Marketing Project Manager

• Job Title: Marketing Project Manager
• Classification: Exempt Full Time
• Reporting to: Head of Innovation
• Position Backup: Head of Innovation

PURPOSE

The Project Management Lead will establish and lead the Project Management Office (PMO) for Del Real Foods, creating the processes, governance, tools, and operating rhythms required to successfully execute the company's most critical cross-functional initiatives.

This role will provide enterprise-wide project leadership and visibility across Innovation, Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), R&D, Operations, and other strategic initiatives—ensuring projects are clearly prioritized, properly resourced, executed against agreed timelines and budgets, and delivering their intended business outcomes.

The Project Management Lead will serve as the central integrator across functions, connecting strategy to execution and bringing structure, accountability, transparency, and speed to Del Real's most important initiatives.

The ideal candidate combines strong project management discipline with business acumen, influencing skills, and an ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced CPG environment.

DUTIES

• Build & Lead the Del Real PMO
• Establish and continuously improve Del Real's enterprise project management framework, standards, tools, and ways of working.
• Create a consistent approach to project intake, prioritization, planning, execution, governance, reporting, and post-project evaluation.
• Develop project-management templates, RACI frameworks, timelines, dashboards, risk registers, decision logs, and other tools.
• Establish clear roles and accountability across project teams.
• Create visibility to the organization's overall project portfolio, resource requirements, dependencies, risks, and business impact.
• Drive a culture of "commit, execute, escalate and deliver."

Own Innovation Stage-Gate Governance

• Partner closely with Marketing, Innovation, R&D, Sales, Operations, Finance, and Supply Chain to manage the end-to-end innovation pipeline.
• Own the Stage-Gate process and governance cadence.
• Ensure projects progress through clearly defined stages, milestones, deliverables, and decision criteria.
• Coordinate Gate reviews and ensure leadership decisions are documented and translated into action.
• Track project timelines, commercialization readiness, resource requirements, financial assumptions, risks, and dependencies.
• Identify projects that are off-track and facilitate corrective action or escalation.
• Maintain a single source of truth for the innovation pipeline.
• Ensure handoffs from concept → development → commercialization → launch → post-launch review are clearly managed.

Support Sales & Operations Planning

• Partner with Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, Operations, Finance, and Customer teams to establish disciplined S&OP project management.
• Coordinate the S&OP calendar, meetings, deliverables, and decision-making cadence.
• Ensure cross-functional inputs are completed on time and are decision-ready.
• Track actions and commitments coming out of S&OP meetings.
• Identify cross-functional constraints, risks, and dependencies requiring leadership attention.
• Support continuous improvement of the S&OP process and governance.
• Create visibility to key decisions affecting demand, supply, inventory, capacity, and customer commitments.

Support R&D & Operations Initiatives

• Provide project-management leadership to R&D & Operations initiatives from development through commercialization.
• Establish project plans, milestones, owners, dependencies, and critical paths.
• Coordinate R&D with Marketing, Innovation, Operations, Quality, Procurement, Finance, and Sales.
• Track product development timelines, testing, specifications, commercialization requirements, and readiness.
• Proactively identify bottlenecks and facilitate resolution.
• Ensure projects remain aligned with commercial objectives, launch timing, cost targets, and operational capabilities.

Executive Leadership & Communication

• Prepare concise weekly/monthly portfolio updates for Executive Leadership.
• Develop executive dashboards highlighting progress, risks, decisions required, and business impact.
• Facilitate project reviews and steering committees.
• Ensure action items have clear owners and deadlines.
• Escalate issues proactively rather than waiting for missed deadlines.
• Establish a consistent escalation process for projects requiring leadership intervention.
• Translate complex project information into clear executive-level communication.

Specific Skills and Abilities Required

• Structured without being bureaucratic
• Creates discipline while keeping the organization moving quickly.
• A natural integrator
• Connects Marketing, Sales, R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, and other functions around common objectives.

Proactive

Identifies risks and dependencies before they become problems.

Can hold senior stakeholders accountable without relying on formal authority.

Hands-on

Able to move between executive-level portfolio management and the details required to unblock a project.

Change-oriented

Comfortable challenging existing processes and introducing better ways of working.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, or related field.
• 8+ years of project/program management experience, preferably within CPG, food, manufacturing, retail, or another complex operating environment.
• Experience managing multiple simultaneous cross-functional initiatives.
• Experience establishing or managing a PMO is strongly preferred.
• Experience with Stage-Gate, innovation, NPD, S&OP, transformation, or operational improvement programs.
• Demonstrated experience working with senior executives and cross-functional leadership teams.

