Director, Project & Change Management

Saputo Cheese USA, Inc.; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Development opportunities

Competitive compensation

Job summary

Saputo Cheese USA, Inc. seeks a Director of Project and Change Management to lead the ingredients division's PMO, governance, and transformation efforts.

This executive role partners with the President and Senior Leadership to align priorities, risks, and change initiatives across functions. Responsibilities include shaping the operating rhythm, coordinating strategic initiatives, and directing communication strategies for major organizational changes while ensuring visibility and accountability

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive leadership in program or portfolio management, change management, or related field.
• At least 5 years leading a PMO or transformation office.

Responsibilities

• Lead PMO and portfolio governance for the ingredients division, aligning priorities, milestones, risks, and decisions.
• Coordinate strategic initiatives with executive sponsors and workstreams, ensuring clear objectives and timelines.
• Set and drive the change-management communications strategy across leadership and employee audiences.
• Own crisis readiness: maintain crisis manuals, coordinate communications, and lead after-action reviews.

Skills

PMO leadership

Portfolio governance

Change management

Executive advisory

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic communications

Transformation leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in business or related

Tools

Microsoft 365

Job description

At Saputo, we bring good to the table by making high-quality products, investing in our people, and supporting communities around the world . As a top 10 global dairy processor, we value contributions that matter and strive to foster an inclusive, growth-driven work environment. Ready to bring your best?

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Director, Project and Change Management leads the ingredients division's operating rhythm, strategic initiative governance, and organizational change approach. As a trusted partner to the President and Senior Leadership Team, this role creates visibility and accountability across priorities, decisions, commitments, risks, and change initiatives to keep the division aligned and moving forward during ongoing operations and periods of transformation.

How You Will Make Contributions That Matter

PMO Leadership and Portfolio Governance

Lead the ingredients division's project management and strategic coordination framework, creating an integrated view of priorities, major initiatives, milestones, dependencies, risks, and decisions. Maintain an integrated view of divisional priorities, milestones, dependencies, risks, decisions, and commitments without duplicating the delivery responsibilities held within individual functions. Create visibility to milestones, dependencies, decisions, resource constraints, risks, and expected business outcomes across the portfolio. Ensure initiatives are appropriately sequenced and aligned with divisional strategy, business capacity, and leadership priorities. Identify cross-functional risks and dependencies that may not be visible within individual workstreams and elevate them for leadership action. Challenge initiative and workstream leaders to address off-track commitments and develop credible recovery plans without assuming ownership of functional execution. Continuously evaluate and evolve the PMO approach as the division's strategy, scale, and complexity change.

Strategic Initiative Coordination

Serve as the central coordination point for the ingredients division's most significant cross-functional priorities and transformation efforts. Provide the Division President and Senior Leadership Team with a single, integrated view of progress across major initiatives without duplicating the delivery responsibilities that reside within individual functions. Partner with executive sponsors and workstream leaders to clarify objectives, scope, milestones, decision requirements, interdependencies, risks, and measures of success. Escalate significant barriers, unresolved dependencies, and material deviations from agreed plans to the President or appropriate Senior Leadership Team member. Design and lead the Senior Leadership Team's operating rhythm, including leadership meetings, business reviews, strategic planning sessions, decision forums, and off sites. Partner with the President to determine meeting priorities, frame critical decisions, identify trade-offs, and direct leadership attention toward the most important business matters. Integrate information and perspectives from across the division into a clear, trusted leadership view. Drive follow-through between leadership meetings and ensure decisions, commitments, and unresolved issues remain visible through completion.

Change Management and Communications

Set the communication strategy for major divisional initiatives and organizational changes, aligned with the broader change-management approach. Translate business strategy, leadership decisions, and complex organizational changes into clear, credible, and actionable messages. Lead the development of change-related executive communications, including leadership messages, presentations, talking points, town hall materials, employee updates, frequently asked questions, and manager toolkits. Ensure communications clearly explain what is changing, why the change is needed, how employees may be affected, and what actions are expected. Partner with Human Resources and Communications to align divisional messages with organizational priorities, culture, and employee engagement efforts. Coordinate with Commercial and Marketing when internal change messages intersect with external brand, customer, or market communications.

