International Operational (Project) Manager

Mission

“The mission of the new International Operational Project Manager is to identify, drive and execute several international projects in (internal) sales and operations in order to introduce and drive existing and new products in the different operating companies and, use different distribution channels to realize additional growth and create efficiency in the processes between the operating companies.”

The International Operational Project Manager will report to directly  the CEO and will work closely together with all in the holding team out of the office in Hilversum, The Netherlands. Remote/home working is possible as along as an agreed balance is maintained. 

Main responsibilities

• Identifies, leads and drives execution of international operational projects that contribute to increase sales, more alignment and efficiency between different operating companies and further centralization in order to optimize processes and, realize synergies and centralization in sourcing and production allocation. The end result being increases in group revenues and margin 
• Drives existing and new products into the sales channels of all operating companies, realizing additional revenues
• Develops, secures and drives progress in programs and projects
• Is the linking pin between holding and opco’s
• Enhances cross functional alignment and cooperation between operating companies
• Initiates and drives continuous improvement to optimize (logistical) performance & costs across countries/ operating companies.

Education and experience

• A degree, preferably in Industrial Engineering & Management Science, Mechanical Engineering, Production or Supply Chain/Logistics
• 7 - 10 years of experience in production and or design along with project management in B2B industry or similar
• Solid leadership experience in both leading projects and teams 
• Experience in a rapidly growing environment
• Strong track record in international project/program management of complex and cross-country and cross-functional projects
• Preferably experience in mid-sized to larger businesses in the manufacturing industry in addition to a corporate career
• Experience with Lean, Green/ Black Belt (nice to have)

Competencies and skills

• Strong project management skills, able to organize and prioritize workload
• Excellent conceptual, analytical and quantitative skills 
• Superb communication, interpersonal and influencing skills
• Credible leader with the ability to make a connection and inspire; remains calm and effective, also under pressure
• Strategic and conceptual thinker designing and implementing concepts that will enable the company to develop a competitive edge through superior sourcing, supply chain and production allocation
• Can-do mentality, pragmatic and result driven; proven ability to set and achieve challenging goals
• Self-sufficient, agile, flexible, not rigid 
• Decisive, highly energetic, self-motivating, self-starting
• Knowledgeable, commercially savvy, business sense, convincing, negotiation skills
• Very strong drive to improve, always challenges the current situation. Knows what excellence looks like
• Bridge builder, organizationally sensitive, engaging and inclusive approach and able to work across a variety of cultures and borders. Cultural awareness

Additional requirements 

• Ability and willingness to travel up to 50% (predominantly in Europe) to facilitate frequent contact with operating companies. Privium for Schiphol will be included in package
• Excellent command of English and strong preference for German. Command of Dutch not required, but preferable as well.

Remuneration 

Competitive base salary including holiday allowance, depending on work experience Attractive bonus. Excellent secondary benefits: pension plan, healthcare insurance, 25 vacation days.

Location

CROWD Holding in Hilversum, The Netherlands with the option of remote/home for an agreed % of time after probation period (continually reviewed). 

Introduction
CROWD (Creators of the Outside World) is an innovative group of established companies that is involved in designing the public space. It is CROWD’s mission “to encourage people to go outside”, alongside with its vision: “to be the leading group in street furniture, public sheltering, and bicycle parking infrastructure with a key focus on Circularity and Smart city solutions across Western Europe by 2023”. Since its foundation in 2014, CROWD aims to make a conscious contribution to the living environment of people with developing new products that accommodate people and their movements around the public space. CROWD is involved in and contributes to designing and furnishing public spaces with products which enable modal transport, socialization, and interaction, along with sustainable and circular design principles.

With the support of Convent Capital, CROWD has realized an impressive growth over the past years. Via its buy & build strategy and with the recent acquisition of Bailey Street Furniture Group and Ziegler, CROWD now consists of 6 companies, namely VelopA, Ziegler, IJslander, Cyclepods, Bailey and Lumiguide. Turnover is now more than €90 mio, with a total of 7 office locations throughout Europe and over 400 employees. 

CROWD has the ambition to remain growing rapidly and even accelerate this growth.

For more information, please visit  https://www.crowdoutside.com/ or the company film of Velopa at https://bit.ly/39Mr6IU

Crowd Organization
CROWD is led by a very lean and mean holding office located in Hilversum, The Netherlands. The holding team has currently Four team members: CEO (James Steward), CFO (Roderick Wijsmuller), CMO (Emanuele Magistro, remote from Germany) and a recently appointed Finance Manager (Matthijs Huijzer).

As CROWD is growing by acquisition, one of the key pillars is building and strengthening the project management capability along with identifying and implementing synergies between the six operating companies. As the operating companies still work relatively independently, the holding needs to drive cooperation and alignment of processes.   In order to drive, lead and implement these challenging projects, Crowd is looking for an ambitious International Operational Project Manager.