Description

Project Manager (Contract to Hire)

Note: This is a fully remote role. The successful candidate may work from any location within the United States. Necessary equipment will be provided by NWEA.

Position Summary
As the Future Impact and Growth (FIG) Project Manager on the Strategy team, you fill an essential role in supporting NWEA's vision of advancing equity and partnering to create systemic change in education by delivering solutions that reveal and unlock potential wherever learning takes place. Simply put, this role supports educators in "dreaming big" by overseeing and engaging in the solution and implementation of these emerging and innovative solutions.

Through collaboration and coordination with internal functional areas, this role aims to take the vision and innovative ideas of educators and industry leaders and operationalize them to then influence the creation of scalable solutions that truly create systemic change in education.

The Future Impact and Growth Project Manager must be comfortable working alongside nimble development teams as well as with being able to execute more formal project artifacts such as project charters and status reports. This position reports to the Director, Enterprise Planning and Delivery and works collaboratively with all members of the FIG team.

Responsibilities

• Support the Future Impact & Growth by providing leadership of cross-functional project
  teams; clarify project objectives and define tactics necessary to accomplish these objectives
• Contribute to definition of project structure, including identification and allocation of resources and creation of project plans
• Participate in development of project budgets and integration of project costs into the
  organization-level budget and financial forecast
• Manage Future Impact and Growth Pipeline to ensure project deliverables, accountabilities, and timelines are being monitored, and follow up activities are scheduled with the right stakeholders
• Track project activity and expenditures against plans; communicate effectively through multiple
  channels to sponsors and key stakeholders; manage external delivery partners where required
• Continuously assess project risk factors and recommend courses of action to mitigate risk
• Participate in developing, maintaining, and evolving standards, tools, templates and documented processes for process improvement and project governance
• Develop project and resource portfolio planning, tracking, and reporting mechanisms
• Perform other duties as assigned to ensure the success of the team and the organization

Skills and abilities

• Ability to lead multiple projects with a high degree of attention, diligence, and rigor
• Proven ability to successfully manage and facilitate cross-functional teams; ability to build strong working relationships and work with many levels of an organization
• Advanced proficiency in a broad range of applications, including Microsoft Office, Microsoft
  Project, MS Visio, and process mapping tools
• Well-developed communication skills, including the ability to transform complexities into clear,
  concise written communications
• Ability to distinguish milestones and measures critical to project success and translate these into meaningful management information
• Ability to balance competing demands for project scope, time, cost, risk, and quality
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to transform complexities into clear, concise written communications.
• Negotiation skills with ability to remain cool under pressure and demonstrate competence when challenged
• Ability to facilitate and control meetings and discussions where disparate points of views need to
  be voiced and acknowledged
• Must be able to perform the physical and intellectual requirements of the role, with or without
  accommodation

Competencies

• Instill trust: gain the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity
• Communicate effectively: develop and deliver multi-mode communications that convey a clear
  understanding of the unique needs of different audiences
• Drive results: consistently achieve results, even under tough circumstances
• Ensure accountability: hold self and others accountable to meet commitments
• Persuade: use compelling arguments to gain the support and commitment of others
• Manage ambiguity: operate effectively, even when things are not certain, or the way forward is not clear
• Collaborate: build partnerships and work collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives
• Plan and align: plan and prioritize work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals
• Situational adaptability: adapt approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting
  demands of different situations
• Balance stakeholders: anticipate and balance the needs of multiple stakeholders

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or similar discipline preferred; MBA or other
  advanced degree or equivalent work experience a plus. An equivalent combination of education
  and experience will be considered in lieu of a degree
• Minimum three years of practical delivery experience in the area of project management with
  demonstrated results
• Strong preference for experience in the technology industry
• Experience in vendor relations for program/project outsourced services a plus
• Exposure to project management processes including project portfolio prioritization, estimating,
  project planning, budgeting, scheduling, risk, and issue management
• CAPM or PMP certification desired; experience with creation of project portfolio management
  tools and design of dynamic, data-driven web applications highly desirable.

This position description indicates the general nature and levels of work, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other essential functions expected of an incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of an incumbent. This description is subject to change and an incumbent may be asked to perform other duties as required.

What do you think about something similar to one of these to try to encourage diverse candidates to apply? Not sure you meet 100% of our qualifications? Research shows that men apply for jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria. Yet, women and other people who are systematically marginalized tend to only apply if they meet every requirement. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you're new to arts and culture administration, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or take the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar. Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interest in the arts and culture space and what you hope to bring to this role."

"Expertise in each requirement listed above is not expected - instead, we encourage applications from those who demonstrate a mix of expertise in some areas, and a commitment to learning and experimentation in others. Skills and relevant experience outlined in your application may be paid or unpaid, and can include internships, volunteer work, and practicums. We understand that experience, education and learning, and creativity may take many forms, and expect that qualified applicants may bring additional skills to this position that we've not considered or listed here. If this role interests you, we encourage you to apply!"

About Us...

NWEA® is a research-based, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators worldwide by creating assessment solutions that precisely measure growth and proficiency-and provide timely data to help tailor instruction. For more than 40 years, NWEA has developed innovative pre-K-12 assessments, including our flagship interim assessment, MAP® Growth™; our progress monitoring and skills mastery tool, MAP® Skills™; and our reading fluency and comprehension assessment, MAP® Reading Fluency™. Educators trust our professional learning offerings to accelerate student learning and our research to support assessment validity and data interpretation. More than 11 million students in 146 countries use our solutions to support their learning and growth each year.

What We Can Offer You...

At NWEA we not only offer a competitive base salary, we offer a 15% contribution of eligible employees' base salary to a defined contribution 403(b) retirement savings plan; career development opportunities; an awesome work culture and environment; we also offer industry leading benefits and perks that are focused on supporting our employees' holistic wellbeing. To learn more about what we can offer more, click here.

NWEA strives to make diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) practices the center of our work. Our organization's mission, Partnering to Help All Kids Learn, is the foundation for our DEIA commitment as we work to reflect, value, and support the educators, students, colleagues, and communities we serve. We seek to empower and engage all stakeholders in the research, services, solutions, and products we provide, our organizational culture, and the partnerships we establish with schools, districts, states, and countries.

NWEA™ endeavors to make www.nwea.org accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please call us at (503) 624-1951 or e-mail us at [email protected] and let us know the nature of your request, your location and your contact information. This is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

NWEA™ is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. For our EEO Policy Statement, please visit our website. If you'd like more information on your EEO rights under the law, please visit the EEOC website