The American Supply Association and its industry members and partners are seeking a Vice President of Innovation that will help the leading firms in the plumbing heating cooling pipe valve and fittings industry to identify the technological trends and disruption from innovation that will impact our industry and our ability to win the future. This new team member will play a vital role in establishing and managing ASA’s D-NEXT Platform and will help the association to identify and managing projects and the teams that will create solutions and opportunities for our industry partners. The visionary and driven individual that we seek will help us identify and leverage the success from our innovative research, enabling our member firms to compete successfully by engaging technology and innovation enhancing their ability to remain relevant in the future. This position will lead student intern teams, nurture faculty relationships and interactions, and develop helpful University partnership opportunities while maintaining a positive relationship with core IT dev/ops communities. They will also play a key role in building our industry brand and become a bridge between the leading firms in our industry and the talent that exists on campus throughout the year, assisting with University recruiting activities while mentoring and guiding interns through the first steps in their career journey. Why you Matter: Does being on the cutting edge of what’s in store for the future of a vital industry while helping to cultivate the next generation of talent in the PHCP-PVF industry excite you? Can you roll-up your sleeves and dive-in to assist in the development of creative solutions while still maintaining relationships beyond your immediate environment? Does creating something from scratch fill you with excitement? If so, you have an opportunity to truly blaze new ground. We seek a highly motivated, self-starter who excels in driving past ambiguity and who is looking for a start-up challenge, preferably based in Champaign, Illinois. This unique and rare opportunity will play the vital role in developing the first industrywide University Innovation Center. From day-one, you will work with University and Facilities partners to build an empowering space for our student interns, work on-campus to find phenomenal talent and guide them to create innovative solutions to complex industry problems. As interns grow through their studies and hands-on experience, you will expose them to great opportunities within our industry among our leading manufacturers and wholesale distributors across the United States. Additional focuses of this position will, lead efforts to vet industry software programs and other technology services that will enable association member firms to make the most informed decision on what technology is best for their firms. Key Responsibilities: Responsible for managing assigned projects and initiatives for the D-NEXT Platform as well as our research lab at the University of Illinois in Research Park at Urbana-Champaign. Lead efforts to assist the association in tackling complex challenges, expanding association member capabilities, and ability to compete in the future by leveraging technology and staying abreast of new trends and the disruption that will impact the industry through technology and innovation. Through strong coordination/collaboration, support ASA’s broader innovation program and digital transformation initiatives. Plan, execute, and finalize projects according to deadlines and within budget. (This includes acquiring resources and coordinating the efforts of team members and, if applicable, third-party contractors or consultants.) Also, lead the definition of the project’s objectives and oversee quality control throughout its life cycle. Provide day-to-day project management at the Innovation Lab and guide assigned projects and initiatives. Ensure key stakeholders and senior leaders are engaged throughout the project lifecycle. Take the lead in recruiting and leading a team of student interns—and other campus resources—each semester and summer to deliver results on assigned projects. Serve as an ambassador for the association and industry on the University of Illinois campus and campus community as well as in Research Park. Apply innovative technology solutions to both internal and customer-facing challenges and opportunities. Ensure project team members understand the requirements and their roles for making the project a success. Create a supportive, team-oriented work environment that promotes collaboration, creativity, business-value and customer satisfaction; mentor and develop staff and act as a change agent for continuous improvement through enhanced methodologies. Keep current on new developments in project management methodologies, agile practices, best practices and industry standards. Manage projects to meet specified deadlines and requirements. Provide regular status reports to senior staff, key stakeholders, and executive sponsors Assist in implementing project management best practices. Requirements: We seek a strong visionary leader capable of energizing a team to achieve success with a minimum of a four-year degree in Business, Computer Science, Information Technology or related field. An advanced degree is preferred. 3-5 years of experience successfully managing projects and team dynamics with a demonstrated ability to think strategically. The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate excellent interpersonal, communication, collaboration and presentation skills, along with ability to build and maintain strong relationships while effectively lead people and teams. Strong analytical, problem solving, critical thinking and decision-making skills. Sound leadership and conflict management skills About the American Supply Association and D-NEXT: The American Supply Association is the national industry trade association representing distributors and their manufacturers and manufacturer representative agencies serving our channel. We are committed to giving our members the ability to adapt, grow and succeed thru robust programs in code, legislative and regulatory advocacy, ongoing business intelligence, employee training and education as well as dynamic peer-to-peer networking events. ASA is on the pulse of economic, social and political trends affecting our member companies which puts us in a unique position to advance the long term success of our members. How to Apply: Please send resume and salary requirements to: Michael Adelizzi, CEO, American Supply Association madelizzi@asa.net
