Project Associate Jobs in Wheaton, IL (NOW HIRING)

Job Title: Associate Director, Project Management

Team: Product

Location: Hybrid in Atlanta (GA), Chicago (IL), New York (NYC), or Newark (NJ)

Employment Type: Full-time

FLSA Classification: Exempt 

Start Date: ASAP

Braven is a national nonprofit that prepares promising college students to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation through a career-accelerating program.

We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a life-changing experience that begins with a semester-long course for college students, followed by support that lasts through graduation.  

Together, our ambition is to help rebuild the middle class and revitalize the American Dream.

To learn more, take a look at Braven's Jobs.

In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000-100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring an Associate Director, Project Management to serve as a project manager of multiple high-impact, cross-functional projects on the Product team at Braven. As a member of the Project Management subteam, you will utilize the Agile methodology, Scrum, and Kanban frameworks to create and lead cross-functional project teams, which may also include complex technical projects, in order to reach key project milestones and ultimately, high-impact deliverables that will allow Braven to meet its ambitious goals.

This role is on the Product team and reports directly to the Head of Program Enablement.

Support, manage, and execute the life-cycle of a portfolio of multiple short- and long-term cross-functional projects, ensuring excellence in all aspects of service delivery (85%)

• Manage end-to-end operational and tactical aspects of cross-functional projects of varying size, scope, technical level, organizational impact, and risk.
• Create and maintain quality project documentation and other assets, including the project charter, project schedule, and lessons learned.
• Evaluate assigned projects and plans utilizing the Agile methodology and Scrum and Kanban frameworks. 
• Identify and gain agreement on project requirements, objectives, scope, timing, and resources with organizational stakeholders.
• Effectively communicate and consult with product owners, product managers, project sponsors, and project contributors to ensure consistency and alignment on the project methodologies for successful project delivery. 
• Collaborate closely with product owners, Program Managers, and other subteam leads to understand their needs, prioritize work effectively, and evaluate and resolve conflicts to produce successful outcomes.
• Manage the project backlog and develop new user stories in collaboration with the product owner.
• Facilitate project meetings and regularly communicate project status to stakeholders both within and beyond the project team.
• Collaborate with teammates within and across projects to identify project risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Identify and manage project dependencies to ensure timely project completion.
• Develop, strengthen, and cultivate effective working relationships with project sponsors and teams to ensure cross-team communication, transparency, consistency, and successful achievement of project goals and outcomes.
• Communicate project status, risks, and issues to all stakeholders, including Braven leadership, in a clear and concise manner.
• Ensure timely completion of project deliverables and milestones, and overall project success with respect to stakeholder satisfaction and project quality.
• Contribute to tasks within the scope of the projects, as assigned.

Contribute to the development of the Braven Project Management Centers of Excellence and the Product Team  (15%)

• Collaborate with other Project Managers across the organization to align annual and quarterly prioritization and share and further codify Braven's project management best practices. 
• Commit to utilizing the standard project management methodologies of the Project Managers across Braven, while simultaneously offering feedback and new learnings for continuous improvement. 
• Ot her duties to support the vision and direction of the Product Team, as assigned.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of work experience
• At least 3 years of experience with highly cross-functional project management (formal or informal)
• Experience with project management tools such as Asana, Jira, or Smartsheet
• Experience with agile methodologies, specifically Scrum and Kanban

Preferred Qualifications 

• Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree
• Work Experience: 5+ years of demonstrated excellence in cross-functional project management or complex program management and demonstrated success in managing people directly and laterally, ideally with some experience in a non-profit setting
• Certifications: Certified Scrum Master or Project Management Professional (PMP) certification
• Additional Preferred Skills: 
• Experience as a Technical Project Manager or similar role, managing complex technical projects from initiation to completion
• Some familiarity with software development and emerging technologies
• Demonstrated commitment to building strong, welcoming cultures: you develop others, invest in relationships, and set teammates up to do their best work.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to drive complex work from start to finish: you maintain task clarity for contributors, keep stakeholders informed, and never lose sight of the details.
• A relentless prioritizer and systems-level problem solver who thrives in ambiguity, makes hard calls to protect what matters most, and converts gray areas into clear paths forward.
• A compelling communicator and collaborator who presents ideas with clarity and adapts your approach for a wide range of stakeholders, technical and non-technical alike.
• Committed to continuous learning: you actively seek out, receive, and implement constructive feedback, and bring that same growth mindset to everything you do.
• Ready to roll up your sleeves regardless of title, you do what it takes to move the mission forward.
• Exemplification of Braven's core values.
• Experience that has informed your belief in Braven's mission and has prepared you to work with or for Braven's student Fellow population.

Please know that no one ever meets 100% of the preferred qualifications. If much of this describes you, we encourage you to apply.

Work Demands

• Ability to work in-person in Atlanta (GA), Chicago (IL), New York (NY), or Newark (NJ)  3 days per week
• Will be expected to travel for no more than three to four weeks in the year
• Ability to support Braven's programming eight nights per year

Additional Requirements

• Authorized to work in the U.S.
• Braven doesn't offer employment visa sponsorship

Application & Interview Process

While the interview process may vary slightly, the general process will be:

• Phone screen with Talent Team member
• Performance Task
• Interview with Hiring Manager
• Panel Interview with Key Partners
• Final Interview
• Reference Checks

Benefits

Braven offers competitive base salaries based on the midpoint of the market among not-for-profit organizations of similar size, with opportunities for salary growth over time. We believe in compensating staff members fairly in relation to each other, their qualifications, and their impact on behalf of the organization, and take internal and external equity seriously. Given our commitment to equity, Braven does not negotiate salary offers; instead, each salary offer is determined carefully using external and internal benchmarking.

Starting salary within the range is determined by role scope and qualifications, with new hires starting at the lower end to allow for growth with performance. Braven does not base compensation on individual candidate salary expectations and is committed to maintaining internal equity. The salary ranges, by geographic market, for this role are set forth $87,200-$108,900 in Atlanta, $92,000-$114,900 in Chicago, and $101,200-$126,400 in New York City or Newark. This is based on a 50-hour work week. This is a full-time, regular, exempt, and benefits-eligible position where you will be working at 100% capacity.  

Braven also provides competitive, comprehensive benefits, recognition, and career development. While Braven reserves the right to change benefits at any time, current benefits include: 

• Unlimited vacation time in addition to org-wide holidays and week-long shutdowns in July and the end of the calendar year (this is a minimum of 19 days per year)
• Braven supports your path to parenthood and beyond with $25,000 in lifetime Carrot benefits for fertility, family-building, and hormonal health
• Match of your 401K contribution up to 5% of your base annual salary, starting your first full month
• Coverage of 85% of health insurance premium for employee and dependents
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• A one-month paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff

Please note that Braven is firm in its compensation philosophy; therefore, only candidates who believe our total rewards package aligns with what they are looking for in their next opportunity are encouraged to apply. 

Location

We gather in the office 3 days a week (Tuesday through Thursday) and work remotely 2 days a week (Monday and Friday). Therefore, this role requires teammates to live within commuting distance of one of our hubs: Atlanta, Chicago, New York, or Newark. We believe in the magic, connection, and collaboration that happens when people work together face-to-face, and we believe in giving people flexibility to focus, balance personal priorities, and save themselves two commutes per week.

Braven is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor.  We encourage talented individuals of all backgrounds to apply.