Project Manager

JOB TITLE: PROJECT MANAGER

Compensation and Benefits

CSS is recruiting for a part-time Project Manager position of 24 hours, 3 days a week for $50/hour.

CSS offers excellent benefits, including employer-paid health, vision, and dental insurance and partly employer-paid health, vision, and dental insurance for dependents. We offer a 403(b) retirement plan as well as monthly cell-phone & wifi stipends, and yearly self-care & tech benefits (all benefits prorated for part-time employees). 

OVERVIEW:

The Center for Story-based Strategy (CSS), a national nonprofit growing narrative and cultural power for frontline communities at the intersections of poverty, race and pollution, seeks a Project Manager for four years to support their Reimagining Care Narratives & Mindsets Project. We are looking for someone who is detail-oriented, meticulous, organized, with strong communication, project and cohort management skills, and with interest and experience in narrative power building for social change. 

ABOUT US:

Center for Story-based Strategy (CSS) is a BIPOC-led narrative strategy organization dedicated to cultivating imagination spaces where storytelling, grassroots leadership, organizing, and democracy are integrated and used to build narrative and cultural power. We have over 20 years of experience with capacity building and co-creation with communities working at the frontlines of pollution, poverty, and racism, and supporting organizations to build powerful narratives that pave the way for systemic change. Our strategic narrative support, coupled with deep and collaborative training and network building, transforms narrative media ecosystems, builds frontline power, and creates organizing wins toward a Just Transition.

ABOUT THE REIMAGINING CARE NARRATIVES & MINDSETS PROJECT: 

This is a four-year project, in partnership with The FrameWorks Institute, that will support a narrative change grantee cohort to expand field connections and narrative and research capacities to transform cultural mindsets on families, children, and caregiving to address structural racial and health inequities.

As social justice movements work to shift our society toward a “culture of care”, deep-seated mindsets of individualism and deservingness perpetuate patterns of undervaluing the wellbeing of children and caregivers. This is particularly true for families from a diversity of marginalized race, gender and LGBTQIA backgrounds; blended, chosen families, single parent households, unhoused families, extended families, and families with caregivers. Over four years, CSS and FrameWorks will be supporting cohort partners in developing narrative and culture change strategies that are research-informed and designed to transform mindsets in ways that move people towards valuing all families and caregivers, thinking about care as a collective responsibility, and demanding and advocating for public solutions that address the real needs of children and families. This project will leverage the expertise, wisdom, and knowledge of the cohort partners toward effective, collaborative, and research-driven narrative and culture change strategies that help advance solutions and reorient systems to better support the needs and wellbeing of children, families, and caregivers.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Programmatic Operations: 

• • Operational and Program Management: Manage and optimize daily operational functions, ensuring that all internal processes and outcomes are efficient and aligned with program and cohort objectives and timelines. 
  • Administrative Support: Serve as primary lead on administrative support to the CSS and Frameworks joint, cross-organizational program team (recording meeting notes, drafting documents, developing methods to maintain files and records, issuing reminders, etc). 
  • Meeting Coordination: Coordinate and schedule meetings, including internal team meetings and external engagements with partners and stakeholders. Ensure meetings are well-organized, with agendas and follow-up actions communicated to all participants. 

• Cohort Communications and Support: Coordinate and manage all communications with cohort partners and any additional support needed for the cohort program to meet its goals and run smoothly and efficiently.

Project & Partner Management: 

• • Project Planning and Coordination: Oversee the coordination of virtual and in-person sessions, activities and convenings that the Reimagining Care Narratives and Mindsets team participates in, including managing project trackers, setting timelines, tracking and managing budgets, and coordinating with team members, coalition members, CSS and Frameworks staff and other stakeholders. 

• Cohort Management: Manage relationships with cohort members and stakeholders, ensuring clear communication, shared objectives, and alignment on project goals. Act as one of the primary points of contact for partner and cohort related activities, coordinating efforts across multiple organizations and teams. 

• Reporting and Documentation: Develop and maintain comprehensive project documentation, including progress reports and meeting minutes. Ensure all project and coalition activities are documented and communicated effectively and on time to all relevant stakeholders.

Event Management

• Event Planning: Plan and execute Reimagining Narratives and Mindsets of Care Project events, including virtual workshops, webinars, and in-person convenings and events. Manage all aspects of event logistics, from venue selection and setup, purchasing material and supplies, to participant registration and post-event evaluation.

• Budget and Resource Allocation: Develop and manage budgets for events, ensuring that resources are allocated effectively and within budget constraints. 

• Vendor Management: Establish and maintain vendor relationships, ensuring that all services are delivered to meet organizational standards and project needs. 

Supervisory Responsibility

The Project Manager has no supervisory responsibility at this time.

Expected hours of work

This is a 24-hour/week, fully remote position for four years until 2028. Standard Center for Story-Based Strategy office hours are Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., based on your local time zone. While we prioritize work-life balance, some flexibility in hours may be required to accommodate meetings, travel or deadlines across different time zones. 

Travel 

Travel will be required for in-person meetings and conferences, once or twice in a calendar year.

Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

• At least 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience in operations management, project management, programmatic implementation or a similar role within a non-profit, mission-driven organization or social enterprise. 
• Proven experience in operations management, project management, and coalition coordination, preferably within a nonprofit or mission-driven organization. 
• Exposure to and familiarity with implementing multi-year programmatic learning and action arcs, to support process design and implementation over time (e.g., storytelling fellowships, cohort programs, learning series, communities of practice, etc).
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously. 
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse teams, members, and external stakeholders. 
• Proficiency in project management tools and software (e.g., Asana, Google Spreadsheets or Excel, Microsoft Word), as well as experience in vendor and budget management. 
• Strong understanding of organizational operations, including process efficiency, resource management, and administrative support. 
• A commitment and understanding of social movements, particularly those geared towards liberation and decolonization. 
• Ability to take initiative, make informed decisions, and provide strategic guidance to the organization. 
• Strong interpersonal skills, building and maintaining positive relationships with team members, project partners, and other stakeholders.