Project Manager
Full Time
Remote Hybrid/2 days in Downtown Chicago Office
$85-90k base
This role will report directly to the Director of the Strategy Delivery Office (SDO). The SDO was founded in 2021 to provide centralized strategic management and oversight of the portfolio of projects, project delivery teams, and project delivery approaches and methodologies to enable the successful execution of the organization's priorities. The SDO is an integral part of the Leadership Department, and as such, projects managed by the Project Manager will directly benefit team members by shaping cross-departmental team strategy and maximizing the team’s communication tools and tactics, with the goal of amplifying our impact to deliver projects on time and within budget in a way that achieves the desired outcomes.
Critical Outcomes
Increased certainty that projects succeed, deliver the highest ROI possible, and move the organization toward its vision faster and with less consumption of resources.
Hands-on facilitation and support of successful project delivery is being provided to achieve specific business objectives advancing the strategic goals.
Core Responsibilities
Manage Projects and Lead Cross-Functional Teams (100%)
- Lead teams with members at all levels; clarify meeting content, objectives, and establish team norms.
- Collaborate with internal stakeholders across departments, external vendors, and subject matter experts to create and execute complex project plans and schedules.
- Ensure that all projects meet the expected business goals and desired outcomes within the constraints established by the sponsor.
- Cultivate an understanding of project management tools and tactics that best fit specific use-cases and raise awareness about how to use in-house digital tools to support best practices.
- Ensure quality of the work produced by cross-functional teams, and make sure deliverables are current and accessible.
- Full lifecycle project management, including risk management etc. Manage budgets and schedules, ensuring accuracy and transparency for the team.
- Maintain excellent verbal and written communication with all stakeholders; Provide insight and support to enhance existing communications between teams.
- Proactively solicit lessons learned from teams that can be customized and built upon for success.
- Facilitate meetings to help participants reach decisions, define next actions, and accomplish goals.
- Work with team members to understand their project needs thoroughly, in context, emphasizing listening before solutioning.
- Flexibly employ training, documentation, and process changes as well as more traditional project management solutions such as use of a Gantt chart, status report, etc.
- Stay organized and manage time well as you juggle requests from multiple sources.
- Proactively build project management skills and expertise by learning and embracing new technology, staying abreast of industry developments and best practices, and attend or provide training as available and approved.
- Support the implementation of comprehensive collaborative projects aligned with our mission, strategic objectives, and core values.
Core Requirements
The ideal candidate will be extremely organized, detail-oriented, and have excellent communication skills to collaborate with team members and project leads. Facilitation and presentation skills to lead key meetings and coach teams for success are key attributes for this position. This is a new role in a newly formed office; the strongest candidates are comfortable with ambiguity, flexible enough to pivot direction as needed, and serve as a positive role model for other project managers.
Sharp critical thinking skills are a must. The right person for this job understands the big picture of what teams are trying to achieve and can also connect the dots between our strategy and daily work. Ownership of projects is a must-have, along with the ability to reimagine what is possible, work as a team and bring a solutions-oriented approach to challenges and obstacles. We’re looking for someone who is creative, compassionate, and who can focus on what matters most.
- Demonstrated, excellent communication skills across writing, speaking, and listening
- Experience motivating and inspiring others with leadership and critical thinking skills
- Conflict management and negotiation skills for supervising and resolving issues across project teams
- Attention to detail for independently assessing and anticipating project risks and issues
- A mix of independent and collaborative working styles
- Experience drafting presentations and speaking to wide range of project contributors, including senior leadership
- Ability to maintain flexibility in a dynamic work environment and meet deadlines under pressure
- B.A./B.S. preferred
- At least 5-7 years of experience working in project or program management or related field
- Project-management certification or coursework preferred
- Excellent grasp of project management tools and concepts, such as Gantt charts, estimation, and project management methodologies (e.g., Critical Path Method, Waterfall, Agile, Scrum, Kanban)
- Proficiency with technology, including Microsoft Office/Office 365/SharePoint
- Comfortable exploring new technical platforms, analyzing their application across the organization and leading implementation and training, as needed
