Project Director (Grant Funded)

Northwest Mississippi Community College•Senatobia, MS

8h•Onsite

About The Position

The Project Director will provide day-to-day leadership for Northwest Mississippi Community College’s Strengthening Community Colleges Round 6 (SCC6) grant and the Mississippi Workforce Pell Systems and Pathways Initiative. The Project Director will lead implementation of this statewide initiative and coordinate the work of participating community colleges, state agencies, workforce partners, employers, contractors, and subrecipients. This position will report directly to the Vice President of Administration and Finance. The Project Director will keep the project on schedule, ensure grant activities meet federal requirements, and monitor progress toward required outcomes and deliverables. The position will coordinate project staff and partners, oversee contracts and subawards, support statewide Workforce Pell implementation, and use project and performance data to identify issues and guide implementation. The Project Director will also lead regular project coordination activities and serve as the primary operational point of contact between Northwest Mississippi Community College and the U.S. Department of Labor. The successful candidate will be a strong project leader who can manage a complex, federally funded initiative involving multiple organizations and competing deadlines. The position requires strong communication, organization, problem-solving, and relationship-management skills and the ability to turn a statewide project plan into clear actions, assigned responsibilities, measurable results, and completed deliverables. The position is full time and 100% grant funded through 9/30/2030, pending continuing federal funding. Full benefits will be provided.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
At least three years of professional experience in project management, grant management, program management or supervision, partnership development, or a closely related area.
Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects involving multiple organizations, responsibilities, and deadlines.
Strong organizational and project-management skills, including the ability to establish priorities, track deliverables, manage deadlines, and follow projects through completion.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to build and maintain working relationships with internal and external partners.
Ability to lead meetings, coordinate teams, communicate expectations, and follow up on assigned actions.
Ability to identify project risks and implementation problems and coordinate practical solutions.
Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining attention to detail.
Proficiency with standard computer applications used for project management, communication, document preparation, spreadsheets, and reporting.
Computer proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook email and calendar management.
Ability to multi-task and prioritize and communicate clearly and effectively in a timely manner.
Strong organizational skills with attention to detail.
Ability to collaborate with others and work as part of a team.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree from an accredited college or university.
Three (3) or more years of experience working with workforce development programs.
Experience managing or implementing federal or state grants.
Experience working with community colleges, higher education, workforce agencies, employers, or statewide partnerships.
Experience coordinating contracts, subawards, contractors, or partner organizations.
Knowledge of federal grant compliance, performance reporting, or program monitoring.
Experience working on large, multi-partner projects or statewide initiatives.

Responsibilities

Lead the overall administration and day-to-day implementation of the SCC6 grant.
Develop and maintain project schedules, priorities, milestones, and deliverables to keep grant activities on track.
Coordinate project activities among Northwest Mississippi Community College, participating community colleges, AccelerateMS, the Mississippi Community College Board, the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, NSPARC, the Mississippi Business Alliance/WorkFuture Institute, employers, and other project partners.
Lead consortium coordination and support statewide governance activities related to Workforce Pell implementation.
Supervise the Data and Performance Manager, also a grant-funded position, and coordinate the work of contractors, consultants, and subrecipients.
Coordinate the programmatic oversight of grant-funded contracts and subawards and monitor progress against approved scopes of work and deliverables.
Work with fiscal and compliance staff to support adherence to U.S. Department of Labor requirements, grant terms and conditions, institutional policies, and applicable federal requirements.
Monitor implementation of the approved project work plan and identify delays, risks, or barriers that could affect project outcomes.
Develop corrective actions and coordinate with project partners to resolve implementation issues.
Work closely with the Data and Performance Manager to monitor project performance, data quality, reporting requirements, and progress toward grant outcomes.
Coordinate statewide activities that prepare participating community colleges for Workforce Pell implementation, including systems modernization, institutional readiness, employer engagement, workforce system alignment, and data integration.
Plan and lead regular project meetings, document decisions and action items, and follow up with responsible parties.
Maintain clear communication with college leadership, project partners, contractors, subrecipients, and other stakeholders.
Coordinate required programmatic reports, grant documentation, and other deliverables.
Maintain organized project records that support federal monitoring, reporting, and audit readiness.
Serve as the primary operational point of contact with the U.S. Department of Labor for SCC6 grant implementation.
Perform other grant-related duties necessary to achieve the approved SCC6 project goals and deliverables.