Director, Project Management

About EAB

At EAB, our mission is to make education smarter and our communities stronger. We work with more than 2,500 institutions to drive transformative change through data-driven insights and best-in-class capabilities. From kindergarten to college to career, EAB partners with leaders and practitioners to accelerate progress and drive results across five major areas: enrollment, student success, institutional strategy, data & analytics, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). We work with each partner differently, tailoring our portfolio of research, technology, and marketing and enrollment solutions to meet the unique needs of every leadership team, as well as the students and employees they serve.

At EAB, we serve not only our partner institutions but each other—that's why we are always working to make sure our employees love their jobs and are invested in their communities. See how we've been recognized for this dedication to our employees by checking out our recent awards.

For more information, visit our Careers page.  

The Role in Brief:

Director of Project Management

The Director Project Management will be a part of EAB’s Agency team with the primary responsibility for leading all project management efforts; from forecasting and planning to project plan creation and management. The role is critical to ensure that Agency Services sets up, progresses through, and delivers projects with strong internal and external customer service and satisfaction. The right candidate can provide strategic leadership and direction, works well under pressure, juggles projects and priorities with grace, is an enthusiastic problem solver, and loves to build and refine processes for optimal efficiency and business growth.

This role will manage a team of Account Coordinators and Project Managers in Agency and work closely with other operational team members across ALR, including Adult Learner Audiences.

This role is based in Richmond, VA.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Develop, implement, and champion department-wide project management best practices, processes, and methodologies to optimize efficiency and improve project outcomes.
• Create detailed project plan templates including timing, resource allocation, milestones, and deliverables for digital projects such as website content strategies and copywriting, campaign landing pages, and other large-scale creative projects.
• Mentor and manage individual contributor roles within Agency, providing guidance, support, and mentorship to enhance their skills and professional growth.
• Diplomatically enforce deadlines across department. Proactively communicate issues with missed deadlines to appropriate leadership roles within Agency. Regularly communicate status of projects by means of daily updates, weekly meetings, and monthly status reports.
• Collaborate with department heads to allocate appropriate resources, including personnel, technology, and equipment, to support project needs.
• Continually assess and manage all active project statuses to ensure goals are being met and that they are within project plan and scope.
• Provide direction and insightful solutions to circumvent project issues and to take advantage of opportunities.
• Identify and evangelize process improvement initiatives and resourcing needs to Agency leadership with data-driven solutions that have a  focus on both current business objectives and growth goals.
• Foster a collaborative and accountable project management culture within Agency and across EAB.
• Supports Account Coordinator hiring and on-boarding process; identifies and coordinates ongoing training needs for assigned team members
• Partners collaboratively with Partner Success leadership to understand vision and goals, to ensure Account Coordinator delivery and execution supports those expectations

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree
• 7 years’ experience in a project/production/operations role with an ability to balance partner experience, process and operational needs effectively and efficiently
• 2 years’ progressive leadership/management experience, including motivating and inspiring high-performing teams.
• In-depth knowledge of project management methodologies, tools (Workfront, Jira, Confluence), and best practices.
• Experience and understanding of digital production processes for website content creation, landing pages, segmentation, email creation, workflows, A/B testing and campaign reporting.
• Able to multi-task, work well under pressure, follow up and adapt to changing priorities
• Ability to coordinate and lead discussions/meetings across internal teams.
• Ability to troubleshoot problems and develop solutions with a strong focus on partner satisfaction and internal processes
• Strong verbal, written, interpersonal communication skills

Ideal Qualifications:

• Project Manager Professional (PMP) certified.
• Application of project management tools (i.e., Workfront) and methodologies (i.e. Agile, Scrum, Waterfall)
• Experience working in the higher education industry
• Commitment to valuing diversity, practicing inclusive behaviors, and contributing to an equitable working and continual learning environment in support of EAB’s DE&I Promise

If you’ve reached this section of the job description and are unsure of whether to apply, please do! At EAB, we welcome diversity of background and experience. We would encourage you to submit an application if this is a role you would be passionate about doing every day.

Benefits:

Consistent with our belief that our employees are our most valuable resource, EAB offers a competitive and inclusive benefits package.

·        Medical, dental, and vision insurance; dependents and domestic partners eligible

·        401(k) retirement plan with company match

·        20 days of PTO annually, in addition to paid firm holidays

·        Daytime leave policy for community service or fitness activities (up to 10 hours a month each)

·        Paid parental leave for birthing and non-birthing parents

·        Phase Back to Work program for employees returning from parental leave

·        Infertility treatment coverage and adoption or surrogacy assistance

·        Wellness programs including gym discounts and incentives to promote healthy living

·        Dynamic growth opportunities with merit-based promotion philosophy

·        Benefits kick in day one, see the full details here.

At EAB, we believe that to fulfill our mission to “make education smarter and our communities stronger” we need team members who bring a diversity of perspectives to the table and are committed to fostering a workplace where each team member is valued, respected and heard.

To that end, EAB is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we make employment decisions on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law.