Easter Seals Jobs

Director, PMO Strategy and Management

City: Chicago

State/Province: IL

Country: United States

Division: Corporate

Job ID: 13357

Since 1952, Lawson Products has worked hard to make our customers' jobs easier by improving their operational efficiency, productivity and overall performance. As a leader in the MRO industry, we partner with customers to make sure they have the right maintenance and repair parts on hand when needed.

We’re looking for a Director of Project Management Office Strategy and Management responsible for establishing and leading the Project Management Office (PMO) as a standalone position, directly responsible for ensuring the success of the organization’s primary business initiatives. This role will create and implement standardized PMO processes and frameworks to align projects with organizational goals. While initially an individual contributor role, the position is designed to evolve into a leadership role overseeing a team of project managers as the organization’s needs grow. The success of this role is measured by the successful execution and delivery of the company’s highest-priority initiatives.

Our corporate headquarters is located in Chicago, IL. This role operates on a hybrid work model; employees spend two days working in the office and three days working remotely. We offer 401k plus vision, dental and medical benefits, as well as a paid holiday and PTO package.

Responsibilities:

• Establishes and manages a standardized PMO framework that aligns with organizational objectives, enabling consistent and high-quality project delivery.

• Serves as the central authority for project management expertise, providing guidance and tools to drive the success of key initiatives.

• Develops and oversees project governance processes, including project intake, prioritization, resource management, and risk assessment, ensuring projects deliver measurable business outcomes.

• Translates strategic goals into actionable project plans with clear milestones and objectives, collaborating with leadership and cross-functional teams.

• Acts as the primary driver for the execution of strategic initiatives, maintaining accountability for their successful delivery.

• Lays the groundwork for a scalable PMO, including processes, tools, and methodologies that will support the addition of project managers under future team expansion.

• Provides project management training and mentoring across the organization to elevate the overall project management capabilities.

• Develops and maintains reporting mechanisms to provide visibility into project performance, risks, and outcomes, ensuring alignment with stakeholders.

• Analyzes project outcomes and lessons learned to continuously improve processes, driving excellence and accountability across the PMO.

• Advocates for and implements project management technologies and templates to enhance standardization and efficiency.

• Other duties as assigned.

• Approximately 10% travel.

Qualifications & Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, project management, or a related field, advanced degree preferred, with a minimum of 10 years of experience in project management or PMO leadership roles, with demonstrated success in leading strategic initiatives, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. PMP, PgMP, or equivalent certification strongly preferred.

• Extensive experience in project and portfolio management, with a demonstrated ability to drive strategic initiatives independently and collaboratively

• Strong decision-making and leadership skills, with a focus on creating scalable frameworks and future team development

• Exceptional communication skills to build alignment and foster collaboration across diverse teams

• Proficiency in project management tools and methodologies, including Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid approaches

• Expertise in creating and tracking project performance metrics and KPIs to measure success

• Leadership skills with the ability to build collaborative relationships and the ability to develop and mentor others

• Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Lawson Products is an Equal Opportunity Employer of women, minorities, protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.