Skills

• Exceptional project planning and organizational skills.
• Strong understanding of project management methodologies and tools.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities without losing sight of critical-path activities.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Excellent meeting facilitation and stakeholder-management skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication.
• Ability to influence without direct authority.
• High level of accountability and follow-through.
• Strong business and financial acumen.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and a rapidly changing environment.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, project-management platforms, and dashboard/reporting tools.
• PMP, PgMP, or equivalent certification is a plus.

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED SKILLS

PMO Effectiveness

• % of strategic projects with clear owner, scope, milestones and KPIs
• % projects delivered on time
• % projects delivered within approved budget
• Portfolio visibility and reporting accuracy
• Reduction in overdue actions/milestones

Innovation

• Stage-Gate adherence
• Time from concept to commercialization
• % launches meeting launch-readiness criteria
• Reduction in innovation project delays
• Post-launch performance versus business case

S&OP

• On-time completion of S&OP deliverables
• Forecast / supply planning process adherence
• Closure rate of S&OP actions
• Reduction in recurring cross-functional issues

Organizational Impact

• Improved cross-functional accountability
• Faster decision-making
• Fewer execution bottlenecks
• Increased transparency across the strategic project portfolio
• Physical Requirements (All requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with a disability.)

• Physical activities of this position.

□ Climbing: Ascending or descending ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, poles and the like, using feet and legs and/or hands and arms. Body agility is emphasized. This factor is important if the amount and kind of climbing required exceeds that required for ordinary locomotion.

□ Balancing: Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling when walking, standing or crouching on narrow, slippery or erratically moving surfaces. This factor is important if the amount and kind of balancing exceeds that needed for ordinary locomotion and maintenance of body equilibrium.

□ Stooping: Bending body downward and forward bending spine at the waist. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires full use of the lower extremities and back muscles.

□ Kneeling: Bending legs the at the knee to come to a rest the on knee or knees.

□ Crouching: Bending the body downward and forward by bend the leg and spine.

□ Crawling: Moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet.

□ Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.

□ Standing: Particularly for sustained periods of time.

□ Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances.

□ Pushing: Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force in order to thrust forward, downw,ard or outward.

□ Pulling: Using upper extremities to exert force in order to draw, drag, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion.

□ Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position to position. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires the substantial use of the upper extremities and back muscles.

ý Finger Dexterity: Picking, pinching, typing or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole arm as in handling.

□ Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.

□ Feeling: Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.

ý Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. Those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly or quickly.

□ Hearing: Noisy environment.

ý Vision: Close work.

ý Repetitive motions: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands and/or fingers.

• Degree of physical exertion required for the position.

ý Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 lbs of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary Work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.

ý Light Work: Exerting up to 20 lbs. of force occasionally and/or up to 10 lbs. of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. If the use of arm and/or leg controls requires exertion of forces greater than that for Sedentary Work and the worker sits most of the time, the job is rated for Light Work.

□ Medium Work: Exerting up to 50 lbs. of force occasionally and/or up to 20 lbs. of force frequently, and/or up to 10 lbs. of force constantly to move objects

Heavy Work: Exerting up to 100 lbs. of force occasionally and/or up to 50 lbs. of force frequently, and/or up to 20 lbs. of force constantly to move objects

Very Heavy Work: Exerting in excess of 100 lbs. of force occasionally and/or in excess of 50 lbs. of force frequently, and/or in excess of 20 lbs. of force constantly to move objects

Environmental conditions the employee will be subject to in this position.

□ Inside environmental conditions: Protection from weather conditions, but not necessarily from temperature changes.

□ Outside environmental conditions: No effective protection from weather.

□ Both environmental conditions: Activities occur inside and outside.

□ Extreme cold: Temperatures below 32 degrees for periods of more than one hour.

□ Extreme heat: Temperatures above 100 degrees for periods of more than one hour.

□ Noise: There is sufficient noise to cause the worker to shout in order to be heard above the ambient noise level.

□ Vibration: Exposure to oscillating movements of the extremities or the whole body.

□ Hazard: Includes a variety of physical conditions, such as proximity to moving mechanical parts, electrical current, working on scaffolding and high places, exposure to high heat or exposure to chemicals.

□ Atmospheric conditions: One or more of the following conditions that affect the respiratory system or the skin: Fumes, odors, dusts, mists, gases or poor ventilation.

□ Oils: There is air and/or skin exposure to oils and other cutting fluids.

□ Humidity: Exposure to humid conditions ranging from 70 to 92 percents.

Respirator: Use is required.

ý None: No substantial exposure to adverse environmental conditions (such as in typical office or administrative work).

A. CONTACTS

Inside the Company

A.) Company Employees

B.) Administration

C.) Company Leadership

• Out of the Company:

A.) Vendors (as needed)