Dir, Strategic Projects

Collaborating closely with the Senior Director of Strategic Projects, the Strategic Projects Manager will play a key role in identifying, developing, and independently driving initiatives that contribute to Macmillan's competitive advantage. This role will manage significant strategic projects and provide essential support to the Senior Director and the overall strategic project

portfolio.

What You'll Do

• Identify and Drive Strategic Initiatives: Collaborate closely with the Senior Director and executive-level business partners to identify new opportunities for significant growth and innovation. Lead and manage high-value, complex strategic projects from conception through to successful execution, ensuring deep alignment with company objectives and a clear path to competitive advantage.
• Facilitate Cross-Functional Collaboration & Communication: Serve as a senior point of contact, providing clear, strategic, and concise written and verbal updates across diverse teams including editorial, marketing, IT, and finance, often at the leadership level. Proactively engage and influence stakeholders to foster a highly collaborative environment, build consensus on critical decisions, and ensure alignment of goals for cohesive and impactful project progression.
• Problem Solving & Risk Management: Proactively identify and anticipate potential project roadblocks, complex challenges, and strategic risks. Develop sophisticated mitigation plans and implement innovative solutions to overcome obstacles, ensuring projects remain on schedule, within scope, and deliver intended value.
• Strategic Projects Group & Portfolio Leadership: Provide leadership and contribute significantly to the effective functioning of the Strategic Projects group by actively managing a portion of the comprehensive project portfolio and lead aspects of the project prioritization process to ensure optimal resource allocation and strategic alignment.
• Ownership & Accountability: Take ownership of project strategy, plans, timelines, budgets, and outcomes for assigned strategic projects, driving them to successful completion and measurable business impact.
  
  

What You'll Bring

• 8 years of experience in project management, with a proven track record of leading projects, ideally within the publishing industry or a related field.
• Demonstrated expertise in applying project management principles and methodologies (e.g., Agile, Waterfall) at a strategic level.
• Proven ability to independently manage complex projects and initiatives from inception to successful completion.
• Strong strategic thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with a clear understanding of how projects contribute to business objectives.
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders and build strong relationships.
• A proactive and collaborative mindset, capable of driving team cohesion and navigating complex project dynamics.
• Advanced proficiency in project management software and tools (e.g., Asana, Hive, Jira, Microsoft Project).
  
  

This role will have an annual salary of $125k-$150k.

Macmillan Publishers is the U.S. trade company that is part of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a large family-owned group of media companies headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Holtzbrinck Publishing Group's publishing companies include prominent imprints around the world that publish a broad range of award-winning books for children and adults in all categories and formats.

U.S. publishers include Celadon Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Flatiron Books, Henry Holt & Company, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, The St. Martin's Publishing Group, and Tor Publishing Group. In the UK, Australia, India, and South Africa, companies in the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group publish under the Pan Macmillan name. The German publishing company, Holtzbrinck Deutsche Buchverlage, includes among its imprints S. Fischer, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Rowohlt, and Droemer Knaur.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are actively seeking job applicants who reflect a broad representation of differences, including race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, physical ability, neurodiversity, age, family status, economic background and status, geographical background and status, and perspective. We believe that the best companies reflect the incredible diversity in viewpoints, backgrounds, and identities of the world in their staffs, and are committed to inclusive hiring across departments and levels. The successful candidate for this position will be an employee of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.