Optimization Manager

The Optimization Manager leads portfolio-level projects within Motion’s Field and Solutions Businesses and across functional areas, leveraging research and data analytics to drive process improvements and increase operational efficiency. This role supports functional areas in their strategic initiatives by facilitating prioritization and collaboration among business owners, product management, and delivery teams.

This role partners closely with leadership, key stakeholders, and functional areas across the organization, translating strategic initiatives into actionable and measurable business cases. The Optimization Manager assists with the coordination and execution of strategic projects, managing risks, progress, and financial impacts.

Acting as a liaison between business units, finance, and technology, the Optimization Manager ensures cohesive planning, delivery, and reporting that align with and advance organizational goals. Additionally, this role plays a critical part in identifying and supporting enterprise-wide process optimizations to drive sustained business value.

Job Duties

• Coordinate strategic direction with business owners and functional leadership; collaborate to decompose executive strategic vision into clear, tangible actions and well-defined business cases.
• Assist with defining and maintaining the portfolio backlog and roadmap.
• Serve as the liaison between business units, FP&A, and technology departments to ensure initiatives are appropriately broken into milestones and supported by technology solutions.
• Participate actively in technology solutioning to align technical capabilities with strategic requirements, business priorities, and capital investments.
• Develop and implement new processes and procedures to increase efficiency.
• Utilize data to conduct high-level research, identify gaps and opportunities, and develop paths forward.
• Conduct ongoing analysis to ensure the effectiveness of new processes and revise as needed.
• Work closely with various departments to validate and obtain accurate data.
• Identify patterns and trends across initiatives, fostering collaboration to build sustainable solutions.
• Effectively build, develop, and manage relationships across all stakeholders, including senior executives; set expectations regarding their roles as stakeholders vested in initiative success.
• Ensure collaboration and information sharing among business owners and delivery teams through transparency and effective communication.
• Oversee and coordinate execution of multiple strategic initiatives at the portfolio level; track progress and escalate risks to leadership.
• Serve in a consultant capacity by holding teams accountable for deliverables and providing expert guidance on solution design and execution best practices.
• Detect gaps or weaknesses in plans or execution; proactively propose mitigation strategies to address risks and improve outcomes.
• Work with stakeholders to define business value, track progress, and see initiatives through to completion.
• Analyze and understand financial impacts of initiatives, link project milestones to organizational financial goals.
• Partner with FP&A and Finance teams to define tracking mechanisms and KPI frameworks for portfolio and initiative performance.
• Prepare and present regular, comprehensive reports on portfolio status, initiative health, risks, and opportunities to executive leadership.
• Build and develop strategy documents, including presentations, analyses, business cases, and white papers, support ideation and development of strategic initiatives.
• Provide data-driven recommendations to leadership regarding initiative performance—advocating continuation, modification, or discontinuation as appropriate.
• Establish and refine portfolio governance standards and processes.
• Work with cross-functional execution teams to ensure adherence to defined processes and governance frameworks.
• Support strategy workshops, brainstorming sessions, and executive-level portfolio steering committee meetings; manage research, content development, and strategic discussion organization across departments.
• Participate in long-range forecasting and strategic planning processes.
• Support organizational capability building in portfolio and program management maturity.
• Support change management and stakeholder engagement activities related to portfolio initiatives.
• Travel as needed to conduct on-site optimization analysis.
• Resolve conflicts and creatively solve problems with limited input and resources in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on portfolio management activities.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Management, Project Management, Finance or a related field; MBA or relevant advanced degree preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in strategy, strategic management and/or project/portfolio management, ideally in complex, cross-functional environments.
• Minimum of three (3) years of experience leading large-scale, cross-functional projects preferably in an agile environment.
• Background and experience with technology projects.
• Proven experience working at the interface of business strategy, finance, and technology functions.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office tools (including Excel, PowerPoint and SharePoint), portfolio management software/tools and ability to utilize automated functionality/tools to create efficiencies.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Ability to interface effectively with individuals at all organizational levels, both verbally and in writing.
• Strong listening skills to understand and determine the essence of communications.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, presentation, and storytelling skills; capable of developing clear and concise presentations and documents for executive and leadership audiences.
• Proven ability to operate independently with minimal direct supervision; self-managed and self-motivated to handle multiple overlapping projects.
• Demonstrated success in driving results through distributed cross-functional teams with strong business acumen.
• Motivates and inspires others; proven ability to influence and engage team members across multiple functions and management levels.
• Superior analytical, quantitative, and project management skills with a strong analytical mindset.
• Good knowledge of process improvement methodologies, agile methodologies, change management principles, and organizational design.
• Solid understanding of financial principles related to project and portfolio management, including budgeting, forecasting, KPI development, and business case formulation.
• Strong financial acumen.
• Ability to analyze risks, track dependencies, and ensure alignment with financial and strategic goals.
• Strong strategic thinking skills with the ability to break down high-level visions into concrete plans with measurable outcomes.
• A visionary mindset capable of identifying trends, defining target markets, and developing long-term strategies.
• Proven ability to synthesize multiple sources of information to support critical thinking, problem-solving, business analysis, and improvement leadership.
• Ability to navigate and coordinate effectively between technology teams and business stakeholders.
• Experience with project and portfolio management tools and methodologies.
• Knowledge of stakeholder management and skilled at ensuring collaboration and transparency among business owners and delivery teams.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguous situations with changing projects, priorities, and market conditions.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives while collaborating with senior leadership.
• Personal integrity with the ability to maintain confidentiality of company information.
• Ability to resolve conflicts and creatively solve problems with limited input and resources in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment.
• Strong organizational and planning skills to ensure effective execution of initiatives.
• Commitment to continuous improvement of processes, governance, and organizational maturity.

Physical Demands

• Willingness to travel up to 20% of the time for business purposes

Licenses & Certifications

• PMP (Project Management Professional), Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP) certification preferred
• Agile certification such as Leading SAFe or similar preferred.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or certifications related to business analysis (CBAP) or financial acumen may be beneficial.
• Change Management Certification preferred

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