Project Manager

School District of Philadelphia•Philadelphia, PA

About The Position

For forward-thinking administrators and educators, opportunities abound in the School District of Philadelphia. The School District of Philadelphia is committed to transforming the education opportunities it offers the city’s 200,000 school-aged children. The District seeks leaders who have a passion for working with schools, principals and communities who are committed to ensuring all students achieve. Serving a population as diverse as ours requires creativity, commitment and vision. Will you join us? The role of the Project Manager is to help implement the District’s overall strategic management goal: creating an aligned organization capable of supporting a high-performing system of schools. The work of the Project Manager will touch on all of the core components of strategic management: determining organizational goals; prioritizing and pursuing the highest impact strategies to achieve those goals; tracking progress against targets; strategic problem-solving; coordinating across functional areas; evaluating and adjusting strategies based on data; holding the organization and team members accountable for progress toward collective goals; and identifying and celebrating individual and team contributions to overall efforts. A successful Project Manager will enjoy working at a fast pace; serving in leader, facilitator, and team member roles; developing innovative, evidence-based strategies and solutions to operational barriers; resolving policy barriers; and institutionalizing change.

Requirements

Master’s degree from an accredited college or university.
Three years of full-time, paid, professional experience in project management, consulting, policy, operations, or research, which has included working in education or a related field.
OR
Any equivalent combination of training and experience determined to be acceptable by the Office of Talent.
Demonstrated knowledge of: process improvement and the methods utilized to implement systemic change.
Demonstrated knowledge of: principles, practices, and procedures underlying strategic planning.
Demonstrated knowledge of: principles, practices, and procedures underlying coordination of large-scale projects and initiatives.
Demonstrated ability to: lead and implement strategic initiatives under aggressive deadlines.
Demonstrated ability to: function as an entrepreneurial self-starter, a team leader, a facilitator, and as a member of a team.
Demonstrated ability to: work on multiple projects simultaneously, as evidenced by an ability to balance and prioritize multiple competing priorities.
Demonstrated ability to: identify and break down complex problems and develop strategies to address the identified issues based on quantitative and/or qualitative evidence.
Demonstrated ability to: build and maintain strong, effective working relationships across all levels of an organization.
Demonstrated ability to: coordinate cross-functional teams.
Demonstrated ability to: understand, interpret, and analyze a variety of data sources.
Demonstrated ability to: design and develop systems, tools, and schedules for collecting, maintaining, and reporting on performance data.
Demonstrated ability to: adapt to different situations, particularly when new information is provided.
Demonstrated ability to: communicate in a clear and concise manner, both orally and in writing.
Demonstrated ability to: use Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

Drives incorporation of performance management approaches – and performance culture – in key interactions across the organization.
Establishes routines and facilitates regular project meetings among various District staff involved in implementing and evaluating Action Plan initiatives or project components, or System of Great Schools process for purposes of progress monitoring, program review, and program improvement.
Provides problem-solving support to initiative managers and helps ensure that input and feedback from colleagues across the organization is solicited and incorporated.
Supports initiative managers to identify risks, strategize solutions, and develop plans to address identified issues in order to maintain initiative/project momentum.
Collaborates with managers of priority Action Plan initiatives to define performance goals, set targets, and develop project timelines and milestones to help reach performance goals.
Helps drive annual “system of great schools” process, including data analysis, recommendation development, decision-making, and communication; supports underlying quantitative and qualitative data analysis; develops annual recommendations for high-stakes school actions.
Supports the District’s policy review, revision, and adoption process to ensure compliance and consistency across policies and practice.
Creates presentation materials and talking points for internal and external audiences and diverse stakeholder groups.
Researches education policy issues and strategic management practices and assists in disseminating information to the District’s Student Support Services team.
Supports and helps lead implementation of high-priority special projects including, but not limited to, various District’s strategic partnerships with public, private, and social sector organizations.
Serves as a liaison between the Office of Student Support Services and other District offices to build collaborative relationships across functional teams.
Establishes and maintains relationships with key stakeholders across all levels of the organization and with external partners.
Maintains grant compliance documents and supports the procurement and contracting process.
Supports and facilitates the planning and delivery of large-scale professional development.