Project Lead, Marketing Operations and Information Services

Your Opportunity as the Project Lead, Marketing Operations and Information Services The Project Lead for Marketing Operations & Information Systems plays a critical role in keeping the work of the Marketing Operations (MOPS) team moving forward. This role is responsible for leading medium and large initiatives while also overseeing the day‑to‑day operational flow of work across the team. This person acts as the connective tissue across workstreams—making sure priorities are clear, progress is visible, issues are surfaced early, and commitments turn into follow‑through. They keep the Senior Manager, Marketing Operations & IS informed of what's happening across the portfolio, escalate risks and blockers when needed, and help hold the team accountable to forward momentum. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys running the "engine" of a team: coordinating work, anticipating friction, bringing structure to complexity, and helping others do their best work—so leadership can stay focused on strategy and long‑term direction. The Project Lead reports directly to the Senior Manager, Marketing Operations & IS and partners closely with team members, business stakeholders, and external vendors.

Location:

Orrville, OH (Close proximity to Cleveland/Akron)

Work Arrangements:

Hybrid - onsite a minimum of 9 days a month primarily during core weeks as determined by the Company; maybe more as business need requires In this role you will: Manage MOPs Program Help manage the full body of work across Marketing Operations & IS, not just individual projects Maintain visibility into what's happening across initiatives, workstreams, and priorities Identify cross‑project dependencies, risks, and capacity constraints and surface them early Keep the Senior Manager informed of progress, risks, and tradeoffs; escalate issues when decisions or intervention are needed Help create clarity when priorities compete and work becomes complex Reinforce accountability for commitments, timelines, and next steps across the team Lead medium and large projects Own end‑to‑end delivery of assigned projects, from planning through execution and close‑out Define scope, milestones, timelines, roles, and dependencies in partnership with stakeholders Manage project execution across people, process, and technology, including managing budget and costs Track and actively manage risks, issues, assumptions, and dependencies (RAID) Ensure projects deliver agreed‑upon outcomes on time and within scope and budget, following change control where appropriate Facilitate productive project meetings and decision‑making forums Work effectively with external vendors and partners when needed Communicate, align, and escalate Translate both complex technical and business-focused project details into clear, actionable updates for both leadership and delivery teams Set and manage expectations with stakeholders across Marketing, IS, and partner teams Appropriately engage cross-functional leadership Identify when work is at risk and escalate appropriately—before issues become failures Support decision‑making by clearly framing options, tradeoffs, and recommendations Enable strong execution and continuous improvement Model high standards of execution, clarity, and follow‑through Coach and mentor team members Encourage consistent use of agreed‑upon project management and delivery practices (includes waterfall, agile and hybrid) Capture learnings from projects and help apply them to future work Support change management, communications, or training activities as needed to ensure successful adoption Look for opportunities to improve how the team plans, tracks, and executes work over time What we are looking for:

Minimum Requirements:

5+ years of experience leading or coordinating complex projects, ideally in technology‑enabled or marketing‑adjacent environments Experience managing medium to large initiatives with multiple stakeholders and dependencies Comfort working across both business and technical teams Experience partnering with vendors or external delivery teams Strong organizational skills and the ability to keep multiple workstreams moving at once Clear, confident communicator—able to tailor messages up, down, and across the organization Practical problem solver who can navigate ambiguity and make progress without perfect information Ability to influence and work through others and help teams stay aligned and accountable Solid understanding of project management fundamentals and delivery disciplines (Waterfall, Agile, or hybrid) Comfortable using structure and process as tools—not bureaucracy Proactive, self‑directed, and comfortable taking ownership Calm and steady under pressure; able to spot risk early and act on it Curious about the business and motivated to understand how work connects to outcomes Collaborative, respectful, and inclusive in how you work with others Willing to challenge when needed—and open to being challenged in return Looks for the good in others and listens with full attention Brings a sense of humor and a healthy work-life balance Additional skills and experience that we think would make someone successful in this role (not required): Experience supporting Marketing, Commercial, or Digital teams Familiarity with enterprise platforms, integrations, or data‑enabled initiatives Exposure to change management, training, or enablement work Consumer Packaged Goods experience The Right Place for You We are bold, kind, strive to do the right thing, we play to win, and we believe in a strong community that thrives together. Our culture is rooted in our Basic Beliefs, and we believe in supporting every employee by meeting their physical, emotional, and financial needs. Stay connected with us on LinkedIn® We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, age, national origin, disability status or protected veteran status. We're a community of passionate, talented professionals dedicated to creating food people and pets love—while supporting the communities in which we work and live. We value what makes each person unique, champion growth and development, and foster collaboration that fuels productivity and drives our shared success. Learn more about our Thrive Together purpose At Smucker, we're passionate about creating a workplace where you truly belong. With a culture rooted in our Basic Beliefs and a competitive Total Rewards program, we aim to support every employee by meeting their physical, emotional, and financial needs. Learn more about working at Smucker Our culture is sustained and brought to life every day by the people of Smucker and our hiring process is designed to identify the right candidate for every position at our company. Learn more about our hiring process The J. M. Smucker Co. (the "Company") is an Equal Opportunity Employer. No person will be discriminated against in hiring or in any other aspect of their employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, transgender status, marital status, familial status, disability, genetic information, protected veteran/military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law.