CooperVision is a global manufacturer of contact lenses supplying to some of the largest opticians and household names. We are a global business with a presence in over 40 countries but operating as a “big small” company, meaning we are flexible to the ever-changing market, the needs of our customers, and that we are able to think outside of the box to make changes where we need to.
At CooperVision we have four key values that really define who we are as a business and our unique culture; we are dedicated, we are inventive, we are friendly, we are partners. We’re also focused on improving the way we do business every day, putting our customers first and supporting our colleagues.
Through a combination of innovative products and creative solutions focused support, the company brings a refreshing perspective to the marketplace, creating real advantages for customers and contact lens wearers.
We’re ambitious and we’re looking for like-minded individuals to join our growing teams, to support our mission and our vision of helping our customers see more clearly every day. Due to some internal promotions within the Global Commercial Operations team we are looking to hire a new project manager.
Reporting to the Global Commercial Operations PMO Director, this role supports global commercial operations across all three regions – Americas, Asia Pacific and EMEA and works in partnership with IT to ensure the relevant data, processes and systems are in place to support the commercial operations. The job holder will play an active role in maintaining alignment across the organization globally.
Specifically, we are looking for candidates who can have experience with driving forward multiple concurrent projects relating to Commercial Operations, Sales Organizations (e.g. SalesForce.com, Business Processes, Pricing, Programs that provide value add customer experience), Commercial Data and Business Intelligence. If you have experience in any of these areas, we would love to hear from you.
Job Summary:
The Project Manager will lead and oversee Commercial projects within the Global Commercial Operations department. This role involves planning, executing, and closing projects focused on optimizing business processes, ensuring alignment with organizational strategic objectives and goals, and driving measurable outcomes.
Essential Functions & Accountabilities:
Project Leadership, Planning and Execution:
- Lead and manage multiple projects focused on continuous improvement from initiation through to completion, ensuring alignment with strategic goals.
- Develop detailed project plans, including scope, objectives, timelines, resources, and budget considerations using an appropriate project lifecycle and forecasting to this plan against variances.
- Coordinate project activities and resources effectively, facilitating meetings and workshops to ensure adherence to established timelines and deliverables.
- Apply best practice methodologies (e.g. Prince2, MSP, Waterfall, Agile, hybrid) and governance in project disciplines across the lifecycle including risk management, resource management, benefits management and financial management to lead projects, deliver project outcomes and quality measured results on time and to budget.
- Provide governance and assurance throughout project delivery and contributes to their review to ensure effective delivery.
Process Improvement Leadership & Optimisation:
- Work closely with Business Analysts to facilitate workshops and meetings to gather requirements, identify process inefficiencies and therefore opportunities for process improvements and lead cross-functional teams to design, develop and implement innovative solutions.
- Utilize methodologies (e.g.Waterfall, Agile, Lean, Six Sigma) to analyze processes, implement process improvements and drive continuous improvement efforts, ensuring best practices are adhered to.
Stakeholder Management:
- Understand and map stakeholder needs to develop both management strategies and communication plans that provide management information in a timely and comprehensive manner.
- Engage and communicate with stakeholders at all levels, providing regular updates on project status, risks, issues and milestones, ensuring transparency and engagement throughout the project lifecycle.
- Facilitate collaboration across teams to ensure alignment and buy-in for projects and process improvement initiatives.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Sales, Marketing and Customer Service, to understand improvement opportunities and drive project success.
Benefit Management & Performance Monitoring:
- Facilitate creation of high quality business cases, recognizing quantitative and qualitative benefits and ensuring they are aligned with strategic targets.
- Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure project success and impact on business processes.
- Monitor project progress and performance, with particular focus on critical tasks that deliver the expected benefits, adjusting plans as necessary to achieve objectives.
- Track project performance against predefined KPIs and metrics, providing regular updates to management on progress and outcomes.
- Conduct post-project evaluations to assess the effectiveness of improvements and identify lessons learned for future initiatives.
Change Management:
- Work closely with Change Management Specialists to ensure smooth implementation of process changes, including training and communication strategies for affected teams.
- Support the development of training materials and guides to facilitate the adoption of new processes and tools.
Documentation and Reporting:
- Develop and maintain comprehensive project documentation, including project plans, progress reports, and post-project evaluations in line with department best practice and governance model.
- Ensure robust document management of all project artifacts throughout the project lifecycle including sign offs, approvals, decision making, change requests and transfer to BAU at project closure.
- Prepare and present project outcomes and recommendations through documents and presentations that are compelling and unambiguous to senior leadership and relevant stakeholders at all levels despite the complexity of the messaging.
Training and Development:
- Mentor and support team members in project management practices and continuous improvement methodologies.
- Organize and conduct training sessions, encouraging contributions from team members to promote awareness and understanding of process improvement initiatives and identify and implement improvement initiatives.
- Support continuous improvement of the team through identification of lessons learned, process and template improvements and broadening of own company knowledge.
Travel:
This is a global role and as such travel is occasionally required internationally and sometimes domestically for project meetings and workshops. On average this is around 10% of the role but can vary depending on the projects assigned.
Qualifications
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to think critically and strategically, using a data-driven approach to decision making.
- Effective communication and interpersonal skills, capable of engaging and influencing a diverse range of stakeholders at all levels across different cultures.
- Advanced project management skills including proficiency in project management methodologies (e.g., Waterfall, Agile, Hybrid, DMAIC), tools and software (e.g., MS Project, SharePoint, Planner, Planview, JIRA, MSOffice).
- Results-oriented with a strong focus on delivering value and driving continuous improvement.
- Adaptable and flexible, able to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment, whilst adapting to changing priorities.
- Strong leadership qualities, fostering collaboration and motivating team members whilst able to challenge the status quo.
Work Environment:
- Flexibility in working hours to support global projects across various time zones
- Prolonged sitting in front of a computer
Experience:
- Minimum of 5 years of project management experience, preferably in a continuous improvement or operational excellence role within a global organization.
- Proven track record of successfully leading cross-functional projects that drive process improvements in particular projects with a significant data integration, IT or change management element.
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in Business Administration, Project Management, Engineering, Operations Management, or a related field is preferred but not essential if the relevant business experience can be demonstrated.
- Prince2 Practitioner, APM, Project Management Professional (PMP) or equivalent certification highly desirable.
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification is a plus.
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