Project Manager

Project Manager

Position Overview

The Project Manager drives the successful planning, coordination, and execution of cross-functional initiatives across a complex, multi-site organization. As part of the Organizational Alignment team, this role brings structure, visibility, and execution discipline to organizational priorities, helping ensure initiatives move from planning through implementation with clear ownership, realistic timelines, and measurable outcomes.

The Project Manager develops and manages integrated project plans, coordinates cross-functional workstreams, identifies and manages risks and dependencies, and establishes the routines necessary to keep initiatives moving forward. Working closely with Field Operations, Business Enablement, and Support Center partners, this role helps ensure implementation plans reflect operational realities, organizational capacity, and business priorities.

This role requires strong project management discipline, exceptional organization, and the ability to influence across functions without direct authority. The successful candidate will be comfortable navigating ambiguity, creating structure where it does not yet exist, and holding teams accountable for commitments while maintaining strong collaborative relationships.

Key Responsibilities

Project Planning & Execution

• Lead end-to-end planning and delivery of assigned cross-functional initiatives from project initiation through implementation and closeout.
• Develop project charters that clearly define scope, objectives, deliverables, ownership, timelines, dependencies, and success measures.
• Build and maintain integrated project plans with clear milestones, workstreams, responsibilities, and deadlines.
• Establish appropriate project cadences, including kickoffs, working sessions, status reviews, and leadership updates.
• Track commitments and action items to ensure clear ownership, accountability, and timely follow-through.
• Maintain execution momentum and proactively address barriers that may affect project delivery.

Project Governance, Risk & Reporting

• Maintain consistent project management tools and artifacts, including project plans, RAID logs, stakeholder maps, communication plans, decision logs, and status reports.
• Identify risks, issues, dependencies, and resource constraints early and develop appropriate mitigation plans.
• Escalate significant risks or decisions with clear options, implications, and recommended paths forward.
• Provide stakeholders and leadership with consistent visibility into project status, upcoming milestones, risks, dependencies, and decisions required.
• Maintain accurate documentation of key decisions, scope changes, commitments, and project outcomes.
• Support consistent project governance practices across Organizational Alignment initiatives.

Cross-Functional Coordination & Stakeholder Alignment

• Partner with functional leaders and subject matter experts across Operations, Health & Safety, Human Resources, IT, Facilities, Finance, Growth/M&A, Procurement, Education, Marketing, and other business functions.
• Coordinate deliverables, dependencies, timelines, and decision points across multiple workstreams.
• Facilitate cross-functional discussions to clarify ownership, resolve barriers, and maintain alignment.
• Serve as a connector between Field Operations and Support Center teams to ensure project impacts and implementation requirements are clearly understood.
• Drive timely decision-making and document agreed-upon actions to prevent drift in scope, ownership, or timing.
• Build trusted relationships across functions and levels of the organization.

Organizational Readiness & Field Implementation

• Incorporate field capacity, operational realities, business priorities, and implementation timing into project plans.
• Partner with Business Enablement and initiative owners to incorporate organizational readiness, field capacity, sequencing, communication, training, and implementation requirements into project plans.
• Coordinate implementation activities to minimize unnecessary disruption to field leaders and Center Directors.
• Support pilot and phased rollout approaches when appropriate and ensure lessons learned are incorporated before broader implementation.
• Identify competing initiatives, dependencies, or timing conflicts that may affect successful implementation and elevate them for resolution.
• Help ensure teams have the information, tools, ownership, and timelines necessary to successfully execute assigned initiatives.

Continuous Improvement & Project Closeout

• Conduct project retrospectives and lessons-learned reviews following major milestones and implementations.
• Document project outcomes, outstanding actions, and recommendations for future initiatives.
• Identify recurring project delivery challenges, including unclear ownership, dependencies, capacity constraints, or readiness gaps.
• Partner with Business Enablement when project learnings identify opportunities for broader process improvement or operating-model changes.
• Recommend improvements to project management tools, governance routines, and delivery practices based on lessons learned.

Success Outcomes

Success in this role will be demonstrated by:

• Assigned initiatives are delivered on time, within agreed scope, and with clear ownership and measurable outcomes.
• Project plans provide realistic timelines and account for organizational capacity, field impact, and key dependencies.
• Risks, issues, and dependencies are identified early and proactively managed.
• Stakeholders have consistent visibility into project status, decisions, risks, and required actions.
• Cross-functional teams understand their responsibilities and consistently follow through on commitments.
• Leadership receives timely escalation of issues requiring decisions or intervention.
• Field leaders and Center Directors experience more coordinated implementations with fewer unexpected or conflicting requests.
• Project closeouts capture meaningful lessons that improve future planning and execution.
• Organizational Alignment maintains a consistent and disciplined approach to project delivery across strategic initiatives.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Project Management, Operations, Organizational Development, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience will also be considered.

Certifications
• Project management certification such as PMP, CAPM, or Scrum certification preferred but not required.

Experience

• 3+ years of experience in project management, program coordination, operational delivery, implementation, or a related role.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating and delivering cross-functional initiatives involving multiple stakeholders and workstreams.
• Experience working within a multi-site, frontline, or operationally complex environment strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting enterprise-wide initiatives, organizational change, or business transformation is an asset.
• Experience within childcare/early learning, education, healthcare, hospitality, retail, or another regulated, multi-site environment.
• Experience supporting change management, organizational readiness, or enterprise implementation initiatives.

Skills & Capabilities

• Strong project planning and execution skills, including scope, timeline, milestone, risk, dependency, and action management.
• Ability to translate broad objectives into structured, actionable project plans.
• Strong facilitation and meeting-management skills with a focus on decisions, accountability, and follow-through.
• Excellent stakeholder-management skills and the ability to influence without direct authority.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively across organizational levels.
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong judgment and ability to identify when issues require escalation.
• Comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
• Proficiency with standard project management, collaboration, and Microsoft Office tools.
• Ability to learn and adapt to new project management and collaboration platforms as needed.

• Familiarity with Agile, waterfall, and hybrid project management methodologies and the ability to tailor the approach based on the initiative.

Work Environment & Travel

• This role operates in a collaborative office/hybrid environment and partners regularly with field and support-office teams.
• Travel up to 20% may be required to support project implementation, field engagement, site visits, meetings, and other business needs.

Working Style

• Lead through influence, partnership, and accountability rather than positional authority.
• Bring structure and clarity to complex or ambiguous initiatives.
• Be proactive in identifying risks, dependencies, and potential barriers.
• Balance urgency with thoughtful planning and operational practicality.
• Maintain a field-first mindset and consider the impact of decisions and implementation activities on frontline teams.
• Communicate clearly, respectfully, and transparently with stakeholders at all levels.
• Demonstrate strong ownership and follow-through while remaining adaptable as business priorities evolve.
• Approach challenges with curiosity, sound judgment, and a solutions-oriented mindset.

Core Competencies

• Project Planning & Execution
• Accountability & Follow-Through
• Risk & Dependency Management
• Cross-Functional Leadership
• Stakeholder Management
• Organizational Readiness
• Problem Solving & Decision Support
• Communication & Facilitation
• Operational Awareness
• Adaptability & Change Agility
• Documentation & Attention to Detail
• Continuous Improvement

Reporting Relationships

Reports to: Vice President, Organizational Alignment
Direct Reports: None currently. As the Organizational Alignment function evolves, the role's scope and supporting team structure may change based on business needs.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected status.

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