Strategic Project Leader, Value Delivery & Growth

Mars; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 101,000 - 139,000; Full time

Job summary

Mars is seeking a Senior Project Manager to lead the planning and end-to-end execution of multiple Value Leadership projects, steering cross-functional teams to achieve strategic business objectives. You will manage ideation, scoping, timelines and resources while fostering collaboration and problem solving.

The ideal candidate has a proven track record of managing a portfolio of complex, high-impact projects from inception to completion.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of project management experience with cross-functional projects.
• Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in Business Administration or Project Management.
• Experience with Microsoft Project for planning and scheduling.
• Knowledge of end-to-end (E2E) processes.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills; ability to navigate ambiguity.

Responsibilities

• Serve as Senior Project Manager for Value Leadership, driving execution that directly supports our Value Leadership Targets.
• Take full ownership of high complexity initiatives, guiding projects from initial charter development through post-Launch review, ensuring seamless delivery against objectives.
• Simultaneously manage and lead projects of varying complexities, ranging from highly complex initiatives that require capital investments to those focused on value leadership.
• Lead cross-functional teams across functions to align on project scope, identify critical success factors, allocate resources effectively, and create detailed, actionable timelines.
• Conduct comprehensive risk assessments to anticipate potential obstacles, proactively resolving issues and ensuring project resilience.
• Facilitates the identification and escalation of issues and risks to relevant stakeholders, senior leadership and/or S&OP+ forums while minimizing disruption to the project.
• Act as the gatekeeper of the Stage & gate framework and PPM system; leveraging the methodology to drive precision in execution, instill discipline across the team, and ensure decisions are underpinned by robust data and documentation.
• Partner closely with VL Program Manager and VL Project managers to support the development and execution of the projects to support short term and long-term strategic objectives.
• Assist in identifying and prioritizing projects and resource allocations to optimize value delivery and address gaps within the pipeline.
• Collaborate with leadership to integrate pipeline goals into broader organizational strategies, ensuring the sufficiency pipeline delivers meaningful business impact.
• Own and monitor item setup and tracking, ensuring smooth progression and troubleshooting when needed through the GTM (Go-to-Market) process.
• Lead continuous improvements in ways of working and value creation against the wider business objectives.

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional teams

Stakeholder management

Communication

Ambiguity handling

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Project Management, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Project

Job description

Mars is seeking a Senior Project Manager to lead the planning and end-to-end execution of multiple Value Leadership projects, steering cross-functional teams to achieve strategic business objectives. You will manage ideation, scoping, timelines and resources while fostering collaboration and problem solving.

The ideal candidate has a proven track record of managing a portfolio of complex, high-impact projects from inception to completion.