Crisis and Special Circumstances Support

Own the Ingredients division's Crisis Handbook and Special Circumstances manual, ensuring that roles, escalation paths, decision rights, communication protocols, and contact information remain current. Establish a regular review and testing process to strengthen divisional readiness for crisis, sensitive, or non-standard business situations. Serve as the coordination and communications lead supporting the President and designated Crisis Manager during an active crisis. Convene the appropriate stakeholders, maintain a reliable source of current information, and oversee real-time decision and action tracking. Lead the development and coordination of timely, accurate, and consistent internal communications throughout the response. Ensure crisis execution remains with the President, Crisis Manager, and appropriate functional leaders while maintaining the governance and coordination required to keep the response organized and moving forward. Lead after-action reviews, document lessons learned, and ensure approved improvements are incorporated into crisis protocols, communication plans, and readiness materials. Maintain discretion and sound judgment when managing confidential, sensitive, or high-impact matters.

You Are Best Suited for the Role If You Have the Following Experience, Skills and Qualifications

• 10 or more years of progressive leadership experience in program or portfolio management, change management, business operations, or related discipline.
• Bachelor's degree in business administration, project management, organizational development, change management, communications, or a related field; an advanced degree or relevant professional certification is preferred.
• At least 5 years of demonstrated experience establishing or leading a PMO, enterprise portfolio, transformation office, or comparable business-governance function.
• Experience serving as a trusted advisor to senior executives and translating leadership priorities into clear strategies, governance practices, communications, and action plans.
• Ability to translate complex business strategies, decisions, and organizational changes into clear and compelling communications.
• Demonstrated experience leading the people side of organizational transformation, including stakeholder engagement, impact assessment, readiness, communication, adoption, and sustainability.
• Experience supporting acquisitions, integrations, major investments, organizational redesigns, or other large-scale business transformations is strongly preferred.
• Strong strategic thinking and business acumen, with the ability to connect business priorities, organizational impacts, employee needs, and execution risks.
• Exceptional writing, presentation, facilitation, and verbal communication capabilities, with the ability to communicate effectively from the plant floor to the executive leadership level.
• Ability to synthesize complex and sometimes conflicting information into a clear, reliable enterprise view and actionable recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders, challenge constructively, and drive accountability across functions without relying on direct authority.
• Strong judgment and discretion when handling confidential, sensitive, crisis-related, or high-impact business matters.
• Knowledge of recognized project management, portfolio management, change management, and communication principles and methodologies.
• Proven ability to build trusted relationships and operate as an objective, collaborative partner across functions and leadership levels.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and related project, communication, collaboration, and reporting technologies.

We Support and Care for Our Employees by Providing Them With...

• Development opportunities that enhance your career fulfillment.
• Meaningful compensation & benefits that help you care for your family.
• Opportunities to contribute to your community and enhance the lives of others through Saputo products.

In the USA, Saputo ranks among the top three cheese producers and is one of the top producers of extended shelf‑life and cultured dairy products, with a portfolio of well‑loved brands such as Stella, Frigo Cheese, Montchevre, Stella, and Treasure Cave. We also boast a strong foodservice presence, partnering with reputable chain restaurants and broadline distributors. Whether your expertise lies in manufacturing, operations, supply chain, sales, quality assurance, or in any other function, your role is integral to our success. You will make contributions that matter, all while working alongside colleagues who genuinely care about your success and who will roll up their sleeves to help.

Accessibility

Saputo Cheese USA Inc. endeavors to make Saputo.com/careers accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact Human Resources at 214‑863‑2300 or email us at recruiting [e-mail]. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

EEOSaputo Cheese USA Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you'd like more information on your EEO rights under law, please visit www.EEOC.gov. California Applicant Privacy Notice (CCPA) To review the Saputo Cheese USA Inc. Privacy Notice for California applicants, please visit our Corporate website associated section by clicking here (English) or here (Spanish).