Uncommon Schools is a non-profit network of 53 outstanding public charter schools in grades K-12 across New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Our mission is to start and manage outstanding urban public charter schools that close the achievement gap and prepare students from low-income backgrounds for success in college and beyond. We are accomplishing that mission every day, with a college graduation rate that is well above the national average and thousands of stories of our students and alumni achieving their dreams.

Position

The Information Technology (IT), Project Manager will lead projects to ensure that Uncommon’s Home Office, Regions and Schools have the technology solutions required to accomplish the organization’s strategic goals. They will develop a deep understanding of needs across all levels of the organization and build a strategy for prioritizing and implementing new educational technology solutions going forward.

Successful candidates will exhibit the following:

• Track record of accomplishment in leading IT systems and solutions;
• Ability to work in a very fast-paced environment;
• Passion for the Uncommon mission;
• Ferocious work ethic;
• Outstanding organization skills;
• Superb communication and interpersonal skills;
• Dedication to self-reflection;
• Intellectual curiosity;
• Outstanding analytical and critical thinking skills that lead to systems thinking;
• High sense of urgency;
• Ability to successfully run multiple projects concurrently

Project Management:

• Elicit requirements from users using interviews, surveys, site visits and observations and other methods of communication.
• Develop product requirements outlining the specific technical functionality needed to deliver on user needs.
• Respond, in a timely manner, to all user inquiries and feedback.
• Develop, refine and deliver training materials and resources so that product functionality is being improved by users.
• Build and hand off policies and documentation around all new products to support team.
• Lead multi-functional project teams needed to inform and roll-out new technology solutions.
• Build and maintain project plans, accounting for and tracking roles of many partners, ensuring all deadlines are met, identifying risks and raising issues as needed.
• Create necessary links between vendors and internal Uncommon teams to ensure implementation is smooth.
• Work closely with Uncommon IT and Data teams to collaborate on the roll-out and support of any new technology platforms and any data integration work.
• Coordinate aggressive roll-out of technology tools each school year.
• Clearly communicate implementation options and implications with stakeholders.
• Create mechanism for collecting feedback from stakeholders and promptly addressing their concerns and issues.

Desired Qualifications

• Required knowledge, skills, and abilities
• Outstanding strategic, analytical, and critical thinking
• Solid attention to detail
• Exemplary written and verbal communication skills
• Strong relationship management skills and end-user orientation; deep concern and empathy for users and internal partners
• Demonstrable ability to be self-directed and take initiative
• Excellent organization, time management, and tenacious follow-up skills; ability to prioritize and demonstrate an appropriate urgency
• Demonstrated track record in driving impact and leading and running significant, complex efforts, robust process, and project management skills
• Fluency with technical process and ability to establish credibility with internal/external developers and vendors
• Thorough understanding of how to interpret customer business needs and translate them into technology and operational requirements
• Demonstrated experience implementing different project management approaches
• Experience designing, implementing and leading training for a range of audiences
• Demonstrated ability to learn new tools, systems and processes quickly
• Good work ethic and commitment to a high bar of excellence coupled with an enthusiastic approach to one’s work.
• Minimum educational level: Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred
• Sufficient education and project experience to qualify for PMP.

Experience required/preferred

• 3-5+ years of operations, ed tech, project management or consulting experience preferred.
• PMP required within 6 months of employment.
• Demonstrable experience with Microsoft Project Pro.
• Previous experience or strong, demonstrated interest in K-12 public education preferred.
• Previous experience with implementing computer infrastructure projects. Experience should be focused on:
• Data warehouse concepts focusing on data integrity and ETL processes;
• Software development concepts including requirements gathering, agile methods, testing and QA, version control, and user documentation.
• Knowledge of and experience with school facing technologies preferred.
• Driving project teams across organizational departments.

Uncommon Schools offers salaries commensurate with experience and a very generous benefits and vacation package. All staff members receive extensive professional development, and are equipped with a laptop computer and all necessary supplies.

Uncommon believes in the importance of being a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization that enables our students and staff to thrive. We are committed to building a talented team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. At the same time, we work to ensure an inclusive community through creating a space for meaningful dialogue about issues of race and identity for our staff and students.  As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.