Strategic PMO Sr. Project Manager

Company: Gerber Collision & Glass

WELCOME TO GERBER COLLISION & GLASS
 
Our Team Members Drive Us! Gerber Collision & Glass is one of the largest collision repair companies in North America. With $3+ billion in sales, over 1000 locations and growing, our 10,000+ team members across the United States and Canada are passionate about delivering our goal to WOW Every Customer and Be the Best! 
 
We invite you to join our team. Gerber offers a great place to launch and grow careers. As we continue to grow, we have endless opportunities for you to grow with us. 
 
Gerber Collision & Glass recognizes, values and welcomes all applicants with unique talents and abilities from all backgrounds and characteristics. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply, including individuals with disabilities and Protected Veterans.
 

Job Description:

The purpose of the Strategic PMO is to manage & implement projects and ensure the achievement of business outcomes by leveraging business acumen, change management and leadership expertise. 

The Senior Project Manager is a senior leader of the Strategic PMO and is an expert in organizing & leading strategic projects.  They are the backbone of a project, responsible for ensuring each project they manage is delivered on-time, to the level of quality, on-budget, and at the highest levels of customer satisfaction. 

The Senior Project Manager works directly with senior leadership, field operations & corporate teams. They organize and lead project teams to create, design, and implement solutions  to achieve the operating and financial goals of the COO and executive management team. They are also experts in designing management processes and systems (tools, tracking, reporting) that drive performance management behaviors. Most importantly, the Senior Project Manager is a leader - they must be able to organize a vision, align with senior leaders and PMO director, organize and lead a team to execute the vision, and provide feedback to improve. They are also a key resource that can support the PMO director in training and developing (junior) project managers. 

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Initiate Projects

  • Conduct preliminary research on project objective

  • Understand and map current operating and management processes, tools and available reporting in the target area

  • Clearly identify value and how success will be measured

  • Identify barriers and challenges impacting the target area and what will prevent successful implementation of the objective - escalate critical risks that need executive support to address

  • Develop project strategy with project sponsor

  • Develop driver tree for achieving the target objective, identify critical levers that will drive a successful implementation

  • Develop high-level solution with project leads/core subject matter experts (SMEs) 

  • Define project charter - ensure objective, value, risks, scope, approach, high level solution scope are clearly defined

  • Define business case (as necessary) for executive approval

• Team Leadership

  • Ensure effective communication protocols are establish and agreed-to upon charter creation

  • Work with project sponsor to identify critical project team members needed (project lead, core team SMEs, consulting SMEs)

    • Ensure project teams are optimized - ensure project teams have required skills and capacity to successfully develop and implement solutions

  • Vividly communicate with a compelling vision of the future state 

    • Ensure project team members understand their individual role, responsibility, and have agreed-to a time commitment that achieves the projects objectives

    • Prepare project kick off meeting with project team, senior leaders and other key stakeholders so they understand the project and are excited about the outcome

    • Can persuasively speak to the value of the project and the approach to drive buy-in

  • Oversee project team execution against plan

    • Ensure team members are aware of their deliverables and timelines

    • Ensure team members are escalating barriers to completion

    • Address off-schedule or at risk tasks with team members to problem solve

    • Escalate off-schedule conditions to the relevant leader to address

  • Develop effective relationships with all team members where you are a trusted advisor to the team - be the first point of contact for project support

    • Draw out new ideas and concepts from team members 

    • Create a culture that inspires teams to innovate and cooperatively solve strategic initiatives. 

    • Inspires Leaders to grow and develop through project

  • Manage team and organizational dynamics

    • Understand who are key decision makers (on and off team), 

    • Understand who are the key influencers (on and off team)

    • Understand communication styles & power bases

    • Proactively communicate and and ensure smooth execution of the project 

    • Work with PMO director, project sponsor, senior leaders to remove barriers to project 

  • Prepare project leads for weekly/biweekly/monthly sponsor update meetings

  • Facilitate weekly/biweekly/monthly sponsor update meetings - Ensure project sponsor, key stakeholders are updated on project progress, escalate off schedule conditions

  • Ensure decision makers and influences have opportunities to provide feedback / make key decisions in a timely manner to keep projects on track

  • Send out email summary updates to project team & key stakeholders - ensure they  have awareness of the project and have regular progress updates

• Develop & Manage Project Plan

  • Create detailed project plans utilizing project management software

  • Manage a project dashboard tracking progress against planned milestones

  • Proactively identify risks to task/milestone/project completion and escalate to address

  • Escalate off-schedule or at risk tasks immediately to PMO Director & Project Sponsor

