Director, Project Management - Merchandising

Overview

Good people, working with good people, for our common good. Sound good? KeHE-a natural, organic, specialty and fresh food distributor is all about "good" and is growing, so there's never been a more exciting time to join our team. If you're enthusiastic about working in an environment with a people-first culture and an organization committed to good living, good food and good service, we'd love to talk to you!

The Director, Merchandising & Marketing Project Management will serve as a strategic partner to the leadership team, supporting the delivery of high-impact initiatives that drive merchandising and marketing excellence, partner experience, and revenue growth. This role will manage the roadmap for the team, drive cross-functional alignment, and ensure the successful execution of initiatives. The ideal candidate is a collaborative results-oriented leader with deep experience in transformation, program and project management, particularly in merchandising and marketing functions.

As with all positions at KeHE Distributors, we expect that all actions will be consistent with KeHE’s Mission, Vision, and Values.

• Translate strategic goals into actionable transformation plans and execution roadmaps.
• Partner with Merchandising & Marketing leaders to align initiatives with growth objectives and operational end states.
• Develop project management toolkit, drive standardization of tools, and build skills of identified project managers supporting team initiatives.
• Direct / indirect oversight of project managers supporting Merchandising & Marketing.
• Develop or review initiative workplans to ensure include cross-functional buy-in, change management, rollout plans, and KPI’s to monitor achieving expected results.
• Lead day-to-day oversight of transformation program, partnering with project managers to ensure milestones are met and risks mitigated.
• Develop and maintain KPIs, and reporting dashboards for executive visibility.
• Collaborate with HR and Communications to drive change management and internal messaging.
• Facilitate Steering Committee and ELT updates with clear, concise reporting and presentations.
• Other duties and projects as assigned.

• Strong understanding of go-to-market strategies, CRM systems, and sales enablement frameworks.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to influence and engage senior stakeholders.
• Proficiency in project management tools (e.g., Smartsheet, Asana, MS Project) and data visualization platforms (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).
• Expert in Change Management.
• Strong Analytical & Problem-Solving skills.
• Proven ability to lead with a customer-centric mindset.
• Strong Business Acumen (P&L Understanding).
• Be adaptable and resilient through rapid growth of business.
• Ability to communicate and influence across all levels and areas of the business.

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Operations, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in project/program management, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Project Management Professional certification and Project Management Office Certified Practitioner preferred.
• Proven experience in commercial transformation, managing complex, cross-functional programs in a fast-paced and matrixed environment.
• Experience working through technology integrations.

These physical demands are representative of the physical requirements necessary for an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Must be able to lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. The employee is frequently required to sit. Must be able to travel frequently.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is subject to a typical office environment and is rarely exposed to outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate.

KeHE Distributors provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits all forms of discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, religion or faith, sex, gender, age, ancestry, national origin, mental or physical disability or medical condition, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other category protected under federal, state, or local law.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training as well as the administration of all Human Resources and Talent Acquisition processes.