MUST RESIDE IN ILLINOIS

The Project Manager for Growth Strategy Solutions at IMEC is the key contact for assigned growth strategy projects, supporting client-focused initiatives. This role involves building and maintaining relationships with manufacturers, assessing growth challenges, and collaborating with consulting teams to enhance clients' productivity, profitability, marketing strategies, and business financials.

Responsibilities include managing project resources, schedules, and ensuring on-time delivery by overseeing issues, risks, and change requests. The ideal candidate excels in judgment, communication, and organizational skills, balancing multiple priorities independently from project initiation to completion, and handling confidential matters with discretion.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Analyze and assess client needs, competitive environment, and resources, recommending operational improvements.
• Coach the client engagement team on resource selection.
• Lead sales calls, deliver growth strategy presentations, and provide specialist advice on strategic market growth.
• Collaborate with the IMEC Marketing Team to enhance growth solutions.
• Lead and oversee project management, ensuring alignment with goals, on-time completion, and high-quality performance.
• Act as an internal quality control and participate in problem resolution.
• Develop trusted relationships with clients and stakeholders.
• Manage project activities, including planning, scheduling, financial monitoring, and risk mitigation.
• Maintain accurate records and utilize the Customer Resource Management (CRM) system.
• Coordinate day-to-day project activities and resources.
• Report on project milestones, risks, and issues.
• Support special initiatives and improve IMEC’s project management processes.
• Ensure procurement and availability of project materials and resources.
• Perform other duties as needed.

Additional Requirements/Qualifications

• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and ability to prioritize multiple tasks.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with a talent for building relationships across all levels.
• Leadership in project management, with proactive problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Emotionally mature and highly resourceful, capable of working independently or as part of a team.
• Proven discretion in handling confidential information, adaptable to competing demands, and committed to top-tier client service.
• Demonstrated ability to meet high performance goals and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Forward-thinking with a focus on innovation and solution-oriented approaches.
• Strong leadership, capable of motivating teams and leading projects within budget and on schedule.
• Skilled in research and adept at managing geographically dispersed teams, both in-person and electronically.

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor's degree required. An emphasis in Marketing or Business in preferred.
• Strong work tenure: three to five years of related experience, preferably in a non-profit organization
• Experience and interest in internal and external communications and Project Management skills- must be extremely organized.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, and Power Point), Adobe Acrobat, Sales Force and Social Media web platforms.
• 5+ years of project management experience including tracking and planning projects preferred
• 1+ years of previous experience with gathering requirements from the client / business and documentation preferred

Virtual or Hybrid work environment. Requires sitting for extended periods of time, standing, visual acumen, manual dexterity and fingering for working with computer key boards. Willingness and ability to undertake occasional travel as needed.

Please submit an electronic application, including (1) cover letter, (2) resume, and (3) the names and contact information for three references. Northern Illinois University conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of contingent offer of employment. Background checks will be performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. IMEC and its Subrecipient organizations, including Bradley University, SIU, NIU, and UIC are EOE/AA/M/F/Disabled/Veteran Employers.

About IMEC

IMEC is a team of improvement specialists dedicated to providing manufacturers in Illinois with the tools and techniques to excel and compete globally. The experienced hands-on team at IMEC works closely with its clients to plan critical business improvements in all areas of their organization from: Leading their Company, Planning for Success, Growing their Business, Improving their Operations, Focusing on their People, and Deciding with Data.

With more than 50 full-time staff and partners positioned statewide, IMEC delivers the local expertise to not only plan and strategize, but to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of client improvements. In fact, IMEC assists more than 1,500 companies each year with successful business improvement projects.

As a result, IMEC has demonstrated a return on investment that exceeds 19:1. This is made possible as organizations become more effective and efficient.

IMEC team members enjoy their jobs because of the challenge in working with a variety of organizations in a broad range of industries. They also gain satisfaction from providing assistance and advisement to help organizations succeed in a demanding marketplace. Click HERE to learn more about IMEC.