Senior Director, Marketing Process

The Role:
This is a strategic key leadership role responsible for overseeing and optimizing the process improvement function within the Morningstar Central Marketing Department. As Director/Senior Director of Marketing Process, you will lead and build the central marketing department's process function helping us drive efficiency through all stages of marketing planning and execution. You will oversee the direction of all Planning Team resources to ensure consistent methodology, delivery, visibility, and continuous improvement of efficiency best practices throughout the department.
The ideal candidate is a proven, passionate, and outcome-oriented leader with extensive hands-on experience in process improvement, specifically around product and project management. You have a deep understanding of marketing processes and possess the ability to collaborate and influence across cross-functional teams to ensure the successful delivery of projects. This role is based out of our Chicago office and hybrid attendance is required.
Focus Areas for Success:

• Strategic Planning and Alignment: Collaborate with senior leadership to understand corporate marketing goals and objectives and drive adoption and rigor around our Objectives and Key Results Program (OKRs).
• Product Management: Lead the team to develop product roadmaps for marketing solution products and marketing technology products. Mentor new product managers to think strategically, while managing tactically.
• Program/Project Management: Ability to establish and enforce agile project management best practices and methodologies while being comfortable flexing both the tactical and strategic skill sets.
• Team Leadership and Development: Excellence in the management of a team of product managers, project managers, project coordinators, quality assurance analysts and team members in Morningstar's Development Program - providing guidance, mentorship, and performance feedback all while fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Act as a key influencer between the Central Marketing Department and other business units, ensuring effective collaboration and adoption of best practices.
• Continuous Improvement: Drive continuous improvement initiatives within the Central Marketing Team, incorporating feedback and lessons learned while staying abreast of industry trends and best practices to enhance efficiency and effectiveness, while reducing risk for the business.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and subject matter expertise in marketing process improvement principles and disciplines including agile project management and product management.
• Lead, manage and coach junior members of the team.
• Develop strong partnerships with key functional team members to drive focus on goals.
• Cultivate relationships and credibility with senior leadership and key stakeholders - becoming a trusted partner and influencer to ensure program success.
• Drive process improvements by analyzing workflow data patterns, utilizing subject matter expertise and leveraging lessons learned.
• Manage team budget, staffing, and operations.
• Establish quality assurance standards and protocol for all workflow streams across Corporate Marketing.
• Develop and implement standardized agile project management methodologies, policies, procedures, tools and templates across the organization.
• Develop a bridge between OKRs and project work.
• Act as a key member of the Demand Generation leadership team, driving strategic planning and operations.
• Provide excellent service to central marketing and business units.
• Development of an on-going project management education program for both the team and functional partners.
• Responsible for ensuring that operational metrics are in place and are effectively managed.
• Develop a marketing production queue that is leveraged across all central marketing teams with a focus on prioritization, efficiency, and scalability.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or a related field.
• 15+ years' experience working in marketing operations and technology with a minimum 8+ years of a strong product and/or project management experience.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate teams to achieve high levels of performance.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities, with a focus on driving results and delivering quantitative business value.
• Strong business acumen; partnering with business managers to execute project initiatives.
• In-depth knowledge of program management methodologies, tools, and best practices.
• Strong agile skills and experience within agile marketing organizations
• Ability to foresee risks and manage with priority.
• Proven ability to drive multiple operational programs and manage competing priorities.
• Strong organizational, project management, analysis, and communication skills.

001_MstarInc Morningstar Inc. Legal Entity
Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to work remotely and collaborate in-person each week. We've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis, at least three days each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you'll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.