Program Project Manager with Business Ownership Solutions

Do you want to help preserve businesses and grow more and better jobs throughout the Northeast? Do you want to help workers build wealth through ownership and advance economic opportunity, security and justice? Then we’ve got a position for you! The Cooperative Development Institute is looking for a Program Project Manager  to help keep a diversity of stakeholders coordinated and on task, and keep a variety of projects on time and on budget. Interested candidates should upload a cover letter, resume, and at least three references on our website.

About The Cooperative Development Institute (CDI)

Founded in 1994, the Cooperative Development Institute (CDI, www.cdi.coop) is the USDA-designated Cooperative Business Development Center for the Northeast, providing cooperative education, training, technical assistance, research and advocacy throughout the region. Our mission is to work with people in the Northeast to create cooperative businesses and networks that grow a prosperous, equitable economy. We envision a democratically-owned and just economy where everyone can fulfill their needs and aspirations.

Business Ownership Solutions (BOS) works with business owners and their workers to think through whether the transition to worker ownership can meet their needs, and guides businesses through a transition to a worker-owned cooperative. Cooperative Business Services (CBS) supports the development of new and existing cooperative businesses in many cooperative sectors. New England Resident Owned Communities (NEROC) assists residents of manufactured home parks to form housing cooperatives and purchase and run their communities. And that's not all we do!

CDI is a 501c3 nonprofit virtual organization with nearly 30 employees located throughout the region. CDI employees enjoy their jobs and appreciate the flexibility of working from a home office, the commitment to continuous learning, and how interesting and varied our work is. Because our organization is transparent, accountable and participatory, our staff’s ideas and opinions count. We are committed to maintaining this as a priority.



 

About Business Ownership Solutions (BOS)

BOS is a nationally recognized leader in the field of worker cooperative transitions, preserving and growing local businesses, jobs and ownership, and creating a more prosperous, equitable and resilient economy. We: 

• Educate business owners and service providers on the exit planning process and options, and the employee ownership option in particular.
• Assist business owners and their employees as they work through the design, execution and financing of a worker cooperative transition, and provide the training and coaching new worker-owners need to be successful.
• Train and consult with other economic, business and workforce development entities that want to support business exit planning and employee ownership transitions.
• Raise awareness about employee ownership transitions among policymakers and the general public as a uniquely beneficial option for business owners, workers and communities.

You can learn more about worker cooperative transitions and our work in the Boston Globe, the Daily Yonder and the Maine Policy Review, and watch short stories about companies we’ve worked with such as Ward Lumber Worker Cooperative and The Home Beautiful.

Purpose of this Position

To assist the Program Director, team members and partners in building the infrastructure and capacity needed to expand the number of successful employee-owned companies in the Northeast.

Objectives for this Position

To strategize, implement, maintain and track a number of interrelated projects that achieve desired program outcomes and ensure program goals are reached on time and on budget, while managing the needs and exceeding the expectations of internal team members and external partners, clients and vendors.  Examples of projects in development include, but are not limited to:

• A year-long fellowship program for economic, workforce and community development practitioners and lenders
• A training program for workers and managers in new employee-owned companies
• A robust, multifaceted communications campaign to raise awareness of exit planning and employee ownership among business owners, service providers and others
• A data gathering, impact measurement and program evaluation system

An additional objective is to document overall program initiatives, best practices, impacts and lessons learned as a guide for replication, consulting and mentoring on similar developments in other regions.





 

Responsibilities

• Work closely with team members in developing work plans, and ensure coordination across multiple, inter-related projects
• Analyze, evaluate, and overcome risks and challenges, and produce status reports that effectively summarize relevant information
• Assist in developing program assessment protocols for data collection and outcome measurement, evaluation and improvement
• Develop and maintain relationships with external stakeholders, including partners, vendors, clients and researchers
• Establish clear milestones and coordinate team members and partners to ensure projects are on track with requirements, schedules and deadlines
• Establish, coordinate and maintain effective communication systems among team members and partners
• Coordinate the development of project plans, manuals, materials, and other documents as needed to enable successful program implementation, execution and evaluation

Required skills and qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in program/project management, with thorough understanding of project management techniques and methods
• Superior emotional intelligence and leadership, communication (written and verbal), organizational, time management, facilitation and problem-solving skills
• Experience in managing multiple stakeholders
• Knowledge of change management principles and performance evaluation processes
• Experience in developing and managing platforms for internal organization and processes, and in training and supporting team members in their use, including excellent knowledge of MS Office, google docs/drive, program/project management software (e.g. Basecamp, MS Project, Podio, etc.)

• Strong attention to deadlines and budgetary guidelines
• Experience working in a highly autonomous, remote/virtual staff structure, managing multiple tasks and priorities, and meeting deadlines with discipline and self-direction
• Confidence in what you know and resourcefulness, innovation and efficiency in figuring out answers and solutions for what you don’t know

Preferred skills and qualifications

• Professional certification such as PMP, CPMP or PRINCE2
• Knowledge of business and/or workforce development
• Knowledge of and experience with employee-owned companies
• Communications and marketing strategies and platforms

Geographic Location:  The successful candidate must be located in the Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT or northern NY). The successful candidate must provide for their own high quality, functional and productive office environment. An office stipend is provided. Infrequent travel to client sites is required; mileage reimbursement or payment for rental cars is provided.

Supervision: The BOS Program Project Manager will report to the BOS Program Director.

Hours: Full-time, 40 hours/week, with occasional evening and weekend meetings and events. 

Qualifications: A minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience and/or education is required.

Compensation & Benefits: Starting annual wage of $72,000, depending on experience. FLSA non-exempt/hourly. Paid time off (3 weeks vacation, increasing to 4 weeks after two years’ tenure, plus 9 paid holidays/year). Health benefits. Family and Medical Leave, Parental Leave, matched retirement savings plan, monthly home office stipend and other benefits, including a 5-week sabbatical for all staff after 5 years, and a 7-week sabbatical after 10 years. Mileage reimbursement at the IRS rate.

Application Process: Applicants for the Program Project Manager position should submit their full resume, a cover letter, and three references at https://cdi.coop/about-us/opportunities-at-cdi/.  NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.

CDI does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. CDI is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Because we believe in economic prosperity and justice for all, CDI commits to acknowledging, untangling and eliminating all forms of oppression. We do this by recognizing and counteracting racism, classism and other forms of bias within ourselves and the organization, by making our board and staff more inclusive, by prioritizing marginalized people and by promoting these practices within the co-op movement. We welcome applicants from underrepresented identities, and those who have a commitment and track record of bringing an inclusive and equitable approach to their work.