Project Manager, AP Elections

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world's population sees AP journalism every day. Why this role matters: The Associated Press seeks a technical project manager to help drive the delivery of the technology, products and operational systems that power AP Elections. Reporting to the Director of Elections Product and Engineering, you will coordinate and help manage complex software engineering initiatives across the AP Elections team in its Elections Technology, Operations, Analytics and News groups. It will be your mission to ensure we have built the tools and prepared them to allow AP to carry out its unique role in collecting election results, declaring winners and delivering trusted election data and journalism to customers around the world. We’re looking for a collaborative and highly organized project manager who can translate strategic objectives into executable plans, align stakeholders around shared goals and help teams deliver high-quality outcomes under immovable deadlines. In this role, you will work closely with software engineers, product leaders, data scientists and analysts, and political journalists to manage tools and products that support one of AP’s most visible services. Success in this role requires strong communication skills, technical fluency, sound judgment and a passion for delivering reliable products and services that customers depend on during high‑stakes election events. This is an administrative role and is based in Washington, D.C., with onsite presence required at least three days per week. What you will do: Partner with the Director of Elections Product and Engineering to execute product roadmaps, delivery plans and strategic initiatives across AP Elections. Lead cross-functional planning efforts for major and minor initiatives, developing and maintaining project plans, schedules, milestones, release timelines and dependency tracking, to ensure each of the groups that make up AP Elections is ready when polls close. Drive portfolio-level visibility across multiple projects and workstreams, proactively identifying dependencies, risks and conflicts before they impact delivery. Facilitate planning, requirements gathering, prioritization and delivery processes, ensuring projects are executed efficiently and transparently. Coordinate software development activities through the full lifecycle, including planning, implementation, testing, deployment and post-launch evaluation. Identify, assess and mitigate project risks, escalating issues when necessary and driving resolution across teams. Support and strengthen agile delivery practices, sprint planning, backlog management, release coordination and continuous improvement efforts. Maintain visibility into project health through clear reporting, documentation, metrics and stakeholder communications. Help establish and improve program management standards, workflows and operating procedures across the AP Elections business unit. Facilitate incident response coordination, operational readiness reviews and election‑event preparedness activities. Champion the effective use of project management and product planning tools, including Jira, Jira Product Discovery and Confluence. Who you are: Required: We’re seeking an experienced technical project manager with at least five years of project or program management experience supporting software development and technology delivery, including experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives involving engineering, product and business stakeholders. You are familiar with APIs, data-driven products, cloud-based applications and modern software development practices, and have a strong understanding of the software development lifecycle and a proven ability to drive outcomes across multiple teams without direct management authority. You thrive in deadline-driven environments, can confidently manage competing priorities and bring a proactive, solutions-oriented mindset to every initiative. Experience managing projects with fixed deadlines, operational dependencies and high reliability requirements is strongly preferred. You are an exceptional communicator who can build trust across teams, facilitate productive discussions and maintain alignment among stakeholders with varying priorities and technical backgrounds. Advanced proficiency with Jira, Jira Product Discovery and Confluence for roadmap planning, idea management, prioritization, stakeholder alignment and product planning is highly valued. It will be essential that you quickly develop a deep understanding of AP Elections’ products, workflows, systems and customers. You are naturally curious, highly organized and committed to delivering outcomes—not simply moving tickets through a workflow. What will set you apart: You have experience supporting real-time data products, election systems, news technology platforms, financial data systems, sports data products or other mission-critical information services operating under strict deadlines and service-level expectations. You have PMP, CSM or comparable project management certification, experience working with distributed teams and external vendors, and a bachelor’s degree in computer science, business, project management or a related field (or equivalent experience). Experience with elections, political data, journalism, publishing or media technology is a strong plus. Most importantly, you’re someone who believes that data is journalism and are eager to join a team that will carry AP’s rich history of excellence in elections reporting into the future. A mission-driven, inclusive environment focused on both individual and collective success. Opportunities for professional development to help you reach your career goals. Access to tools, mentorship and resources tailored to elevate your proficiency and contributions. The opportunity to contribute directly to the technology and products that power AP’s elections coverage and data services. Salary & Benefits: The anticipated salary range for this position is $110,000 to $139,000, based on a candidate’s skills, qualifications and location. The Associated Press offers comprehensive benefits, which include: Competitive medical, dental and vision coverage Company-paid life insurance Paid vacation and sick days Paid parental leave for any new parent Application deadline is August 10, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET. AP seeks to build an inclusive organization grounded in respect for differences. We support all aspects of diversity and provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, marital status, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, status as a veteran, or other characteristic protected by law. #J-18808-Ljbffr