Sr. Manager, Project Management

Grandview Heights, OH, United States

Sr Manager of Project Management, Zaner-Bloser

Department: Product

Reports To: VP of Product

FLSA Status: Exempt

At Zaner-Bloser, we create tools for educators that help elementary students become more joyful, creative learners and communicators. We support teachers' efforts to inspire "aha" moments-moments of discovery, accomplishment, pride, surprise, delight-that reward students and help them realize the power of learning. Our portfolio of PreK-6 resources helps students build the critical foundational skills they need for success in school. Used independently or together, Zaner-Bloser materials help educators build community and confidence in any context, creating the conditions for moments of discovery and understanding to thrive.

Position Summary:

The Sr. Manager of Project Management is responsible for managing a program of product development efforts for Zaner-Bloser, within the Highlights Education division. This will include managing a team of 3 Project Managers, defining program objectives (outcomes), deliverables and resources needed, executing on schedule, communicating status, and defining and establishing contingency plans for issues/risks along the way. This person will partner with internal/external stakeholders to prioritize the most important work to be done, mitigate risks, resolve issues, and identify, develop, and implement mechanisms to improve workflow productivity. The ideal candidate will have strong organizational skills, high EQ, high tolerance for change, an outcomes-driven mindset and ability to drive impact through influence and collaboration.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Manage Project Management team responsible for all product development initiatives

Drive execution and continuous improvement across the product portfolio of activities

Drive prioritization of decisions and alignment in support of the organization's strategic direction

Drive accountability across the team towards completion

Drive alignment and collaboration by ensuring effective communication mechanisms are in place

Implement and drive required changes to ensure teams are high functioning

Deliver timely communications regarding status, issues, and risks

Drive alignment by ensuring documentation is well maintained, detailed and accurate, and project goals, scope, and decisions are well known across teams

Ensure key initiatives have a clear set of requirements, timelines, "definition of done" and well-defined success criteria

Accountable for proactively identifying risks and issues, prioritizing them, and creating plans to resolve in a timely manner.

Develop project plans that identify resource and budgetary needs

Drive Coordination with vendors and suppliers as needed

Nurture a thriving climate in which diverse perspectives are embraced

Ensure customer-centricity is at the core of the work

What you should show up ready to demonstrate on your first day:

Curiosity and ability to ask appropriate probing and diagnostic questions to ensure understanding of the business, value proposition, and strategic objectives

Ability to partner with key stakeholders and work cross-functionally to solve problems

Knowledge and expertise required to identify and close gaps in communication, priorities, and strategic execution

Organizational abilities to synthesize and translate complexity into action

Within your first month, you will:

Learn the strategic goals for the Zaner-Bloser division

Get to know our teams, operations, internal systems, tools, and processes

Build relationships to effectively complete your work

Understand the customer, market personas, and how the value is created by the business

Within your first year, you will:

Define and iterate on the strategic plan to inform annual budget planning

Actualize value through the definition, achievement, and learning associated with our expected outcomes

Be a champion of change by evangelizing continuous improvement, agility, and driving effective change

Work cross-functionally to solve problems, achieve results, enable effective collaboration, and optimize processes and workflows

Maintain a cadence of communications that are timely, clear, and effective for the audience

Nurture healthy team environments

Be well integrated with the organization and a reliable, contributing team member

Identify professional development goals for yourself and your team, and commit to learning for your individual growth

Supervisory Responsibilities: 3 Project Managers

Education and Experience:

Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience is preferred

Experience working as program/project manager, implementing complex, cross-functional initiatives

PMI and/or other project management certification is a plus

Knowledge of Agile methodologies is a plus

Lean Six Sigma certification is a plus

Experience in print publishing is ideal

Grading/Leveling guidelines:

7+ years of experience in project management

5+ years of experience managing projects with cross-functional teams

Qualifications:

Extraordinary attention to detail, with ability to see big picture

Strong Leadership skills

Superior presentation and communication skills

Ability to make timely and sound decisions

Comfortable driving accountability

Ability to build and maintain strong, trust-based relationships across the organization

Ability to manage and breakdown complex projects

Able to adapt and lead in situations of shifting priorities, changing requirements, and uncertainty

Equally at ease working in the detail or at the strategic high-level

Working knowledge of project management systems/tools, preferably Workfront and/or Monday.com

Occasional travel may be required