Project Manager, Design & Exhibits

Shedd Aquarium•Chicago, IL

17h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Project Manager is part of the Design & Exhibit team at Shedd and helps to coordinate the work of the Brand Design, Exhibit, Media, Horticulture, and Fabrication teams. Reporting to the Senior Creative Directors, the PM works closely with multiple Senior Directors and the Production Manager to define and manage the work plan, resource needs, timeline, and budget for the creative team’s projects. The PM collaborates with multiple internal teams to be informed of current and upcoming projects requiring creative resources to guide appropriate resource allocations. An approximate breakdown of the percentage of time spent is 75% on Brand design and 25% on Exhibits, though this will fluctuate by the type and pace of active projects. To be successful in this role, you must be highly organized and deadline-driven with a high level of commitment to quality, strong organizational skills, be able to remain focused in a fast-paced environment, and have excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Requirements

Associate’s degree required; Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Relevant experience in a creative field is preferred.
Equivalent combinations of education and experience will be considered.
5+ years of professional experience in resource or project management, working in an agency or brand environment with graphic designers.
Exhibit design experience is a bonus.
Basic understanding of core graphic design and print production principles
Project management experience with proven ability to successfully manage large-scale projects and initiatives.
Comfort working under accelerated timelines and multitasking to manage various projects.
Ability to communicate detailed information in a clear, organized manner.
Ability to effectively say “no” and address concerns.
Proficiency in project management software, Jira preferred
Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
Experience with Mondays.com is a plus.
Ability to listen and understand team and project needs as well as a willingness to collaborate for solutions.

Nice To Haves

Exhibit design experience is a bonus.
Experience with Mondays.com is a plus.

Responsibilities

Establish partnerships within the aquarium, creative teams, and other internal partners to understand collective scopes of work, expertise, and team resources available.
Partner with senior directors to evaluate intake requests for projects and assign resources appropriately according to skill set, experience, and areas of expertise or aspirations.
Build project schedules for marketing, exhibition, and other creative projects with Senior Directors
Assign projects and tasks to the Creative team within the project management system, collaborating with Senior Directors on expected time investment.
Lead or actively participate in stand-ups and intake meetings to review needs and continually reprioritize resources as needed.
Manage scheduling and agendas for review of creative concepts and executions.
Oversee creative group assignments and structure, and propose adjustments in structure as needed to align with museum priorities.
Work to improve the day-to-day of the creative teams, making sure they can be as effective as possible in their roles, always looking for ways to make their jobs easier by improving cross-functional relationships, identifying gaps/issues with workflows, etc.
Ensure the team’s time investment aligns with identified aquarium priorities.
Manage communications, timelines, and workflow between the creative teams, internal stakeholders, contractors, freelancers, and vendors across multiple projects.
Streamline and centralize internal databases of creative talent, including management and approval of contracts.
Help the teams build out process documents and maintain records.
Manage project budgets, including estimates, confirmation of deliverables, invoice approval, and payment while maintaining the budget tracker.
Effectively coordinate and communicate between creative teams and other internal teams.