Vice President of Projects Aftermarket Services

FORTNA partners with the world’s leading brands to transform omnichannel and parcel distribution operations. Known world-wide for enabling companies to keep pace with digital disruption and growth objectives, we design and deliver solutions, powered by intelligent software, to optimize fast, accurate and cost-effective order fulfillment and last mile delivery. Our people, innovative approach and proprietary algorithms and tools ensure optimal operations design and material and information flow. We deliver exceptional value every day to our customers with comprehensive services and products including network strategy, distribution center operational design and implementation, material handling automated equipment, robotics and a comprehensive suite of lifecycle services.

At FORTNA, we believe in fostering a workplace that isn't just a job but a movement – a collective effort to redefine success and transform challenges into opportunities. "Join the Movement" encapsulates our commitment to a workplace culture that thrives on collaboration, celebrates diversity, and empowers every individual to contribute to something greater than themselves. Our Team. Our Passion. Our Approach. 

Position Summary

The Aftermarket Services Vice President of Projects is responsible for the strategic leadership, operational execution, and financial performance of the Project Management, Estimating, and Installation functions at FORTNA. This executive role ensures successful delivery of complex automation, warehouse, fulfillment, conveyor, robotics, and integrated systems projects from proposal development through final customer acceptance.

The VP of Projects drives project execution excellence, margin performance, installation productivity, customer satisfaction, risk management, and organizational scalability while partnering closely with Sales, Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, and Customer Support teams.

This role provides leadership for project governance, estimating accuracy, field installation performance, resource planning, contract execution, and continuous improvement initiatives across all project delivery activities.

Executive Leadership

• Lead and develop the Project Management, Estimating, and Installation organizations across multiple regions and customer programs.
• Establish strategic direction, organizational structure, operational standards, and performance expectations for all project execution functions.
• Build a high-performance culture focused on accountability, safety, customer satisfaction, operational excellence, and profitability.
• Develop succession plans and talent pipelines for project leadership and field operations teams.
• Partner with executive leadership to align project execution capabilities with company growth objectives.

Project Management Leadership

• Oversee execution of large-scale material handling and automation projects including conveyors, ASRS, robotics, sortation systems, warehouse automation, controls integration, and software implementation.
• Ensure projects are delivered on schedule, within budget, within scope, and in accordance with contractual obligations.
• Establish project governance methodologies, KPI dashboards, stage-gate reviews, and standardized execution processes.
• Lead risk identification, mitigation planning, and escalation management across all active projects.
• Drive improvement in project margins, forecasting accuracy, change order management, and customer acceptance metrics.

Estimating & Commercial Support

• Lead the estimating organization responsible for labor modeling, installation estimating, project costing, and execution budgets.
• Ensure estimating accuracy and consistency for complex automation and integration projects.
• Partner with Sales and Solutions teams during proposal development and contract negotiations.
• Develop standardized estimating tools, labor models, productivity benchmarks, and cost databases.

Installation & Field Operations Leadership

• Lead all installation and field execution activities for customer projects.
• Ensure field operations meet safety, quality, productivity, and schedule performance expectations.
• Drive standardization of field execution processes, subcontractor management, commissioning coordination, and site readiness practices.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, customer safety standards, and regulatory requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Operations, Business, or related field required.
• MBA or advanced technical degree preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, combined with a management degree, Master's degree a plus
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in managing engine