Senior Project Manager - Strategic Initiatives

Brightpoint (formerly known as Children’s Home & Aid) invites you to join our team of mission-driven staff who share a common vision: an equitable world where all children and families thrive in strong communities. As a leader in the human services sector for 140 years, we aim to advance the well-being of children by investing in families and strengthening communities through data-informed, collaborative, and preventative solutions. 

The Senior Project Manager (Strategic Initiatives) works collaboratively with various departments and stakeholders to implement strategic initiatives across the organization. The Senior Project Manager oversees and manages key projects aligned with Brightpoint’s strategic plan and supports cross-functional teams in achieving organizational goals.

Core Responsibilities and Essential Job Functions: 

Strategic Initiative Management 

• Leads the implementation of key strategic initiatives outlined in Brightpoint's strategic plan.
• Develops comprehensive project plans, including timelines, milestones, and deliverables.
• Monitors progress toward strategic goals and metrics and provides regular updates to leadership.
• Support the Vice President of Public Policy, Strategy, and Impact in responding to new business opportunities, including assisting with proposal responses, crafting compelling statements, and supporting implementation efforts.
• Partners with communications and public policy teams to ensure full collaboration around enterprise-wide strategic priorities.
• Builds and fosters strong relationships with stakeholders across all levels of the organization to support the implementation and facilitate understanding of organization-wide priorities. 

 Project Execution and Oversight 

• Manages multiple complex projects concurrently, ensuring they are delivered on time, within scope, and within budget.
• Develops and implements project plans using project management methodologies and best practices.
• Identifies and mitigates project risks and issues.
• Facilitates cross-departmental collaboration to ensure successful project implementation and execution.
• Identifies and manages interdependencies between projects and departments.
• Develops strong knowledge and understanding of Brightpoint’s programs.
• Manages relationships with external partners, vendors, and consultants as needed through various channels of communication.
• Contributes to the development of presentations and materials for Board meetings and other high-level discussions. 

 Performance Analytics and Reporting  

• Analyzes project data to identify trends, opportunities for improvement, and potential roadblocks.
• Prepares and presents project status reports to senior leadership and other stakeholders.
• Partners with communications team to effectively disseminate project outcomes and impact.
• Establishes and maintains a centralized repository of strategic initiative documentation and resources, including project plans, decision logs, and implementation status. 

 Internal Communications and Engagement 

• In collaboration with the Human Resources, develop and execute internal communications strategies for strategic initiatives.
• Coordinate and support quarterly town hall presentations, including content development, logistics, and follow-up.
• Create and maintain regular communication and feedback channels to keep staff informed of strategic initiative progress.
• Provide staffing support to internal committees focused on improving organizational communications, including contributing to the development and adoption of specific communications vehicles. 

 Systems Change and Continuous Improvement 

• Supports organizational priorities by developing and implementing strategies that guide teams through transitions and ensures smooth execution of new processes, systems, and projects.
• Identifies risks and opportunities for process improvements and efficiency gains.
• Leads post-project reviews of enterprise-level projects to capture lessons learned and best practices. 

Required and Preferred Candidate Qualifications and Skills:

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree in Business Administration, Project Management, or related field preferred.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent preferred. 
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in project management, with at least 1 year in a senior role required.
• Business or strategic consulting experience preferred.
• Experience with project management software and tools required.

Additional Requirements:

• Travel locally and to other locations in the state (a few times per year). Occasional overnight travel for conferences or other meetings.
• May require occasional evening and weekend hours.  

Job details:

• Compensation: Salary Range starts at $82k; offers are commensurate with candidate qualifications and experience.
• Benefits: Medical/dental/vision insurance, 3+ weeks paid time off in the first year including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day (PTO increases with tenure); 11 paid holidays, supplemental insurance options, 401(k) with match (more benefits details here).
• Location: Must be within reasonable driving distance to Chicago and available to work from home office at 200 West Monroe Street (downtown Chicago loop). 
• Schedule: Full-time, salaried; Regular business hours with remote flexibility 1-2 days/week.
• Student Loan Forgiveness: Brightpoint is an approved agency for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).

Where you work matters.

We believe that by building diverse and inclusive teams of passionate advocates for youth and families, we can continue to show up for Illinois families, putting those families at the center of every decision, and strengthening the communities where we all work, play, and live together. (More about who we are here.)

We invite you to become an active member of a team that supports, inspires, and challenges each other, and grow your career in an organization that celebrates emerging leaders and provides development and learning opportunities aligned with your individual goals and aspirations. If you are looking for an opportunity to do meaningful work, including raising your unique and authentic voice to disrupt the systemic inequality impacting children and families, we encourage you to apply today.  

Click here to review our agency’s Blueprint for Impact.

Brightpoint is committed to the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action. All employment activities are conducted in an equal and equitable fashion. The Agency prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, age, religion, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, parental status, veteran status, source of income, and any other legally protected category in the recruitment, selection, hiring, determination of salary level and benefits, promotion, demotion, layoff, termination, and other terms and conditions of employment.