Director, Strategic Planning and Project Management Office

Job Description

The Director, Strategic Planning and Project Management Office, is responsible for driving completion of the strategic plans for the International Services and Service to the Armed Forces departments of the American Red Cross. The Director will support Department Leadership in strategic planning as well as oversee portfolio and project management processes and tools. The director will also support the development of long-term goals and strategic objectives and identify, analyze, and monitor issues that affect growth, cost and productivity. Finally, the director will serve as the lead project manager for the annual Service to the Armed Forces DoD grant valued at $24 million. The director will report to the Executive Director of Operations with a matrixed line to the Senior Vice President of International Services and Service to the Armed Forces.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning: Facilitate processes to design and document strategic goals, outcomes and related projects. Oversee development of project plans aligned with strategic objectives.
• Portfolio Management:
  • Set project planning standards to determine the resources and schedule required to deliver strategies, and facilitate a process to allocate budget and human resources to the portfolios, including managing dependencies between strategic resources.
  • Develop, promote and maintain standards and tools for portfolio and project management, with the goal of delivering every project on time, within budget and within scope.
  • Establish and oversee strategy/project change control processes.
  • Act as principal liaison to the Humanitarian Services Project Management Office, ensuring SAF and ISD PMO is aligned with and leveraging available organizational resources.
  • Facilitate communication and negotiation with leadership and other key strategy stakeholders, including regular reports and strategy progress meetings
• Project Planning and Execution:
  • Oversee creation and maintenance of project scope documents to ensure effective planning and define and manage risks, performance, roles, resources, communications, and quality.
  • Oversee annual DoD grant to ensure delivery on time, scope and budget.
  • Supervise, coach and mentor project managers to successfully plan, coordinate and execute projects, including overseeing a multi-year initiative to improve competencies.
  • Support leadership team in monitoring the scope, quality, schedule and cost of the strategic portfolio, including working with directors and project leads to review and assure delivery of all major strategy and project deliverables and milestones.
  • Oversee management of portfolio risks and issues, including regular assessments.
• Business Guidance, Processes and Tools:
  • Develop and ensure effective implementation of key processes and tools to support project portfolio management for all project components (i.e., scope definition, analysis and planning, implementation, change management and deliverables)
  • Develop and manage a process to design/update, approve and communicate program and operations guidance that is effective and ensures consistent operations.
• Management and other duties:
  • Manage a team of three staff (manager and associates) who are responsible for project management and guidance development.
  • Identify cross-functional efficiencies both within ISD and SAF, as well as across the Red Cross enterprise that can expedite and/or improve progress toward strategic goals.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required with minimum 15 years of business experience, 5 years of supervisory experience and Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
• Solid technical background with hands-on experience in strategic level planning and large organizational project portfolio management structures, with Project Management Office leadership desired.
• Experience in managing large U.S.-government funded grants and/or contracts, including proven ability to deliver on time, scope and budget.
• In-depth experience in business process change and/or technology application development and implementation is essential.
• Experience in managing global projects and multi-cultural project teams, as well experience in managing virtual teams where members are located in multiple countries and timezones.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team both directly and virtually, including ability to consult widely, bring together diverse views, and facilitate agreement on critical issues.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and organizational skills required.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office and project management tools and applications required.
• Experience in the following areas preferred:
• Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and/or American Red Cross structures, processes and procedures
• International humanitarian and development sector, for profit or non-profit
• Military culture and policy related to military families, veterans and wounded warriors
• Knowledge and experience with U.S. Government, including USAID, State Department, DoD and/or VA preferred.
• Ability to obtain a secret security clearance is required.
• Position may require up to 20% travel

About the Organization

As one of the nation’s premier humanitarian organizations, the American Red Cross is dedicated to helping people in need throughout the United States and, in association with other Red Cross networks, throughout the world. We depend on the many generous contributions of time, blood, and money from the American public to support our lifesaving services and programs. If you share our passion for helping people, join us in this excellent career opportunity.