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Senior Project Manager

Employer
First Book
Location
Washington D.C.
Closing date
Aug 8, 2021

Job Details

About First Book:
First Book (https://firstbook.org) believes that education offers children the best possible path out of poverty. Since 1992, First Book has distributed more than 200 million books and educational materials to children from low-income families. Reaching 5 million children from birth to age 18 annually, First Book has built the country’s largest and fastest growing network of educators serving kids in need. Today First Book reaches 510,000 educators nationwide with an additional 1,000 joining every week. In addition to our work in the United States, First Book also distributed books to children in more than 30 countries last year. 

A recognized leader in social enterprise, First Book harnesses the power of the private sector to advance social change. First Book has also been highlighted for its innovation and impact by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, the World Economic Forum and in case studies at Columbia Business School, Wharton Business School, the Yale School of Management, and the London School of Economics. Finally, Charity Navigator recently awarded First Book its highest rating, including a perfect score for Accountability & Transparency.

About the position
The Senior Project Manager is responsible for assigned First Book projects, including a high-visibility program spanning five years, beginning in 2021.  First Book is embarking on a multi-year program to address the opportunity and resource gap among young people in low-income and historically excluded communities by equipping educators and the young people they serve with the mindset and tools as powerful changemakers.  Working in collaboration with a closely-aligned non-profit partner organization and a multinational corporate funding partner, beginning in the U.S. and expanding internationally, the incumbent will manage this, and all assigned projects in accordance with specified budgets and schedules. The Sr. Project Manager will be responsible for managing projects to deliver the required impact metrics, with support from First Book leadership and colleagues.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Proven track-record of managing large scale, complex projects and programs, the incumbent will have the following responsibilities:  
•    Manage a portfolio of complex, inter-related initiatives that span multiple lines of business for the full project lifecycle from early planning to all phases of implementation.
•    In concert with SVP of Finance and other organizational leaders, prepare detailed project plan and financial estimates for all phases of the program
•    Analyze business impact with SVP of Finance and manage scope, schedule, costs, resources, and risks throughout project lifecycle 
•    Collaborate effectively with First Book staff from multiple departments across the organization, as well as with external (partner) team members 
•    Provide on-site leadership for projects by building, guiding, motivating, and directing team members to meet project goals, adhering to their responsibilities and project milestones.
•    Collaborate with corporate and nonprofit partner managers to ensure effective partner management
•    Provide reporting regarding project milestones, deliverable, dependencies, risks and issues, communicating across leadership
•    Maintain appropriate and effective executive level communication

Qualifications:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required:

Education and/or Experience: 
•    Bachelor's Degree in appropriate field of study or equivalent work experience
•    PMP desired, with experience in at least one of the following: Agile, SCRUM, Waterfall methodologies and practice
•    5+ years of full life-cycle project management experience, preferably with teams formed from multiple divisions and organizations
•    5+ years of experience working with business stakeholders within a cross-functional matrix environment
•    2+ years of experience gathering and documenting requirements from stakeholders – including staff and external business partners - and from project-related documentation
•    Experience working internationally, preferably in Latin America, Indonesia, or India
•    Extensive understanding of project and program management principles, methods and techniques, with a proven track record of delivering on-time, on-schedule, and within budget
•    Strong leadership, diplomatic and motivational skills including the ability to lead up, across and down multiple businesses and organizations
•    Experience in utilizing internal financial systems and templates to measure and analyze data/impact
•    Strong experience presenting to executive sponsors and demonstrated communication skills, both written and oral with technical and non-technical staff, all levels of management
•    Experience working both independently and, in a team-oriented, collaborative environment
•    Able to anticipate and correct for problems 
•    Apply entrepreneurial thinking to reveal and leverage potential niche opportunities, retool original business processes as needed 
•    Proven ability to work creatively and analytically in a problem-solving environment demonstrating teamwork, innovation and excellence
•    Self-motivated and decisive, with the ability to adapt to shifting priorities, demands, and timelines
•    Expertise in Excel, Word and PowerPoint 
•    Experience with project portfolio management (PPM) software such as MS Project, Visio, or SmartSheet

All full-time employees are eligible for the following benefits:

  • Medical insurance
  • Dental insurance
  • Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment coverage
  • Vacation leave
  • Sick leave
  • Eleven Annual Holidays
  • 401K and employer matching pension contribution
  • Transportation benefits


TO APPLY:
Candidates are invited to submit a resume, and a cover letter that details your interest in the position.  If you need assistance applying please contact us at ajones@firstbook.org , 202-499-5935.

Company

First Book is dedicated to ensuring that all children, regardless of their background or zip code, can succeed, by removing barriers to equitable education. We reach 5 million kids each year in low-income communities across North America, providing books and resources through a powerful network of more than 575,000 educators, the largest online community of its kind. By infusing high-quality resources into classrooms and programs nationwide, we level the playing field so that kids are ready to learn — because education transforms lives.

Our Core Values Champion of Educators

We are passionate supporters of the educators who serve kids in need. Our First Book Network, a community of more than 575,000 educators and professionals who serve kids in under-resourced communities, has unparalleled knowledge into the educational barriers that confront their students. By researching their needs and challenges, First Book empowers these educators by providing books, resources, and initiatives that are directly informed by their feedback. In this way, educators help shape our resources, partnerships, and strategic solutions. We facilitate the sharing of best practices and expand educators’ access to affordable tools and resources. The result is that our educators are more supported and empowered to better serve their students and communities.

Social Innovation

We pride ourselves on having business minds and non-profit hearts. Using proven private-sector approaches, we design sustainable, system-changing strategies that drive measurable results. We are building a movement using insights and innovative ideas that amplify impact and disrupt the status quo in education.

Eliminating Barriers

First Book is dedicated to breaking down the barriers to educational equity by increasing access to evidence-based best practices, books, and resources in underserved communities. 

Purposeful Collaboration

First Book is a bridge-builder, collaborating with public and private partners, translating best-in-class expertise into educational resources to support learning for kids in need. We partner with field experts, publishers, corporations, foundations, fellow nonprofits, leading academics, and individual donors to address the critical needs expressed by educators. These mission-driven alliances enable us to expedite resources to those who need them the most. Our collaborative approach results in a shared social identity and tangible impact, changing the lives of children in need for generations to come. 

Company info
Website
Telephone
(202) 393-1222
Location
1319 F St NW, Suite 1000
Washington
DC
20004
United States

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