Director, Project Management Office

National Council on Aging•Arlington, VA

7h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of the Project Management Office (PMO) provides enterprise-wide leadership to ensure NCOA’s strategic initiatives are executed with clarity, discipline, and measurable impact. Reporting directly to the Chief of Staff, this role is responsible for establishing, leading, and continuously improving NCOA’s PMO to align strategy, operations, and outcomes across the organization. The Director of PMO will work closely with the Economic Wellbeing Strategist and the Healthy Aging Strategist to translate strategic priorities into executable portfolios, ensure cross-functional coordination, and drive progress on high-impact initiatives that advance NCOA’s mission to improve the health and economic security of older adults. Positions at this level typically report to a senior director or executive leader and require advanced knowledge, experience, and management capabilities. They represent the organization externally and are required to exercise latitude and independent judgement with broad scope and minimal oversight. Incumbents generally have eight or more years of experience in their discipline and a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, as well as substantive experience at this level.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required, advanced degree in public administration, business, public health, or a related field preferred
Project Management Professional (PMP) required
8–10+ years of progressive experience in project, program, or portfolio management, including leadership of complex, cross-functional initiatives
Demonstrated experience building or leading a PMO or equivalent enterprise-wide execution function
Strong strategic thinking skills with the ability to operationalize vision into results
Excellent communication skills, with experience presenting to and advising senior executives

Nice To Haves

Mission-driven leader with experience in nonprofit, public sector, healthcare, or social impact organization
Local to NCOA office and operates on a hybrid schedule two days a week
Comfortable operating in complexity and ambiguity while driving clarity and execution
Skilled at influencing without authority and aligning diverse stakeholders around shared goals
Adept at balancing rigor with flexibility in fast-moving, mission-focused environments
Passionate about advancing health, economic security, and equity for older adults

Responsibilities

Lead the development and operation of an enterprise PMO that supports organizational strategy, prioritization, and execution
Oversee NCOA’s portfolio of strategic initiatives, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, timelines, and resources
Establish and maintain standardized project management methodologies, tools, and governance structures
Provide executive-level visibility into initiative status, risks, dependencies, and outcomes
Partner with senior leaders to scope, launch, and deliver complex, cross-functional initiatives
Ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and with clear measures of success and impact
Champion the use of ASANA our primary tool used for project management
Translate organizational strategy into an integrated, actionable roadmap across programs, policy, research, and operations
Advise the Chief of Staff and executive leadership on sequencing, capacity, and tradeoffs across strategic initiatives
Serve as a connective leader across departments to reduce silos and enable coordinated execution
Support strategy implementation efforts led by the Economic Wellbeing Strategist and Healthy Aging Strategist by ensuring operational rigor and delivery discipline
Identify and implement innovative project management approaches that enhance agility, collaboration, and learning
Support cross-sector partnerships by ensuring clear governance, roles, milestones, and accountability structures
Collaborate with internal and external partners to manage joint initiatives, pilots, and demonstrations
Promote a culture of continuous improvement, experimentation, and adaptive learning within project teams
Partner with research and policy teams to ensure initiatives are grounded in evidence and aligned with NCOA’s policy and advocacy goals
Integrate impact measurement and learning into project design and execution
Support the translation of research and policy priorities into actionable initiatives with clear deliverables
Ensure projects contribute to measurable outcomes that advance equity, health, and economic wellbeing for older adults
Build and lead a high-performing PMO function that models collaboration, accountability, and service-oriented leadership
Coach and support project managers and cross-functional teams in effective execution and change management
Foster a culture of transparency, shared ownership, and results-driven work
Serve as a trusted advisor to leaders and staff navigating complex organizational change