Senior Project Manager, Innovation

ABOUT PER SCHOLAS:

For 30 years, Per Scholas has been on a mission to drive mobility and opportunity in the ever-advancing technology landscape by unlocking the untapped potential of individuals, uplifting communities, and meeting the needs of employers through rigorous tech training. By teaming up with dynamic employer partners, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to innovative startups, we're forging inclusive tech talent pipelines, fulfilling an ever-increasing need for skilled talent. With national remote training and campuses in 20+ cities and counting, Per Scholas offers no-cost training programs in the most sought-after tech skills, spanning Cloud, Cybersecurity, Data Engineering, IT Support, Software Engineering, and more. To date, 30,000+ individuals have been trained through Per Scholas, propelling their professional trajectories into high-growth tech careers with salaries three times higher than their pre-training earnings. Learn more by visiting PerScholas.org and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

 

Position: Senior Project Manager, Innovation 

Reports to: SVP, Innovation & Strategy

Location: National (primarily remote with occasional travel)

 

SUMMARY

The Innovation Senior Project Manager will play a pivotal role in advancing Per Scholas’s innovation strategy by managing and scaling projects through piloting and growth phases. This position involves end-to-end project management, cross-functional collaboration, and leading the structured design, testing, and evaluation of innovative initiatives. The role partners closely with the Senior Vice President of Innovation & Strategy and the Senior Manager, Innovation and collaborates with diverse internal and external teams to ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with strategic goals.

Our Innovation team is agile and dynamic; we take a consultative, problem-solving, and collaborative approach to identifying, testing, iterating, and scaling opportunities that increase our organization’s impact and support Per Scholas’s ambitious growth strategy. Working closely with other Per Scholas teams, we learn, share insights, provide resources (e.g., frameworks, tools), co-create experiments, grow solutions that prove to work, and follow a data-driven approach to results measurement. We also help build a broader culture of innovation within Per Scholas.

 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Innovation and Pilot Management

• Design, implement, and scale innovation projects through piloting and operationalization phases.
• Conduct hypothesis-driven testing, utilizing testing frameworks.
• Evaluate results and provide actionable recommendations for scaling or iteration.
• Identify opportunities for process improvements and innovation within the organization.

Project Management

• Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans outlining tasks, deliverables, timelines, and ownership.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams and stakeholders to ensure timely execution.
• Monitor progress, proactively addressing risks and removing roadblocks.
• Track and report on key metrics to measure project outcomes and performance.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Act as a key liaison between internal teams and external partners, ensuring alignment on objectives and timelines.
• Facilitate workshops and brainstorming sessions to drive ideation and alignment.
• Support teams in operationalizing new initiatives by providing frameworks, tools, best practices, and step-by-step plans / SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures)

Communication and Training

• Present findings, insights, recommendations, and project updates to executive leadership and broader teams.
• Maintain effective communication channels with internal and external stakeholders.

Additional Responsibilities

• Lead post-project evaluations to capture lessons learned.
• Stay abreast of trends in innovation and project management to integrate cutting-edge practices.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Innovation, Project Management, or a related field – or equivalent professional experience
• 5+ years of experience in innovation,