Project Manager, Strategic Programs

Encore Fire Protection • Full-time • Needham, MA, US • $110k - $130k / year • 3h ago

The Opportunity

Encore Fire Protection is growing at a pace that demands world-class project execution,and this role is at the center of it. As Senior Project Manager, you will own the delivery ofhighly visiblestrategicinitiatives across the organization, from the first scoping conversation through final closeout and lessons learned.

This is not a role for someone who manages tasks on a spreadsheet. This is a role for someone who builds clarity out of ambiguity, drives alignment across competing stakeholders, and has the presence and rigor to hold complex projects to account at every stage. You will work directly with senior leadership acrossmany teams includingOperations, Finance, Sales, and Technology, and you will be a founding voice in the evolution of ourgrowingPMO.

YourPath to Success

In Your First 90 Days:

You will embed yourself in Encore27s culture and operatingrhythm, andbuild a deep understanding of what moves the business forward. You will build trusted relationships with project sponsors, functional leaders, and field operators, and you willlearnhow major projects areinitiated, tracked, and closed. This is your window to listen, ask questions, and develop a clear-eyed picture of where the greatest opportunities for impact lie, all while starting to get involved in ongoing initiatives with the support of your team.

Post-90 Days:

You will take full ownership of an active project portfolio, applying disciplined scope, schedule, budget, and risk management to every initiative you lead. You will begincontributing to evolvingPMO standards,includingtemplates, governance frameworks,andstatus reporting cadencesthat create consistency and transparency across the organization. Weekly stakeholder communication will become second nature, and your ability to escalate and resolve issues with speed and poise will define your early reputation.

Long-Term Vision:

As your influence at Encore deepens, you will help mature the PMOitselfincludingitsmethodology, tooling, and its role in how Encore makes its most important bets. You will become a trusted cross-functional collaborator, an advisor on prioritization and resource allocation, and a change agent who drives operational transformation by ensuring the right work gets done the right way. You will leave behind a framework for measuring the impact of strategic initiatives that outlasts any single project. Your work will help shape the infrastructure of how Encore gets things done and communicates its progress as we continue to growat an exciting pace.

Key Responsibilities

You will serve asanend-to-end owner for Encore27s highest-priority projects and programs,operatingacross functions and organizational levels. Expect to own the following:

Lead strategic projects from initiation through closeout, including scope definition, work breakdown, scheduling, budgeting, risk management, and stakeholder alignment

Develop andmaintaincomprehensive project plans, status dashboards, and executive-ready reporting that keep leadership informed and decisions moving

Partner with project sponsors and department heads to define success criteria, resource requirements, and interdependencies at the outset of every initiative

Identify, escalate, and resolve risks, issues, and blockers with urgency and precisionnever letting a solvable problem become an unsolvable one

Drive cross-functional collaboration across Operations, Finance, Sales,TechOps, andTCP, ensuring every workstream is aligned and accountable

Help evolvePMO best practices: project intake processes, governance frameworks, standardized templates,methodologydocumentation, and lessons-learned protocols

Manage project budgets and forecasts, tracking actuals against plan and surfacing variances with clear recommendations

Buildorganizational capacity for deliverythrough mentorship and coaching
Serve as a strategic thought partner to leadership on project prioritization, portfolio management, and capacity planning

What You Bring to the Table

712 years of project management experience, with at least 5 years leading complex, cross-functional projects in a fast-paced environment

Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent projects with competing priorities, timelines, and stakeholders

Experienceoperatingin high-growth or PE-backed environments where pace, rigor, and adaptability are allrequiredsimultaneously

Deep familiarity with project management methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, hybrid) and the judgment to apply them appropriately(certifications preferred)

Comfortablebuilding and managing project budgets, reading P&L summaries, and presenting cost-benefit analyses to senior leaders

Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex information into clear, actionable direction for any audience

Track recordof contributing to or building PMO functions, includingmethodologydevelopment and process standardization

What Will Make You Stand Out?

We are not looking for someone who can recitea methodology. We are looking for someone who can build trust, move work forward in the face of ambiguity, and make the people around them better at getting things done. Come ready to share:

A project where the scope changed dramatically mid-stream and how you adapted without losing the team or the timeline

How you have influenced senior stakeholders who did not report to you and did not always agree with you

The PMO process or tool you are most proud of buildingand what problem it solved

Your philosophy on status reporting: what good looks like, what bad looks like, and how you hold others accountable to it

How you decide what to escalate versus what to absorb and solve on your own

#LI-LP1

Beyond the Paycheck

At Encore,we27reall about creating a culture where success is celebrated. We recognize that our work makes people27s lives safer, and we reward those who contribute to our growth.Here27swhat you can expect:

Competitive Salary: Salary commensurate with experience with opportunity for a results-driven bonus based on personal output and effectiveness in role. Expected salary range between $110,000130,000 per year.

Purpose-Driven Work Environment: We believe in working smarter, not harder.You27llbe part of a culture that values results, and we empower our team to focus on impactful work.

Flexible Dress Code: Upon joining,you27llreceivebrandedEncore swag, and we believe in dressing for theobjective, not the occasion. Most days, you can enjoy a casual work environment, butwe27lldress up when the situation calls for it.

People-Focused Culture: We know our greatest strength is our people.That27swhywe27vebuilt a culture that encourages experimentation, learning, and improving together.You27llhave the space to share your ideas and help shape a company that is constantly growing.