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Job Description

Position Type:  Full-Time/Regular

Job Description:  

Actuant, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a $1.4B diversified industrial company with operations in more than 30 countries. The Actuant businesses are market leaders in branded hydraulic and electrical tools and supplies, umbilical, rope and cable solutions and highly engineered position and motion control systems. The Company employs a workforce of approximately 5,900 worldwide. Actuant trades on the NYSE under the symbol ATU.

Director LEAD Office, Innovation and Organic Growth

We are offering an outstanding strategic leadership opportunity for a high-energy, experienced global business leader who has successfully led enterprise-wide innovation and organic core growth initiatives!

Headquartered in Milwaukee, the Director LEAD Office, Innovation and Growth reports directly to Actuant’s Chief Operating Officer and has enterprise-wide accountability to develop a balanced culture of growth and innovation that yields measurable results.  We define growth as:

• new/existing products and services
• new/existing technologies in new/existing/emerging markets
• new marketing approaches and revenue models.

This senior leadership position will act as a Growth Sensei to coach and mentor Business and Segment Leaders on the growth process. The approach is facilitative, leveraging prior experiences and the existing LEAD (continuous improvement) foundation that is the bedrock of the Actuant culture. 

This position will develop an Actuant Growth Process and Plan, assisting in its execution and leading to cultural adoption.  As a member of the Actuant Global Leadership Team, the Director LEAD Office, Innovation and Growth is a peer to Business Leaders with whom collaboration is critical.  This relationship enables the Director to work closely with these leaders to develop growth strategies that increase our core growth to the upper quartile of our peers.  Other close associations include the LEAD Office, especially relative to tool development and implementation and VP Business Development, relative to white space acquisitions. 

Key Responsibilities

Accountable to develop and institutionalize a balanced culture of growth and profitability across the global enterprise; ensure that innovation and growth are highly visible priorities supported by practical tools to identify, evaluate, develop and measure selected key activities. 

1.    Design and Implement the ATU Growth Process and Culture

a.  Identify and define the barriers to growth and ways to mitigate; determine what’s working/what’s not working

b.  Become familiar with and understand our Intellectual Property inventory

c.  Develop and execute a final Growth Process featuring set metrics, a common language, processes and tools required, from VOC to concept to commercialization, including internal employee training requirements and reward and recognition.

2.    Work with the Actuant LEAD Office

a.  Orientation to LEAD and Actuant via a customized 60 day ‘LEAD Immersion’ program

b.  Develop a business Growth Cultural Assessment (current state)

c.  Define and create a Growth Toolbox

d.  Design and execute appropriate training

3.    Collaborate with Segment / Business Leaders

a.  Counsel and guide Business and Segment Leaders to promote growth; act as a Growth Sensei to provide them with an assessment of innovation capabilities and opportunities within their organizations.

b.  Identify Growth Champions within the business (primarily Business Leaders) and mentor/develop these resources

c.  Develop annual growth plans with each business as part of the strategic planning process

d.  Develop a conduit for Voice of the Customer and capturing unmet customer needs.

e.  With the businesses/segments, create and implement a standard tollgate New Product Development and Commercialization Process (OEM and Distribution). 

f. Establish and chair an Actuant Growth Council / Serve as a Member of the Lead Steering Committee

4.    CEO/COO Collaboration

a.  Establish ATU Growth Process and Strategy

b.  Design and coordinate a new, Annual Worldwide Growth Planning Meeting (WWGPM)
 

Job Requirements

Background and Experience

• Minimum 15 years experience in business, including time in public and privately held companies preferably in a P&L role
• P & L responsibility of $50M+
• Demonstrated growth results
• Proven entrepreneurial success
• Preferred Marketing/Engineering background in Industrial markets
• Masters Degree in Business, Marketing focus preferred
• International leadership experience
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Competencies to include: Managing Vision and Purpose; Customer Focus; Creativity; Problem Solving; Strategic Agility, Innovation Management

Capabilities:

• Demonstrated business leadership and acumen
• Experience in creating a sustainable growth organization, sensitively managing the impact of complex change
• Knowledge of and demonstrated ability to create and apply Growth Tools
• Ability to work in a matrix organization
• Ability to work at the strategic level as well as at the tactical
• Understands Lean Organizational Philosophy
• Collaboration is a key attribute to work seamlessly in a matrix organization and obtain buy-in

For consideration and to apply for this opportunity, please submit a resume and a summary of your experience matching our requirements.

Actuant is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race, color, religion/creed, national origin, gender, or sex, marital status, age, disability, use of a guide dog or service animal, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, or any other status protected by Federal or State law or local ordinance. 

Actuant will only employ those who are legally authorized to work.  Any offer of employment is conditioned on the successful completion of a background investigation and drug screen.