Director, Strategic Initiatives

Director, Strategic Initiatives

Full Time, Salary

Job Family: HQ Support

Location: HQ - Austin, TX - not remote

Reports to: CRO

Why Join Crunch Fitness – Undefeated Tribe?

 We’re not just opening gyms, we’re building communities. Undefeated Tribe is the fastest-growing Crunch Fitness franchise group in the nation, proudly expanding across Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Missouri, and Minnesota. Twice named Franchise of the Year (2021 & 2024), we’re on a mission to transform lives through fitness, wellness, and connection. With 100+ clubs planned by 2028, there’s never been a better time to grow your career with us!

 Here’s why you’ll love being part of the Tribe:

Bold, High-Energy Culture
At Crunch Fitness, Undefeated Tribe, you’re not just an employee, you’re part of a team that thrives on hustle, creativity, and collaboration. We celebrate individuality and want voices like yours at the table.

Unbeatable Perks
Competitive pay, career advancement opportunities, and yes, a free Crunch Fitness membership. You’ll work in an environment built around health, strength, and community.

Unlimited Growth
With our rapid expansion, opportunities are everywhere. We invest in our people, promote from within, and give you the tools to level up your career faster than ever.

Join the Tribe. Find Your People. Build Your Future.

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Position Overview 

The Director, Strategic Initiatives will serve as the company’s lead program manager for our highest-priority, cross- functional initiatives. This role sits at the center of execution—partnering with C-level leaders and functional teams to structure complex programs, drive disciplined execution, and ensure that strategic priorities move from plan to reality on time and on target. This leader brings the organization, rigor, and gravitas to run the room with senior executives while staying close enough to the details to unblock teams and keep initiatives moving forward.

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What You’ll Do:

• Program manage the company’s highest-priority, cross-functional strategic initiatives from kickoff through completion
• Build and maintain program plans, timelines, milestones, and dependencies across multiple concurrent initiatives
• Lead recurring steering committee and stakeholder meetings, including sessions with C-level executives, to report status, surface risks, and drive decisions
• Identify risks, roadblocks, and resource gaps early, and drive them to resolution before they impact timelines
• Partner with functional leaders and workstream owners to hold teams accountable to commitments and deadlines
• Maintain PMO tools (e.g., Jira, Asana) to track progress, ownership, and deliverables across initiatives
• Communicate initiative status, risks, and outcomes clearly to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders

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What Success Looks Like:

• High-priority initiatives are delivered on time, on scope, and with clear accountability
• C-level leaders trust this role to run steering committee meetings and drive decisions in the room
• Cross-functional teams have clarity on priorities, owners, and deadlines at all times
• Risks and roadblocks are surfaced early and resolved before they become escalations
• PMO tools and reporting give leadership a real-time, accurate view of initiative health
• The role is seen as the go-to program manager for the company’s most important work

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About You:

You are a driven, highly organized program manager who thrives on bringing structure to complexity. You have the confidence and gravitas to walk into a room full of C-level leaders, run the meeting, and leave with clear decisions and next steps. You don’t wait to be told what’s next—you anticipate risks, chase down open items, and hold people accountable without being asked twice. You know how to partner across functions, and you are fluent in the tools of the trade (Jira, Asana, and similar PMO platforms), using them to keep initiatives on track, not just to check a box. You balance urgency with precision, and you take genuine ownership of outcomes, not just tasks. Whether managing one flagship initiative or juggling several at once, you bring discipline, clarity, and follow- through to everything you touch.

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Responsibilities:

• Own the end-to-end project management of all enterprise-level initiatives, including scope definition, planning, execution, monitoring, and close-out.
•  Develop and maintain a company-wide project portfolio view, ensuring visibility into all active, pending, and completed projects.
• Partner with department heads and senior leadership to define project objectives, success metrics, and resource requirements.
• Drive cross-functional alignment by leading recurring project check-ins, stakeholder reviews, and escalation forums.
• Maintain detailed RAID logs (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies) and proactively manage and communicate them to stakeholders.
• Develop executive-level project status reports and dashboards that provide clear, accurate, and timely project health updates.
• Lead change management planning and communication for major organizational initiatives.
• Build, coach, and influence project contributors across departments who may not report directly to you.
• Evaluate and continuously improve the company's PM tools, templates, and methodologies.
• Partner with Finance to track project budgets, flag variances, and report on ROI.

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Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Operations, or a related field — or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of experience in program management, project management, or related roles supporting large, cross-functional initiatives
• Proven track record of successfully executing high-priority, enterprise-level programs from planning through completion
• Confidence and presence to lead meetings with C-level executives and drive alignment among senior stakeholders
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple concurrent workstreams without losing sight of priorities
• Proficiency with PMO and collaboration tools (e.g., Jira, Asana, or similar)
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distill complex information for executive audiences
• Self-directed and driven, with a bias toward action and follow-through

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Preferred Qualifications:

• PMP, PgMP, or equivalent project management certification.
• Experience in multi-unit retail, fitness, hospitality, or franchise operations.
• Familiarity with change management frameworks (Prosci, ADKAR, or similar).
• Experience building or scaling a PMO (Project Management Office) from the ground up.
• Exposure to HR, Marketing, and Technology project workstreams simultaneously.
• MBA or advanced degree in a relevant field.
• Experience working in a high-growth or private equity-backed organization 

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Travel: 

Limited travel to visit gyms across Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, New Mexico, and Minnesota

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Benefits 

• Salaried Flexible PTO
• Paid Holidays
• Subsidized health insurance coverage (health, dental, vision) for full time positions
• Employer Paid Basic Life and AD&D
• HSA
• Voluntary Supplemental Life Insurance for employee, child, and spouse
• Free gym membership 

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EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER  

UDT is an Equal Opportunity Employer, a drug-free workplace, and complies with ADA regulations as applicable. UDT provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and employment applicants and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color,  religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. 

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement,  promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Please note that Crunch Fitness - Undefeated Tribe does not offer visa sponsorship or support visa transfers for this position. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future visa sponsorship.

Join us in making Crunch Fitness the talk of the town! Apply now and be a driving force in transforming lives through fitness.