Director of Special Projects

Groundwork Collaborative•Washington, DC

3d•$145,000 - $179,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Special Projects is a creative, nimble operator in Groundwork's operations team, partnering with the COO, internal team members, and outside consultants to drive key operational initiatives. The job is equal parts inventor and builder: sometimes designing a solution where none exists, other times laying the systems and infrastructure a fast-growing organization needs to scale. The role engages projects in different ways depending on the work: as end-to-end owner, cross-vertical collaborator, or subject matter expert lending operational depth to a specific workstream. This role is built for someone who thrives in both structure and ambiguity, jumps between contexts with ease, and brings both creative problem-solving and rigorous follow-through to whatever lands on their plate. You'll work across systems, data, operations, and strategy—building the infrastructure and workflows that help the organization scale and perform.

Requirements

7–10+ years of experience in operations, program management, or implementation-focused roles
Demonstrated ability to move quickly, work across diverse workstreams, and pivot without losing momentum
Creative problem-solver who can ideate effectively in spaces without established processes or precedent
Strong project management skills with a track record of delivering complex initiatives end-to-end
Experience building or managing dashboards, reporting systems, or data workflows
High comfort with ambiguity—able to structure unclear problems, not just execute well-defined ones
Excellent communication and collaboration skills; able to work across teams and translate between technical and non-technical contexts
Self-directed and low-ego: equally comfortable taking direction and rolling up their sleeves

Nice To Haves

Experience in nonprofit finance and operations
Startup organizations experience
Data development experience
CRM and project management platforms (e.g., Airtable, Salesforce, ClickUp, Asana)
Creative problem solver
Servant leadership mindset

Responsibilities

Lead Project Management & Execution: Own project management for high-priority initiatives, from scoping through delivery. Translate initiatives into clear workplans and timelines. Drive execution, proactively unblock issues, and ensure on-time delivery at a high standard. Establish and maintain project management norms, systems and reporting. Pivot fluidly between initiatives as organizational priorities evolve.
Ideate and Build in New Spaces: Partner with the COO and leadership to problem-solve in areas without established playbooks and help define success when the organization is tackling something new, then build toward it. Bring creative, practical thinking to novel operational challenges. Surface approaches and opportunities that leadership hasn't yet considered.
Build Data Systems & Dashboards: Lead development of internal dashboards and reporting tools across teams. Help define key metrics and ensure consistent data tracking across the organization. Maintain and improve fundraising data systems for pipeline tracking, reporting, and profiles. Translate team needs into practical, usable reporting tools that improve data visibility and reliability. Drive adoption of tools (e.g., CRM, dashboards, project tracking) in partnership with outside vendors where relevant. Ensure systems are practical, well-documented, and consistently used.
Improve Workflows & Reduce Friction: Identify and implement opportunities to streamline operations. Introduce automations and process improvements that reduce manual work. Standardize workflows to improve clarity, efficiency, and consistency. Help turn strategy into clear, usable workflows and documentation; support teams in adopting new ways of working.
Support Strategic Planning: Help operationalize organizational strategy and planning frameworks. Support progress tracking and internal reporting on key goals. Contribute to forward projections and materials development.