Director, Project Management Office
About The Wakeman Agency
Founded in 2003, The Wakeman Agency is a social change firm, partnering with progressive nonprofits and socially responsible companies. Known as “the people behind the people at the forefront of social change and innovation,” The Wakeman Agency serves as a trusted advisor to organizations around the globe. Our core services include public relations, special events, thought leadership development, crisis communications and strategic counsel.
Job Summary
We are seeking a mission-driven leader who has built a project management office from the ground up. This person will work to develop the highest standards of processes for the organization. The Director of the PMO will lead strategic projects, build and manage a team of Project Managers, drive process definition and execution, and support day-to-day operations of the office.
- A sophisticated ability to connect high-level client priorities with work on the ground, and the experience to advise teams and leaders in this area by building consensus, driving alignment, and motivating change
- Maturity and background in guiding program managers to drive projects to completion and maintaining a healthy and clear accountability for achieving team goals and driving business impact
- Practiced views on establishing minimum viable processes and improving them as needed based on regular stakeholder feedback
- Proven ability in coaching campaign managers and other team members in the correct frameworks (i.e. agile, traditional/waterfall) for the work at hand, at scale
- Superb verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to connect with and influence executive leadership and both technical and non-technical contributors on project teams
- A keen interest in using data to make decisions, and communicating those decisions in a thoughtful, clear way using tailored styles (charts, graphics, etc.)
- Experience and thoughtful leadership in hiring and managing a team of dedicated program managers and guiding their professional development
Job Responsibilities
- Work closely with executive leadership in products and platforms to tie business strategy to roadmap activities, and ensure the roadmap is followed and adjusted as needed
- Partner with team members to ensure business and goals are clearly defined and are being met as planned
- Ensure schedules, resources, and communications across relevant teams are consistently in sync, and trade-offs and dependencies are clearly understood
- Manage communications for key stakeholders
- Ensure issues and risks are identified and handled swiftly, and key decisions are communicated and acted on appropriately
- Hire, manage, and develop a team of program managers on project management, agile development, and continuous improvement
- Act as day-to-day project manager on major initiatives within a program or particular business line as needed
- Contribute to a community of practice among the program management organization to share materials and templates, best practices, and lessons learned
Qualifications
- 7+ years relevant work experience in digital project and program management
- 5+ years experience managing direct reports and facilitating their career development
- Proven ability to communicate both technical concepts and business impact to team members and executive leadership in a manner that is readily understood and actionable
- Deep knowledge of agile development practices and knowledge of Asana, Google Workspace, Slack, and other project management tools
Responsibilities
- Establish the PMO, creating guidelines, quality standards and requirements to provide best in class representation
- Determine efficiencies to meet or exceed financial expectations
- Develop and implement program management processes, templates, policies, and metrics
- Monitor compliance with project guidelines and regulations
- Manage project deliverables and tasks
- Coach and mentor project management team
- Establish structure, hire and manage project staff
- Coordinate project deliverables with PMs, Analysts, and management
- Set metrics and targets for direct reports and conduct performance reviews
- Oversee the delivery of projects, ensuring staying within scope and within budget
- Interface with executive leadership to define priorities, implementation and determine project risks/opportunities
Qualifications/Background Profile
If the idea of building and leading a PMO in an agency environment is appealing, then we’d love to hear from you. Women, People of Color, People with Disabilities and LGBTQ people strongly urged to apply.
This is a full-time position with eligibility for benefits including paid vacation and holidays, paid sick leave, health insurance and retirement savings. Salary is within the range of $90,000 – $105,000.
Apply
To apply, please send a resume to [email protected] In the subject line, please write: PMO Director