Manager of Special Projects & Planning

Asphalt Green•New York, NY

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Asphalt Green is seeking a highly organized, thoughtful, and execution-focused Manager, Special Projects & Planning to support the planning and advancement of some of the organization’s most important priorities, with an initial focus on major capital, real estate, and campus planning initiatives. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, this role will work across multiple executive workstreams, including construction and delivery, finance and transaction strategy, programs and operations, communications, government relations, people strategy, and capital campaign efforts. The Manager will help keep this complex work organized and moving forward by coordinating meetings and follow-up, tracking decisions and action items, preparing briefings and memos, synthesizing information, conducting research and analysis, and ensuring leadership has clear visibility into progress, outstanding issues, and decisions that need to be made. The Manager will also work closely with the COO on capital and real estate initiatives, collaborating with the Owner’s Representative, architects, construction manager, engineers, consultants, vendors, and other project partners. While this role will not serve as the project manager for the design and construction team, it will help connect that work to the broader organizational planning, decision-making, and executive workstreams surrounding these projects. The ideal candidate is an exceptional organizer, writer, and problem solver who can quickly understand complex issues, distill large amounts of information into clear and useful work products, and bring structure and follow-through to fast-moving priorities. They should be comfortable working with senior leaders and external partners, capable of moving between big-picture thinking and detailed execution, and eager to take on a wide range of projects as organizational needs evolve. Asphalt Green is advancing several complex, long-term priorities that require coordination across teams, disciplines, and external partners. Major work involving campus planning, real estate, capital investment, construction, operations, fundraising, government relations, and organizational growth generates a significant amount of information, decisions, and follow-up that must remain organized and connected. The Manager, Special Projects & Planning will help bring structure and clarity to this work. By coordinating across workstreams, preparing executive and Board briefings, documenting decisions and next steps, conducting research and analysis, and keeping important information organized and accessible, this role will help leadership maintain visibility and make informed, timely decisions. The impact of this role will extend beyond any single project. By helping connect people, information, and priorities, the Manager will increase Asphalt Green’s capacity to advance complex initiatives, anticipate issues, maintain momentum, and execute thoughtfully as the organization continues to grow and plan for its future.

Requirements

At least 4 years of professional experience in project coordination, planning, operations, real estate, capital projects, consulting, nonprofit management, or another role involving complex, cross-functional work.
Experience coordinating multiple projects, priorities, stakeholders, deadlines, and follow-up at the same time.
Exceptional written communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information and produce clear, concise summaries, memos, presentations, meeting notes, and other professional materials.
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with an ability to create structure around work that may not always arrive neatly defined.
Experience working with senior leaders, external partners, consultants, vendors, or cross-functional teams.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to research unfamiliar topics, identify key issues, and organize information to support decision-making.
Sound judgment and the ability to recognize when an issue, risk, or decision should be elevated to leadership.
Ability to work independently, take ownership of assignments, and consistently follow through while keeping appropriate stakeholders informed.
Comfort working in a fast-moving environment where priorities may evolve and assignments may range from detailed coordination to research, analysis, writing, and planning.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including PowerPoint, Word, and Excel, and comfort learning and using project tracking, collaboration, and planning tools.
Ability to work onsite as needed at Asphalt Green locations, project sites, and external meetings.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting capital projects, real estate initiatives, facilities planning, construction, campus expansion, or other physical development projects.
Experience in nonprofit, education, government, real estate, consulting, community development, sports, fitness, recreation, or another mission-driven or campus-based environment.
Experience preparing executive briefings, Board materials, presentations, research memos, decision documents, dashboards, or similar materials for senior audiences.
Experience working with architects, engineers, owner’s representatives, construction managers, real estate professionals, consultants, vendors, or other external partners.
Experience conducting research, analysis, due diligence, or planning in support of organizational or investment decisions.
Experience supporting project budgets or financial tracking, including expenses, invoices, budget updates, or other financial information.
Experience supporting cross-functional initiatives involving multiple departments, senior leaders, or external stakeholders.
Exposure to organizational planning, change management, operational improvement, or other special projects that require coordination across different areas of an organization.

Responsibilities

Lead coordination across executive workstreams, including construction and delivery, finance and transaction strategy, programs and operations, communications, government relations, people strategy, and capital campaign efforts.
Work directly with Executive Team leads and other stakeholders to understand priorities, timelines, milestones, dependencies, decisions, and upcoming needs across workstreams.
Maintain clear records of commitments, action items, decisions, deadlines, and outstanding issues, and follow up with responsible parties to keep work moving forward.
Connect information and activity across workstreams, identifying dependencies, competing priorities, gaps, or issues that may require additional coordination or leadership attention.
Prepare agendas and materials for recurring project and workstream meetings, document discussions and decisions, and ensure clear follow-up.
Identify emerging risks, unresolved questions, or potential roadblocks and surface them to the COO and other appropriate leaders with clear context.
Prepare regular executive updates that synthesize progress across workstreams and highlight key developments, upcoming milestones, outstanding issues, and decisions needed.
Serve as a core member of the Construction and Delivery workstream, working closely with the Chief Operating Officer and the broader project team.
Coordinate with the Owner’s Representative and other partners to maintain visibility into project activity, decisions, schedules, and upcoming needs.
Support planning related to project schedules, phasing, budgets, procurement, consultant deliverables, approvals, and major decision points.
Partner with the Senior Director of Operations and Facilities to ensure project planning reflects campus needs, safety considerations, staff impact, member experience, and day-to-day operational realities.
Assist with other capital, real estate, expansion, and organizational planning projects as priorities evolve.
Conduct research and analysis on issues related to major organizational priorities and translate findings into clear, useful recommendations and work products.
Take complex or loosely defined assignments and help develop the information, analysis, structure, and next steps needed to move them forward.
Prepare briefing memos, decision documents, presentations, background materials, talking points, and other materials for the COO, Executive Team, Board, and external stakeholders.
Synthesize information from multiple departments, consultants, meetings, and source materials into concise summaries that clearly identify what matters, what remains unresolved, and what decisions or actions are needed.
Support special projects assigned by the COO, which may extend beyond the role’s primary capital and real estate portfolio.
Develop planning tools, trackers, templates, and other resources that improve coordination, visibility, and follow-through across complex initiatives.
Maintain organized and accessible records of key project information, decisions, commitments, and supporting materials.
Produce clear, concise, and executive-ready written materials, including project updates, briefing memos, meeting summaries, presentations, dashboards, decision logs, and Board materials.
Attend key internal and external meetings, capture the substance of discussions and decisions, and translate them into clear actions and follow-up.
Maintain accurate and current documentation so leadership can quickly understand project status, history, outstanding issues, and next steps.
Help prepare the COO and other leaders for important meetings by gathering background information, identifying open questions, summarizing relevant history, and organizing materials.
Coordinate information and communications across internal teams and external partners to reduce gaps, duplication, and confusion.
Support internal communications related to major projects and organizational initiatives, helping teams understand what is changing, why it matters, and what is expected of them.