Director of Strategic Projects

THE COMPANY:

Founded in 1932 and headquartered in Danville, IL, Watchfire Signs (“Watchfire” or the “Company”) is a leading manufacturer of premium digital signage backed by H.I.G. Capital. The Company’s high-tech portfolio of indoor & outdoor LED signage, digital billboards, and video scoreboards serves a wide breadth of end clients from small business owners to nationwide chains and billboard operators. Watchfire’s strong brand reputation and expansive customer network have allowed the Company to establish an installed base of over 68,000 LED displays, highlighting its position as a leader in the large and growing digital display market. Watchfire has over $200M in revenues

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SPONSOR BACKGROUND:

H.I.G. Capital is a leading global alternative investment firm with $70+ billion of capital under management. The firm was founded in 1993 and has invested in more than 400 companies worldwide, developing an extensive track record for creating value for its partners and investors. H.I.G.’s portfolio is diverse, spanning a wide spectrum of industries, including Distribution, Industrial Services, Manufacturing, Technology/IT, Healthcare, Consumer Products, and more

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POSITION SUMMARY:

Watchfire is seeking a highly capable and execution-oriented Director of Strategic Projects to partner directly with the CEO and Executive Leadership Team to drive the Company’s most critical, enterprise-wide strategic initiatives. This role will serve as the central owner for a portfolio of high-impact strategic projects spanning both product development and major commercial initiatives, each essential to Watchfire’s growth, scalability, and long-term value creation.

Approximately half or more of the role will focus on non-product, commercially oriented initiatives, including go-to-market programs, sales effectiveness initiatives, channel strategy, and the deployment of advanced tools and capabilities to improve commercial execution. Examples include the launch of a loyalty program for third-party dealer representatives in the on-premise channel, scaling and professionalizing the Sports salesforce, and implementing AI-enabled tools to improve sales call preparation, targeting, and customer engagement.

In parallel, the Director of Strategic Projects will lead select complex product development and commercialization programs, working closely with R&D, Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Supply Chain while ensuring alignment with Sales, Marketing, and other commercial leaders.

This role requires a leader who can bridge strategy and execution—bringing structure, discipline, and accountability to diverse initiatives, aligning technical, operational, and commercial stakeholders, and ensuring delivery on specification, on time, and on budget. The ideal candidate will be equally comfortable driving product programs and leading commercial transformation initiatives in a fast-paced, private equity–backed environment.

This is a highly visible role with significant exposure to the CEO and Executive Leadership Team and represents a unique opportunity to directly shape Watchfire’s growth trajectory

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KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Enterprise Strategic Project Ownership: Lead and own a portfolio of the Company’s most critical strategic initiatives across product, commercial, and operational domains, serving as the single point of accountability from concept through execution.
• Product Development & Commercialization: Lead select major product development and commercialization programs in collaboration with R&D, Engineering, Operations, and Supply Chain, ensuring solutions meet technical, cost, quality, and market requirements. Follow the New Product Introduction (NPI) process to help guide product development efforts.
• Commercial Initiative Leadership: Drive major commercial and go-to-market initiatives, including but not limited to:
  • Design and launch of a loyalty program for third-party dealer representatives in the on-premise channel
  • Scaling, structuring, and enabling the Sports salesforce to support accelerated growth
  • Implementation of AI-enabled tools to enhance sales call preparation, account planning, and customer engagement
• Sales & Marketing Enablement: Partner closely with Sales, Marketing, and Channel leaders to ensure commercial initiatives improve productivity, effectiveness, and customer outcomes while aligning with broader company strategy
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Coordinate stakeholders across R