Project Manager

Location: Remote

Position Overview:

The Project Manager is responsible for leading the planning, execution, and delivery of educational content (digital and print) and technology projects. The Project Manager owns project execution and ensures that all aspects of the project are delivered on time, on budget, and to the highest standard of quality. They are responsible for managing and collaborating with project team members (Six Red Marbles employees, contractors, and vendors) to develop project workflows, schedules, and resource plans; planning and allocating resources in Smartsheet; and maintaining a cooperative, motivated, and successful team. The Project Manager will also act as the main point of contact for the client’s project team, ensuring that communications are clear, timely, and diplomatic and that all aspects of the project are delivered on schedule, on budget, and to the client’s satisfaction.

Specific Duties, Activities, and Responsibilities

Project Planning

Lead the design, planning, and implementation of detailed project plans throughout the project life cycle, both with the internal SRM team and with the client’s project team
Drive resource planning for internal staff and freelancers as part of project plan creation by utilizing Smartsheet to model workflows that balance client schedule needs with staff and freelancer capacity
With adherence to the statement of work, collaborate with the functional area leads from learning experience design, editorial, digital development, and production to facilitate adherence to project scope, project goals, deliverables, level of effort, risk assessment, scheduling strategies, resource and staffing, budgeting, change management, communication, and acceptance criteria, both internally and with clients
Follow defined project management methodology for planning, tracking, quality management, and communication
Utilize defined project management tools to set up and manage the project (Smartsheet, Sharepoint, etc.)

Resource Management

Collaborate with the Project Director and functional leads to assemble and coordinate internal staff and to manage freelancers, consultants, or vendors
In collaboration with the Project Director and relevant functional leads, confirm effort and time required to complete project tasks and ensure accurate LOE is maintained in Smartsheet project plans; communicate project utilization metrics to project team members and track and report hours and expenses charged against the project budget
Actively manage project resources, including giving and tracking delivery of assignments, mitigating late deliveries, and managing resource communication
Provide real-time tracking of freelancer, consultant, and vendor assignments via Smartsheet; work with procurement and finance to maintain external contracts and purchase orders; monitor and track freelance/vendor resource costs against purchase orders

Budgeting, Forecasting, and Reporting

Maintain the project budget, including estimated and actual hours and expenses and estimated and actual deliverables, using SRM’s project management tools
Regularly review, update, and validate data in SRM’s financial system of record (Sage Intacct)
Track project hours and expenses against project budget, including forecasting remaining project hours and expenses, to identify and mitigate potential overages; collaborate with functional leads to strategize prevention and mitigation of overages
Develop and report on operational excellence and effectiveness through KPIs on budget, scope management, quality, resources, etc.
Actively manage project scope through ongoing comparison of contractual agreement with realized delivery of project, including client feedback, timeliness of deliverables, adherence to acceptance criteria, etc.; escalate to appropriate stakeholders and document scope changes, risks, or issues through the change management process

Leadership and Communication

Serve as the primary contact for day-to-day project communication for all involved in the project, including clients, the internal SRM team, and outside contractors and vendors
Anticipate, identify, and document risks, scope changes, and issues on the project; collaborate with the team to troubleshoot and resolve issues throughout the project life cycle; document and escalate issues as appropriate
Proactively lead project team members across all functional areas
Provide regular, detailed reporting to key stakeholders on project metrics and KPIs
Communicate project status to the client and internal stakeholders on a regular basis at intervals defined during project planning stage and as needed to meet client requests.
Hold regular internal and client status meetings; set meeting agenda with input from the team; document and distribute minutes/notes following every meeting; keep all meeting participants focused and on task to maximize efficiency
Keep internal stakeholders apprised of any risks to the project schedule, budget, or deliverables as soon as they become apparent through project tracking and reporting; collaborate with the Project Director and functional leads to communicate risks and/or issues and their resulting solution to the client

Desired Skills and Experience

Must be well-organized, detail-oriented, and highly analytical and possess strong problem-solving skills; able to manage multiple projects simultaneously
Must thrive in a fast-paced environment and be able to adapt quickly to meet changing project goals or shifting priorities
Strong business acumen with specific attention to project financials, metrics, and KPIs
Excellent customer service skills and strong interpersonal and communications skills (verbal and written) across all levels, internally and with clients; able to successfully tailor communications to appropriate audience
Proven ability to effectively manage internal and external teams
Demonstrated ability to perform well in a fast-paced environment; able to enforce on-time deliveries in a deadline-driven environment; self-disciplined
Proven experience of project management processes and methodologies, tools, and infrastructure
Experience working with cross-functional teams in a matrix environment
Proficient in Windows environment, particularly Microsoft Excel; MS Teams and Sharepoint
Experience with Smartsheet and/or 10,000 ft a plus
Knowledge of the education (preK–12 or higher ed) or publishing industries a plus
Experience in agile methodology a plus
2+ years of budgeting, forecasting, and overall financial management experience required
Bachelor’s degree required
2+ years of project management experience required

Why Six Red Marbles

Do you believe learning matters? Well, we do too.

In fact, our entire business is built around the idea that we are all always learning and therefore always students. We believe everyone deserves the most engaging and innovative learning experiences available, and our employees are the secret to our success. Our values include:

Doing right by our people and partners
Taking an innovative, tech-forward approach to engage students of all ages
Putting the learner first in the content we create
Being transparent in all we do and how we do it
Working together to find the best solution, not the easiest solution
Embracing that we are Always a Student

About Six Red Marbles

Six Red Marbles delivers high-quality educational programs at scale and has decades of experience developing custom materials and assessments that can align with any educational standard. We have developed thousands of interactive learning programs for schools, publishers, universities, and more with the support of our global network of subject matter experts. Six Red Marbles has offices in Austin, TX; Boston, MA; Brattleboro, VT; Delhi, India; and Chennai, India.

Apply for This Position

Six Red Marbles is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at resumes@sixredmarbles.com.