, or related field.
5+ years of project, program, or strategic initiative management 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.

Nice To Haves

PMP, PgMP, Agile, Scrum, Lean, or Six Sigma certification.
Experience supporting digital transformation, product modernization, operational excellence, or enterprise software initiatives.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Project, Power BI, Excel, PowerPoint, and collaboration platforms.

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 actionable project plans, milestones, resource requirements, and measurable deliverables.
Ensure alignment between strategic initiatives and organizational priorities.
Develop and maintain integrated project plans, schedules, budgets, dependencies, and resource forecasts.
Monitor program performance, identify risks and issues, and implement mitigation plans to ensure successful delivery.
Track project progress against scope, cost, quality, and timeline commitments.
Establish governance frameworks and facilitate decision-making processes across stakeholders.
Coordinate activities across multiple business functions, including Operations, Engineering, Product Management, Sales, Marketing, Finance, IT, and Customer Support.
Facilitate alignment among diverse stakeholders with competing priorities.
Lead recurring program reviews, steering committee meetings, and executive status updates.
Drive accountability and action-item closure across project teams.
Support organizational change initiatives associated with strategic programs.
Develop communication plans to ensure stakeholder alignment and adoption.
Identify process improvement opportunities and implement best practices that improve organizational effectiveness.
Champion a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.
Develop business cases, cost-benefit analyses, ROI assessments, and funding recommendations for strategic investments.
Monitor budgets and expenditures to ensure initiatives remain within approved financial parameters.
Track benefits realization and report outcomes against approved business objectives.
Support annual planning and strategic investment prioritization exercises.
Provide concise and actionable updates to senior leadership regarding program status, risks, decisions, dependencies, and business impacts.
Develop executive-level presentations, reports, dashboards, and performance metrics.
Escalate critical issues and recommend corrective actions when required.
Support governance reviews and strategic planning discussions.