Head of Projects

About the role

Keller Executive Search is partnering with a global manufacturer of specialty, specification-driven building products for behavioral health and life-safety-regulated facilities to appoint a hands‑on Head of Projects. The client designs and manufactures the products it installs, and its fastest‑growing region is scaling toward becoming the largest in the group. Reporting to the Global Managing Director, you will own every project from purchase order through detailing and customer acceptance, production, delivery, installation, commissioning and handover. You will build and coach a distributed team of project managers and coordinators, implement a standardized project‑execution methodology with clear stage gates and portfolio‑level reporting, and act as the credible, escalation‑level face of the company to hospitals, architects and general contractors. This is a builder’s mandate: the structure, tooling and standards are yours to create, not inherit.

Location: Madison Heights, MI (on‑site, with travel to project sites at least twice per month). Scope covers projects across the United States and Canada. Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States; visa sponsorship and relocation assistance are not available.

Responsibilities

• Own the regional project portfolio from purchase order through customer acceptance sign‑off, production, delivery, installation, commissioning and handover
• Build, lead and coach a distributed team of project managers and coordinators across office, remote and field settings
• Implement a standardized PM methodology, stage gates, documentation and tooling adopted consistently across the team
• Follow and enforce the project‑execution framework, elevating risks and giving leadership full visibility of KPI adherence
• Ensure projects meet behavioral health safety standards, including ligature‑resistant specification, life‑safety codes and state requirements
• Manage submittal, RFI, approval, inspection and commissioning processes specific to regulated construction
• Coordinate architects, general contractors and facility owners on quality and specification compliance
• Align manufacturing lead times and custom fabrication with on‑site installation timelines and site readiness
• Own portfolio‑level financial and data‑driven reporting on schedule, margin, change orders and capacity
• Drive continuous improvement in installation quality, change‑order management and post‑project review
• Act as the senior escalation point for at‑risk or safety‑sensitive projects
• Partner with sales, manufacturing and operations leadership to align delivery with growth targets and client commitments
• Own administration of project management platforms and reporting tooling
• Travel to project sites at least twice per month to verify progress, compliance and site readiness

Requirements

Essential

• 5+ years in construction, specialty building products or facility projects, including 3+ years leading others across in‑person and remote/field‑based settings
• Proven delivery of multiple, geographically dispersed projects involving technical, specification‑driven products
• Able to build and roll out standardized PM methodology, documentation and stage gates across a team
• Strong grasp of construction PM processes: submittals, shop drawings, RFIs and change orders
• Reads architectural specifications and door/hardware schedules independently
• Excellent stakeholder management with general contractors, architects and facility owners as the face of the company
• IT and systems competence (including Microsoft programs), with ownership of data‑driven reporting, documentation and portfolio