Summary
The Project Management Office (PMO) within the Office of the President works across the Agency to enable and support the implementation of our strategy. The team is responsible for the delivery of large and complex, transformational projects. It builds capacity to help our people lead and navigate change and focus our resources on the most important work. The PMO partners with divisions and SCI/A to advance our breakthroughs and optimize SCUS’s contribution to the movement.
The Managing Director, Project Delivery sits within the PMO and is responsible for leading and enabling Project Managers (PMs) to deliver in accordance with our Save the Children project management methodologies. You will line manage some (but not all) of the PMO Project Leads. You will have overall accountability for ensuring that the projects within their line of accountability successfully complete project management deliverables and move through project stage-gates, including directly managing interventions in projects where significant risk exists and support is needed.
The Managing Director, Project Delivery will work closely with Save the Children International’s Transformational Delivery Team.
What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)
Project Management and Delivery (40%)
- Coach, support, empower, and line manage (including performance management) assigned Project Leads with a long-term, cross-project view of coaching to develop the team as an organizational capability within the PMO.
- Provide project-related expertise and guidance to senior stakeholders within the Agency.
- Work with assigned Project Leads to ensure projects are supported by adequate Project and Change Management resources from the PMO, making decisions on assignments after consultation with project teams.
- Work with Project Leads to ensure that each transformation project has clear, effective governance and an operational acceptance process.
- Ensure that transformation projects are successfully completed and that Project Management deliverables are progressed through project stage-gates:
- Work closely with Project Leads in off-track projects to develop action plans to mitigate risk and attain green status.
- In coordination with Project Leads, manage execution of interventions within projects where significant outcome risks are identified.
- In some cases, this role may serve as the Project Lead on a high-visibility project, with the support of one or more Project Managers.
Portfolio Management (30%)
- Prepare and maintain a high-level integrated plan across the portfolio: partner with Project Leads to ensure critical milestones are captured.
- Build an integrated resourcing plan across the portfolio: partner with Project Leads, BTS operations teams, and other key stakeholders to ensure resource needs are anticipated and communicated.
- Proactively monitor and raise key dependencies across projects within the portfolio.
- Support in the development and delivery of materials for SCUS’s Transformation Steering Group, leveraging the group for effective decision-making and intervention.
- Document and escalate any portfolio-level risks and issues for management by Sponsors or Transformation Steering Group/SLT.
- Maintain oversight into portfolio financials, supporting and driving annual and monthly budgeting activities.
- Lead on the annual Transformation Benefits Report, soliciting inputs from Project Leads and senior leaders, advising on how to identify and measure strong outputs.
- Partner with the Managing Director, Change Management to determine the best approach to integrated change management across the portfolio. Serve as the PMO divisional point-person for select divisions that need engagement from a broader portfolio lens.
PMO Operations and Capacity Building (30%)
- Maintain the development of the SC Project Management Methodology: own the methodology and manage any updates, be accountable for use of the methodology within the PMO.
- Partner with BTS to incorporate IT-related deliverables into the PM Methodology and to reflect preferred ways of working (e.g. with BTS product teams) into PMO guidance.
- Maintain accountability for the PM software used by the PMO, including any upgrades/shifts we might make to the preferred software. Manage relationship with vendor as well as guidance and training to Project Leads.
- Build out an annual workplan to attain and maintain the desired level of PMO maturity; ensure delivery against planned activities.
- Train and coach staff in the project-related methodologies, including Continuous Improvement, and Project Delivery (waterfall, Agile, etc.).
- Partner with counterparts in SCI’s PMO to stay abreast of changes in their approaches, methodology and trainings. Where it makes sense, revise SCUS’s guidance and materials to align and to leverage best practices.
- Stay abreast of project management trends in the industry and actively bring those insights into the PMO.
- Perform other duties as may be required.
Required Qualifications
- Minimum of a Bachelor Degree or equivalent experience, plus at least 10 years of relevant experience.
- Experience in non-profit, international development, project management, change & deployment or related field.
- Experience with the successful management and deployment of large, transformation projects in complex organizational environments.
- Experience with industry project and management standards and holding project teams accountable to those standards; knowledge and experience of working within a standardized project methodology.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with high levels of change and quick turnaround times, whilst delivering to the highest standards.
- Substantial people and team management experience, including strong coaching skills.
- Ability to resolve complex project issues, with a balance of pragmatism and rigor.
- An understanding of key trends in international and humanitarian development and how technology can and is being utilized to support these developments.
- Ability to manage relationships and comfort to influence others without authority.
- Experience of solving complex issues through analysis, definition of a clear way forward and ensuring buy-in.
- A strong results orientation and proactive approach.
- Professional proficiency in MS Office suite.
- Professional proficiency in spoken and written English.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with individuals and teams at all levels, both internally and externally.
- Demonstrated commitment to fostering and maintaining an environment of diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
Preferred Qualifications
- Continuous Improvement Green Belt certification.
- Accelerated Delivery and Improvement certification.
- Experience leading data & digital-related projects.
- Experience with both Agile and waterfall project methodologies.
- Experience utilizing a variety of project management software and tools (e.g. MS Project, Planview, JIRA).
Compensation
Save the Children is offering the following salary ranges for this position, dependent on candidate location:
- Geo 1 - NY Metro, DC, and other locations with labor costs significantly above national average: Target Salary for this position is $131,750 – $147,250 base salary.
- Geo 2 - Locations around the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $119,850 – $133,950 base salary.
- Geo 3 - Locations significantly below the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $107,950 – $120,650 base salary.
The salary ranges listed above are for US based candidates. For candidates located outside of the US, salary ranges will be based on the salary scales of the local employer of record.
Actual base salary may vary based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience, base salary of internal peers, business sector, and geographic location (more information on job structure is available here). Employee may be eligible for an incentive program. Save the Children US also offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, a retirement savings plan with employer contribution, paid vacation leave, safety & wellness leave, family leave, parental/adoption leave, caregiver leave, and much more.
About Save the Children
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.
Our work for children and their families requires that we commit—at every opportunity—to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond. As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form—in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.
Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse.
Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)
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