Senior Director, Innovation Program Management (Hybrid Work Schedule)

See What We're All About

As the fastest-growing distributor of restaurant equipment, HVAC and residential appliance parts, we like to do things a little differently. First, you need to understand and demonstrate our Core Values with safety being your first priority. That's key. But we're also looking for unique enthusiasm, high integrity, courage to embrace change...and if you know a few jokes, that puts you on the top of our list!

Do you have a genius-level knowledge of original equipment manufacturer parts? If not, no problem! We're more interested in passionate people with fresh ideas from different backgrounds. That's what keeps us at the top of our game. We're proud that our workplace has been recognized for its growth and innovation on the Inc. 5000 list 15 years in a row and the Crain's Fast 50 list ten times. We are honored to be voted by our Chicagoland team as a Chicago Tribune Top Workplace for the last four years.

If you're ready to roll up your sleeves, go above and beyond and put your ambition to work, all while having some fun, let's chat - Apply Today!

Red Lightning Group
Red Lightning Group is an innovation hub operating within Parts Town Unlimited. We're focused on bringing groundbreaking digital solutions to market, across all divisions. As part of RLG, you will be part of developing game-changing products and services. Our goal is to deliver the future, and we're moving fast to expand our team and make an impact.

Perks

• Parts Town Pride - check out our virtual tour and culture!
• Hybrid work schedule
• Team member appreciation events and recognition programs
• Volunteer opportunities
• Monthly IT stipend
• Casual dress code
• On-demand pay options: Access your pay as you earn it, to cover unexpected or even everyday expenses
• All the traditional benefits like health insurance, 401k/401k match, employee assistance programs and time away - don't worry, we've got you covered.

The Job at a Glance

Innovation is one of our core values-and our passion for it shows! As the Senior Director, Innovation Program Management at Red Lightning, you will be a key driver of innovation and strategic transformation. You will guide strategic initiatives with an innovator's lens, leading high-impact projects that shape Red Lightning's future. In this highly collaborative and hands-on role, you'll lead a small but mighty innovation team, guiding cross-functional efforts to align strategy, culture, and execution.

You'll play a central role in harmonizing processes, enhancing internal communication, and championing a culture of experimentation, agility, and continuous improvement. By leveraging data, analytics, and strong project/program management, you'll identify and implement strategies that boost efficiency, streamline execution, and accelerate Red Lightning's growth.

You'll also serve as a mentor and connector, building strong relationships across the organization to foster engagement, transparency, and meaningful outcomes. If you're energized by developing new products, services, or ways of working-and you thrive on thoughtful, organized collaboration-keep reading.

A Typical Day

• Leads Red Lightning's Innovation Department with bold vision and practical execution, accelerating breakthrough thinking and bringing high-impact ideas to life.
• Leads a collaborative innovation platform, capturing ideas from across the organization and advancing them through structured evaluation, co-creation, and agile development.
• Directs the innovation team and processes, cultivating a culture of experimentation, inclusion, and continuous learning that fuels creativity and rapid iteration.
• Champions a future-forward innovation strategy, identifying transformative opportunities, emerging technologies, and inventive business models that drive growth and differentiation.
• Drives the execution of the senior leader's vision, translating strategy into action and action into tangible, measurable impact.
• Inspires a culture of possibility, guiding cross-functional teams through ambiguity, encouraging smart risk-taking, and embedding a mindset of curiosity, empathy, and resilience.
• Designs and facilitates hackathons, ideation sessions, sprints, and workshops-that unlock team creativity, cross-pollinate ideas, and build innovation capabilities.
• Owns the innovation lifecycle, from insight to concept to delivery-ensuring strategy alignment, resource optimization, and measurable outcomes.
• Activates design thinking as a core capability, mentoring teams on human-centered design, iterative prototyping, and real-world problem solving.
• Drives innovation onboarding for complex programs and pilots, ensuring seamless integration into business operations and stakeholder alignment across the business at every phase.
• Builds strong cross-functional partnerships, aligning innovation efforts with enterprise goals, customer needs, and operational realities.
• Promotes agile methods and lean experimentation, empowering teams to test, learn, and pivot fast with minimal risk and maximum insight.
• Implements systems and processes that foster open collaboration, transparent decision-making, and the continuous flow of high-quality ideas.
• Leverages data and insight-driven thinking, balancing intuition with analytics to guide innovation bets and assess outcomes.
• Leads a small and mighty team with empathy, clarity, and authenticity, contributing to a psychologically safe culture where diverse voices are heard, respected, and valued to bring innovative ideas

To land this opportunity:

• You're a hands-on innovation leader-a doer and a builder-who's as comfortable facilitating a design sprint as you are shaping long-term innovation strategy.
• You bring 6+ years of experience leading innovation initiatives, cross-functional programs, or transformation efforts, ideally in fast-paced, high-growth environments.
• You're a natural connector who thrives on collaboration, inclusivity, and building momentum across diverse teams.
• You are highly organized and have a track record of executing high-impact programs/ projects, especially with large, complex cross-functional change initiatives.
• You're fluent in design thinking, agile principles, lean innovation, and emerging business models.
• You're a culture builder-someone who leads with humility, emotional intelligence, and a passion for empowering others to think big and act boldly.
• You are obsessed with the customer experience and leverage human-centered design to turn unmet needs into meaningful solutions.
• You're energized by ambiguity and see it as an opportunity to innovate, not a barrier to progress.
• You have strong data and analytics skills, and you use insight to guide decisions, measure success, and continuously improve.
• You love being part of a nimble, fast-moving team where every voice matters and your work directly shapes the future of the organization.
• You're a vision-aligned partner to senior leadership, capable of translating strategy into action while rolling up your sleeves to make things happen.

About Your Future Team

We're a team fueled by curiosity and always ready to explore the next big idea, whether it's a breakthrough in AI or a quirky new lunch recipe! We believe in keeping things fun while driving innovation forward, embracing both brainstorming and birthday celebrations with equal enthusiasm. If you love solving puzzles, sharing ideas, and maybe even nerding out over the latest tech trends, you're going to fit right in!

At Parts Town, we value transparency and are committed to ensuring our team members feel appreciated and supported. We prioritize our positive workplace culture where collaboration, growth, and work-life balance are celebrated. The salary range for this role is $169,728 - 229,632 yearly which is based on including but not limited to qualifications, experience, and geographical location. Parts Town is a pay for performance-company. In addition to base pay, some roles offer a profit-sharing program, and an annual bonus depending on the role. Our comprehensive benefits package includes health, dental and vision insurance, 401(k) with match, employee assistance programs, paid time off, paid sick time off, paid holidays, paid parental leave, and professional development opportunities.

Parts Town welcomes diversity and as an equal opportunity employer all qualified applicants will be considered regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.