Director, Strategic Initiatives

Element U.S. Space & Defense

Director of Strategic Initiatives for Element U.S. Space & Defense managing execution of strategic initiatives.

Posted 5/21/2026full-timeSanta Clarita • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $138,000 - $155,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead cross‑functional teams to implement strategic growth initiatives within existing operations
Translate enterprise strategy and leadership priorities into clearly defined, executable programs with measurable outcomes, milestones, and success metrics
Serve as the central point of accountability for assigned strategic initiatives from inception through completion
Partner with Finance to develop business cases, investment justifications, and ROI analyses for strategic initiatives
Track financial performance against approved budgets and forecasts; drive corrective actions where variances occur
Define and track key performance indicators and benefits‑realization metrics to ensure initiatives deliver expected business value
Manage complex, multi‑phase projects end‑to‑end, ensuring on‑time, on‑budget delivery while meeting defined scope, quality, and performance objectives
Develop and maintain detailed project plans, schedules, budgets, risk registers, and executive‑level status reporting
Proactively identify risks, dependencies, and resource constraints; drive mitigation plans and escalation as needed
Establish and enforce disciplined project governance, change control, and decision‑making processes
Drive formal change‑management activities, including stakeholder readiness, communication planning, and adoption tracking

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, or a related field
8+ years of experience leading complex, cross‑functional projects or programs within a corporate or operational environment
Demonstrated success delivering large, multi‑stakeholder initiatives on time and on budget
Proven experience managing subcontractors or external partners, including development and enforcement of SOWs
Advanced proficiency with project management tools and Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, Project)
Extensive background check and US Citizenship will be required

Benefits

Comp & perks

Medical, Dental, Vision
Short- and Long-Term Disability
Life Insurance
Flexible Spending Accounts
Seven (7) paid holidays and four (4) paid floating holidays, depending on your hire date
Paid Time Off (PTO), accrued biweekly
401k with employer match
Twelve (12) hours of Paid Volunteer Time Off (PVTO) each year
Tuition reimbursement and other employee programs
Flexible schedules offered at some of our labs
Monthly Lab Bonus plans (Based on position)

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

project managementfinancial performance trackingROI analysiskey performance indicatorsrisk managementchange managementstakeholder communicationbudget managementprogram executionstrategic initiative implementation

Soft Skills

leadershipcross-functional collaborationaccountabilityproblem-solvingcommunicationorganizational skillsdecision-makingproactive identification of risksadaptabilitynegotiation