Director Change Management

About the Company:HMSHost, a subsidiary of Avolta, is a leader in creating dining for travel venues. With our unmatched portfolio, we operate over 1,000 locations in nearly 80 airports across North America, including proprietary concepts, local, regional, and national brands, and partnerships with award-winning chefs. For decades, HMSHost has curated food and beverage programs that make a traveler’s journey as exciting as the destination.About the Role: The Director of Change Management leads project change management initiatives to drive successful adoption of technology and business transformation projects, providing both strategic direction and hands-on execution to drive successful adoption and minimize organizational disruption.Essential Functions:Partners with Information Technology, Operations, and PMO leadership to integrate change management into project lifecycles, ensuring change activities align with project timelines and deliverables while maximizing project valueDevelops and implements project change management strategy, methodologies, and governance frameworks for technology and business transformation initiativesDirectly owns and manages project change execution, including stakeholder assessments, communication plans, training strategies, and adoption activities for technology and business transformation initiatives to drive successful project outcomesLeads tactical change management activities including resistance management, readiness assessments, impact analyses, and change champion opportunities for assigned technology and business process initiativesOversees change management planning and delivery for multiple concurrent projects, applying consistent methodology while tailoring approaches to project-specific needs, as well as stakeholder expectations and requirementsDirects and develops change management practitioners, building organizational capability in project change management best practices and fostering a culture of change readinessDesigns and executes stakeholder engagement and communication strategies that build awareness, understanding, and commitment during project lifecyclesConducts change impact assessments and readiness evaluations for proposed initiatives, providing recommendations to leadership on timing, approach, and resource requirementsCollaborates with Operations, Learning & Development, and business unit leaders to identify gaps and develop targeted solutions that support project adoption and minimize business disruptionFacilitates cross-functional collaboration and serves as an advisor to project teams and leadership on change strategies, resistance mitigation, and stakeholder managementEstablishes and tracks change metrics including adoption rates, readiness scores, and stakeholder feedback; provides regular reporting to leadership on change effectiveness and project readinessReporting Relationship: The Director of Change Management reports to the Senior Vice President of Transformation Office & Enterprise PMOMinimum Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills, and Work Environment: Education and Experience: The combination of education and professional experience must exceed 8 years:In a leadership role: Requires 3 years of experience leading a team of professionals engaged in developing and executing change management programsIn a technical role: Requires minimum of 8 years of experience engaged in developing and delivering change management programsA bachelor’s degree in a program related to the functional area can count for 3 of the eight-year requirementAn MBA or a master’s level degree in a program related to the functional area can count for an additional 2 years of the eight-year requirementIn the industry: 3-5 years of Hospitality, F&B and/or Retail experienceSpecialized Training:Training that leads to an in-depth understanding of change managementSpecialized Skillset/Competencies/Traits:Ability to drive results through collaboration rather than direct controlDemonstrated experience managing multiple concurrent projects and prioritizing resources across competing initiativesStrong organizational skills with keen eye for detailAbility to quickly understand existing processes, relationships, and organizational dynamicsProven ability to identify, assess, and mitigate project and organizational risksSystematic approach to documenting processes, decisions, and lessons learned for future referenceBusiness acumen and also has the mindset required to understand the long-term implications of financial planning and to advance the organization’s goalsDemonstrated history of understanding the needs of the business, stakeholders, the employee population and individual circumstancesDemonstrated history of creating and maintaining positive work environments through coaching, developing, and leading teams to achieve common goalsLocation/Travel:This position may be based at either North America Support Center in Bethesda, MDOccasional travel to other locations may be required based on business needsFlexibility for virtual collaboration across multiple time zonesAvolta, including Dufry, HMSHost Corporation, Hudson, and affiliates (“the Company”), is an equal opportunity employer. It is the Company’s policy to ensure equal employment opportunity in all aspects of employment and to comply with anti-discrimination laws and regulations. The Company prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and provides equal opportunities to applicants and team members without regard to actual or perceived race, color, creed, age, religion, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions and lactation), gender identity or gender expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, national origin, disability, military service and veteran status, ancestry, citizenship status, marital status, protected medical condition as defined by applicable state or local law, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances (referred to as “protected characteristics”).