Sr Manager, Strategic Initiatives
Mars · USA-Illinois-Chicago, United States · onsite
Job Description:
The Sr Manager, Strategic Initiatives role exists to design and deliver high-priority, cross-functional initiatives that advance the Mars Snacking Commercial agenda. The role turns complex or ambiguous business challenges into executable plans, mobilizes the right partners, and drives work from strategy through implementation, adoption, and measurable outcomes.
The immediate focus for the role will be driving Mars Snacking Commercial integration priorities at pace across people, process/policy and digital and co-creating the future Commercial transformation agenda.
What are we looking for?
- Bachelor's degree.
- 5+ years experience in procurement/commercial, supply chain, business strategy or a related field.
- Advanced degree and/or recognized project, program, change, or continuous-improvement certification preferred.
- Significant experience leading complex, cross-functional strategic initiatives from problem definition through implementation and adoption.
- Demonstrated ability to structure ambiguous problems, develop fact-based options and recommendations, and translate strategy into executable plans.
- Strong project and program management discipline, including governance, milestones, dependencies, risks, resources, decisions, and benefits tracking.
- Experience influencing senior stakeholders and leading teams through a matrix without relying on formal authority.
- Excellent written, verbal, and visual communication skills, including preparation of executive-level materials.
- Integration, transformation, operating-model experience preferred.
- Working knowledge of change management, process design, digital enablement, and capability building preferred.
What will be your key responsibilities?
- Strategic initiative design and execution: Lead end-to-end design and delivery of assigned Commercial strategic initiatives. Translate complex challenges into clear objectives, workplans, milestones, owners, decision points, risks, and success measures.
- Cross-functional project leadership: Mobilize and coordinate teams across Commercial, Finance, Supply Chain, Digital Technology, Legal, People & Organization, and other relevant functions. Manage interdependencies and maintain accountability across workstreams.
- Problem structuring and solution development: Apply rigorous analysis and structured thinking to define problems, test assumptions, develop options, and recommend practical solutions. Balance strategic perspective with the operational detail required for implementation.
- Governance, risk, and decision support: Establish fit-for-purpose governance and maintain clear visibility to progress, risks, dependencies, resource constraints, and decisions. Escalate issues early and enable timely leadership trade-offs.
- Stakeholder management and executive influence: Build trusted relationships with senior Commercial and functional stakeholders. Prepare concise, decision-oriented materials and communicate complex topics clearly in leadership forums.
- Change enablement and adoption: Partner with Change & Communications and People & Organization to embed impact assessment, stakeholder engagement, communications, training, capability building, and adoption measures into initiative plans.
- Portfolio and knowledge development: Support the identification, prioritization, and scoping of emerging Commercial initiatives. Capture lessons, tools, methods, and reusable practices to strengthen the Strategic Initiatives capability over time.
What can you expect from Mars?
- Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
- Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
- A strong focus on learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
- An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.
#LI-Onsite
The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is between the range listed below, however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position will include variable pay, medical and dental benefits, participation in 401k plan, and paid time off benefits. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an applicant receives an offer of employment.
The pay range shown is applicable to all US locations listed within the job posting:USD 119,040.00 - USD 163,680.00