  • Manage scope changes appropriately

• Project Execution - Design and Pilot/Prototyping of the To Be Operating and Management Solution

  • Work with project team to develop To-be operating processes

  • Work with project team to develop management processes and performance review agendas         

  • Work with project team to design and prototype systems (tools / tracking / reporting) to effectively execute and manage variances in new/improved processes

  • Support project team & IT team(as necessary) to define requirements and develop sustainable technology and reporting tools for long term sustainability of project output

  • Work with project team to define implementation plans, communication plans and governing structures

• Project Implementation of To-Be Operating Model & Management Processes

  • Ensure visibility to performance is established as early as project kick off

  • Design and implement training & job aids (as needed) to support the implementation of To-Be

  • Provide (as needed) training to leadership at all levels to promote the implementation of To-be 

  • Document SOPs (as needed) for long term sustainability of new processes

  • Coach / train leadership and other key stakeholders to support implementation

  • Create project report on key performance metrics for implementation

  • Analyze ongoing performance on KPIs - identify trends and escalate performance below target

  • Coach / advise leadership ongoing to address gaps in sustainability

  • Work with project team to identify improvement opportunities to improve To-be process

• Project Closeout

  • Follow project closeout checklist to transfer ownership of project/process to designated leader(s)

• Ongoing responsibilities

  • Manage expenses in support of project

  • Consistently create a positive morale and sense of purpose /accomplishment  

  • Identify risks and implement preemptive or mitigating solutions throughout project

  • Manage personal development with PMO Director support

  • Continuously identify opportunities to strengthen the PMO process on a project basis

  • Coach, mentor, and supervise junior project managers as directed by PMO Leader

  • Conduct PMO seminars to teach principles of active leadership, data analysis, strategic thinking, being a trusted advisor

  • Support and Manage vendors/3rd party support as required

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Customer Relationship-Oriented

• Continuous Improvement-Oriented

• Outcome-Oriented 

• Takes Ownership to achieve results

• Proactive

• Strong Judgment

• Collaborative

• Constant learner

• Ability to perform under pressure

• Flexible with ambiguity

• Can focus on details and nuances while simultaneously retaining a big picture vision

• Can juggle several different projects and responsibilitiesStrong ability to influence without direct authority

• Strong ability to generate buy-in

• Strong ability to manage difficult situations

• Strong leadership ability

• Financial and business acumen - understanding of P&Ls

• Expertise in change management

• Excellent written and verbal communication

• Excellent interpersonal skills

• Excellent analytical skills

• Coaching skills

• Proficient in current versions of the Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint 

• Proficient in google suite (sheets, docs, slides) and experience in using Google Drive an asset

• Proficient in Project Management Software (Smartsheet, Monday.com)

• Proficient in Business Intelligence tools (e.g DOMO)

• Proficient in process flow tools (Visio, draw.io) 

• Knowledge of AI tools (GPTExcel, ChatGPT etc.) a plus

Education and/or Experience Required:

• Post-secondary degree college or university

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification a plus

• MBA a plus

• 7+ years of project delivery experience

• Experience in Lean techniques

• Management or coaching experience in a manufacturing and/or retail environment

• Understanding of the collision repair business including estimating and repair a plus

Benefits That Drive Your Success
Gerber offers the comprehensive benefits you expect from an industry leader, including:

• Annual Paid Time Off (PTO) plans
• 2 weeks of Paid Parental Leave for Full time Employees who work a minimum of 30 hours per week
• 6 paid holidays annually
• Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental & Vision Insurance effective Day 1
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with company match
• Employer Paid Short-Term Disability & Life Insurance
• Additional Voluntary Life Insurance
• Continuing Education Opportunities
• Free Prescription or Non-Prescription Safety Glasses annually
• Annual Voluntary Uniform Stipend

Gerber Collision & Glass is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive and diverse workplace. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, age, pregnancy, genetic information, creed, marital status, or any other consideration, prohibited by law or by contract.

About Us
Gerber Collision & Glass has been WOWing customers with our collision repair services for over 80 years. Please visit gerbercareers.com to learn more about our company.

AI Disclosure Statement:
At The Boyd Group and all affiliated companies, we do not use artificial intelligence (AI) or automated tools to screen, assess, or select applicants for employment. All hiring decisions are made by real people who review each application individually.

Compensation Details:

This is a hybrid role based in our Elmhurst, IL Corporate Headquarters with the expectation of 3x per week on-site.

$130,000 - $150,000 / Year

Compensation is commensurate with skill, education and experience. 

Supplemental Pay: 

This position may also be eligible for Bonus opportunities tied to individual or business initiatives.