Senior Project Manager

OVERVIEW

A thriving, mission-driven multimedia organization, NPR produces award-winning news, information, and music programming in partnership with hundreds of independent public radio stations across the nation. The NPR audience values information, creativity, curiosity, and social responsibility – and our employees do too. We are innovators and leaders in diverse fields, from journalism and digital media to IT and development. Every day, our employees and member stations touch the lives of millions worldwide. 

Across our organization, we’re building a workplace where collaboration is essential, diverse voices are heard, and inclusion is the key to our success. We are committed to doing the right thing in our journalism and in every role at NPR. This means that integrity, adherence to our ethical standards, and compliance with legal obligations are fundamental responsibilities for every employee at NPR.

Intro to Position

The Senior Project Manager is responsible for providing operational and project management leadership for Brand’s major initiatives that require extensive cross-divisional coordination and planning. This position will play a critical role in ensuring that projects are operating efficiently, and delivered on time and within scope. This role requires a leader with  strong communication, analytical, and team-building skills who can function with the trust and respect of colleagues at varying levels of responsibility across the organization. This person must be focused on results, yet comfortable with ambiguity. They should be passionate about media and journalism and have an interest in new technology, actively seeking information on the latest innovations and opportunities for NPR.

This is a union-represented role covered under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement with NABET-CWA DMU. 

Responsibilities

• Plans and manages significant projects in the division. They have a deep understanding of the ins-and-outs of creative and collaborative processes — from designing a brand identity, to naming a new product, to producing a promotional video, to building out a multi-platform campaign. They resolve obstacles and manage change requests as they arise, working with cross-functional colleagues to adjust timelines, project scope, and/or resources as needed. 
• Manages complex projects with greater impact on advancing the organization’s strategic goals, requiring a strong perspective on the interconnectedness of relevant departments and stakeholders. Builds and maintains team-wide project roadmap. 
• Partners with Division leadership to map out, staff and track all projects, balancing budgets and workloads across the team. 
• Manages and forecasts the department team’s budget. Works with Leadership to reallocate funds as priorities shift.
• Partners with department leadership to shape budget proposals based on defined goals and needs. 
• Works with Department leadership to establish clear, replicable processes for all kinds of projects, start to finish.
• Finds optimal vendors and negotiates rates, in addition to developing and managing the strong relationships with such vendors. 

The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills. Other duties may be assigned, and this job description can be modified at any time.

Minimum Qualifications

• At least eight (8) years of relevant experience in project management. 
• Ability to plan and execute independently (lead projects) while working collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders at every level.
• Strong practical and theoretical understanding of lifecycle management for large-scale programs and projects
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage complexity and prioritize multiple projects concurrently in a fast-paced environment.
• Expertise in project management and digital collaboration tools. Strong digital fluency and learning agility. Ability to understand technical concepts and to quickly develop proficiency with new programs as needed.
• Complex problem solving skills and a proactive approach. If there is an issue, you are usually the first to flag it. If your team is stumped and you don’t have the answer yourself, you try to find it for them.
• Excellent communication skills. You will be eager to share your team’s work and increase its visibility, over-communicate risks and dependencies to your team and management, and both give and accept constructive feedback.
• Positive approach to embracing change, resiliency, and an ability to keep teams calm and focused during times of stress.
• Demonstrated abili