Research & Development Project Portfolio Manager

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Education:

Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in Project Management, Biological Sciences or Engineering. Master’s degree or MBA preferred.

Experience:

10+ years of product development and/or project management experience, preferably in a cosmetic/beauty/fashion industry environment. Minimum of 5 years project and program management experience.  Knowledge of Mary Kay products, project management processes, and business fundamentals. Experience in a leadership role, with particular focus on cross-functional partnership and management of individuals. Experience in Cognos, AMS, JDE, MS SharePoint, MS Excel, MS Word, MS Outlook, MS Project and Visio preferred.

1.            Must have the ability to problem solve, assess risks and coordinate the execution of mitigation plans across multiple global cross-functional teams.

2.            Demonstrated ability to communicate complex concepts with various levels of leadership and employees.  Ability to engage and solicit feedback from cross functional business partners.

3.            Must be proficient in the use of tracking/resource system; MS Excel (development of spreadsheets, import/export and linking); MS Word; MS PowerPoint; MS Project, MS Teams and MS Outlook.  Oracle Agile software experience is desired.

4.            Must possess deep understanding of the Mary Kay NPD processes, a strong knowledge of the responsibilities of all departments involved in new product launches, and how resources within those departments are utilized throughout the NPD process.

5.            Must have the ability to interface with other departments to ensure collective cross-functional effort and teamwork and possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills as well as a strong drive for results. Demonstrated ability to expand support from multiple stakeholders to align and influence the organization toward established goals.

6.            Must have excellent oral, written communication and interpersonal skills in order to interact with various levels of personnel within and outside the Company.

7.            Must be well organized, capable of managing high levels of detail, and handling multiple activities/tasks under pressure. 

8.            Must be able to perform duties with minimal direction and independently perform assignments with general guidance for expected results.

9.            Must have a strong, assertive personality balanced with a respect for others; must be able to communicate recommendations in a manner that will drive results.

10.          PMP® certification or MBA required, PgMP® or PfMP® certification preferred.