Specialist, Strategic Projects

New York Cares • New York, NY

1d

About The Position

The Specialist, Strategic Projects supports the planning, coordination, and execution of high-impact strategic initiatives, signature events, and cross-functional projects within New York Cares’ Signature Partnerships & Volunteer Experiences (SP&VE) department. The role provides flexible operational and project management support across large-scale volunteer activations, corporate engagement opportunities, and organizational priority initiatives. It involves leading and supporting projects that require elevated coordination, strategic thinking, stakeholder management, and strong execution. The position is intended for an organized, solutions-oriented professional who can manage complex logistics, enable cross-functional collaboration, and help strengthen operational systems and volunteer experiences across the department.

The Specialist supports department-wide planning and execution for signature campaigns and events, including 9/11 Day, Cares Day, Stand with Students, and Coat Drive. The role also supports high-volume volunteer events, corporate engagement experiences, high-touch partners, and large-scale events of 200 or more attendees. It contributes to staff capacity building, partner relationships, volunteer engagement and retention, and consistent volunteer and partner experience standards. Additional duties may be assigned as needed.

Requirements

• Demonstrated understanding of event logistics management, budgeting, and vendor management best practices.
• Ability to apply strategic judgment and reassess or pivot in response to unpredictable circumstances.
• Skill in breaking down overarching strategies into actionable tasks for clear and efficient execution.
• Ability to facilitate engaging discussions that encourage participation, collaboration, and innovation.
• Ability to build genuine connections with a broad range of stakeholders and understand their perspectives and needs.
• Ability to cultivate strong relationships with community and corporate partners, understand their event preferences, collect feedback, and customize event offerings to meet their needs.
• Ability to build trust, manage conflict, and apply empathy and diplomacy in interactions.
• Excellent oral, written, and presentation communication skills.
• Ability to interact effectively with culturally diverse communities and maintain awareness of racial and social justice issues.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support assigned strategic initiatives and special projects across SP&VE.
• Manage timelines, deliverables, logistics, and internal coordination for high-priority activations.
• Support department-wide planning and execution for signature campaigns and events, including 9/11 Day, Cares Day, Stand with Students, Coat Drive, and other large-scale initiatives.
• Coordinate cross-functional communication among Programs, Development, MarComms, Operations, and external partners.
• Support the Associate Director and Senior Officers, Signature Partnerships & Volunteer Experiences, in strengthening the purpose, stakeholder experience, and scalability of signature events.
• Manage special-project or large-scale events with 200 or more attendees, ensuring execution aligns with the event design and objectives.
• Support the execution of high-volume volunteer events and corporate engagement experiences.
• Assist with run-of-show development, staffing plans, supply management, and day-of operations.
• Identify operational improvements and scalable systems for large-scale activations.
• Provide elevated support for high-touch partners and stakeholders.
• Assist in training, onboarding, and upskilling coordinators and cross-functional staff in event execution best practices.
• Share project management tools, operational processes, and event standards across teams.
• Support the implementation of consistent volunteer and partner experience standards.
• Maintain positive working relationships with community partners, corporate partners, vendors, and volunteers.
• Support the development and execution of volunteer engagement and retention strategies aligned with organizational goals.
• Analyze volunteer participation trends and identify opportunities to deepen volunteer connection, consistency, and long-term engagement.
• Strengthen volunteer pathways from first-time engagement through leadership and recurring service opportunities.
• Support Team Leader engagement efforts, volunteer recognition initiatives, and community-building opportunities.
• Collaborate with internal teams to improve volunteer communications, onboarding experiences, and retention-focused touchpoints.
• Reinforce volunteer experience standards and operational excellence across projects and programs.
• Collaborate with the Director, Signature Partnerships & Events, in support of the team’s strategic goals.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: No Education Listed