Job Description

Job Title: Change Lead – Windows 11 Deployment
Location: Columbus, OH
Work Model: Hybrid — Tuesday through Thursday onsite, Monday and Friday remote
Rate: $100/hour
Contract Length: August 1, 2026 – October 31, 2026
Project: Windows 11 Upgrade / Deployment
Start Date: August 1, 2026

We are seeking an experienced Change Lead to support an active Windows 11 Upgrade deployment for a large enterprise environment. This role is being added mid-deployment as the current Change Lead transitions into a Deployment Lead role due to project resource changes.

The Change Lead will be responsible for stabilizing, refining, and executing the change management workstream, with primary ownership of project communications, training coordination, stakeholder readiness, and end-user adoption support. This individual will partner closely with the Deployment Lead, project team, IT stakeholders, business leaders, and impacted user groups to ensure employees understand what is changing, when it is happening, what actions they need to take, and where to go for support.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on change management professional who can step into an active project quickly, assess what has already been developed, identify gaps, and drive execution without needing significant ramp-up time.

Key Responsibilities

Change Strategy & Workstream Leadership

• Take ownership of the change management workstream for the Windows 11 Upgrade project.
• Quickly assess current change activities, communication materials, training plans, stakeholder needs, and deployment status.
• Refine and maintain the change plan to support remaining deployment activities.
• Partner with the Deployment Lead and project leadership to align change activities with deployment waves, timelines, and business readiness needs.
• Identify change risks, adoption gaps, communication issues, and readiness concerns, and recommend mitigation actions.

Communications Planning & Execution

• Develop, refine, and execute the project communications plan.
• Create clear, timely, and audience-specific communications for impacted employees, managers, business leaders, and support teams.
• Draft and manage communications related to deployment timing, user expectations, required actions, support resources, known impacts, and post-deployment guidance.
• Coordinate communication approvals, distribution timing, and stakeholder alignment.
• Ensure messaging is consistent, practical, and aligned with the overall project deployment schedule.

Training & End-User Readiness

• Oversee training and support materials related to the Windows 11 upgrade.
• Identify end-user training needs and ensure materials are available, accurate, and easy to understand.
• Coordinate development or refinement of job aids, FAQs, quick reference guides, support instructions, and other enablement resources.
• Partner with IT, support teams, and business stakeholders to ensure users are prepared for the transition.
• Support readiness activities before, during, and after deployment waves.

Stakeholder Engagement & Adoption Support

• Engage business stakeholders to understand concerns, readiness levels, and communication needs.
• Serve as a key point of contact for change-related questions, feedback, and adoption concerns.
• Partner with project leadership, IT teams, support teams, and business contacts to reinforce key messages.
• Help ensure impacted groups understand the purpose, timing, benefits, and user impact of the Windows 11 upgrade.
• Gather feedback from users and stakeholders to support continuous improvement during deployment.

Deployment Support & Issue Management

• Align change activities with deployment milestones and user impact windows.
• Support go-live and post-deployment communications as needed.
• Track change-related issues, questions, and adoption barriers.
• Coordinate with support and deployment teams to ensure user concerns are addressed quickly.
• Provide status updates on communication progress, training readiness, stakeholder feedback, and change risks.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Review current change materials, deployment schedule, training content, and communication approach.
• Build and manage the communications calendar for remaining deployment activities.
• Draft employee, manager, and stakeholder communications.
• Coordinate with the Deployment Lead on upcoming deployment waves and user impacts.
• Update FAQs, job aids, training materials, and support documentation.
• Meet with business stakeholders to confirm readiness and address concerns.
• Track open change items, risks, feedback, and adoption issues.
• Provide regular updates to project leadership on communications, training, and readiness.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in change management, organizational change management, communications, training, business readiness, or related project roles.
• Experience supporting technology deployment, end-user technology adoption, infrastructure, workplace technology, or enterprise IT projects.
• Strong experience developing and executing communication plans.
• Experience creating employee-facing communications, FAQs, training materials, job aids, and stakeholder updates.
• Ability to quickly step into an active project and drive execution with minimal ramp-up.
• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Excellent written communication skills with the ability to translate technical information into clear business-friendly messaging.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and stakeholder needs.
• Ability to work effectively in a hybrid environment with onsite presence Tuesday through Thursday in Columbus, OH.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting Windows 11, Windows 10, Microsoft 365, device refresh, desktop deployment, infrastructure, or end-user computing projects.
• Experience working on projects involving phased deployments or large user populations.
• Familiarity with Prosci, ADKAR, or other structured change management methodologies.
• Experience partnering with IT deployment teams, service desk teams, business leaders, and end users.
• Experience supporting training and readiness for enterprise technology changes.

Core Competencies

• Change Management
• Communications Planning
• Training & Readiness
• Stakeholder Engagement
• End-User Adoption
• Technology Deployment Support
• Business Readiness
• Issue Tracking
• Executive and Employee Communications
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Windows 11 / End-User Technology

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a hands-on Change Lead who can quickly take over the communications and training workstream for an active Windows 11 deployment. They should be comfortable operating in the middle of a project, bringing structure to the change plan, producing clear communications, coordinating training and readiness materials, and partnering closely with deployment and IT teams to ensure users are prepared and supported through the upgrade.