Manager of Special Projects: Steppingstone Scholars Inc.

Reports to:  Vice President, Programs
Employment Type: Full time, Exempt, Salaried
Salary Range:  $55,000 – $65,000
Work Location: Office-Based

Who We Are and What We Do

The union of Philadelphia Futures and Steppingstone Scholars creates one of the most dynamic, expansive, and trusted educational nonprofits in the City of Philadelphia. Our bold new vision is that “all Philadelphia students graduate high school with pathways to economic mobility through college and workforce success,” and we are increasing the scale and capacity of our services to make it easier for students to access advising, enrichment programs, and partnerships that support their success in college and/or career trajectory.

As we await final governmental approvals on our merger, we have integrated programming and will effectively operate as one organization beginning September 1, 2022. During our first year as a merged organization, we will serve 3,300 students total through middle school, high school, and college and career programming. Following all necessary approvals, we will rebrand as a single entity with a new name, logo, and website.

About this Role

The Manager of Special Projects is responsible for providing project and administrative support to the Vice President, K-12 Pathways, and the broader K-12 programs team. This role is critical to design and implementation of cross-team initiatives. This role is perfect for someone with a combination of school– or community-based program experience, broad administrative and technological skills, and a desire to impact students. Experience supporting an executive, managing operations OR leading multiple projects aligns with the Manager position.

You’ll help us to achieve:

• Strong administrative and operational systems use for the Programs team
• Successful implementation of innovative projects, partnerships and programming that strengthen engagement of students around college- and career-readiness.
• Proactive and responsive strategies that amplify effectiveness of school-based staff.

You’ll be responsible for:

• Effectively managing multiple strategic projects and providing high-level administrative support to the VP, Programs
• Supporting the design and implementation of new initiatives with members of the broader program team.
• Serving as a critical thought partner and operational resource to school-based teams in the implementation of broad organizational strategies
• Leveraging data systems, google workspace applications and other technology to create and manage processes for others to follow
• Reviewing, synthesizing and presenting performance data in a way that supports progress monitoring and actionable responses by the VP and other leaders on the team.
• Serving as critical thought partner and member of planning teams responsible for implementing key efforts and events across the organization
• Coordinating logistics and provide in-meeting support to leaders of the program team
• Ensuring that all projects under VP of K-12 Pathways and assigned to the Manager are delivered on-time, within scope and within budget
• Collaborating with administrative teams (Development, Communications, Data, Talent, Operations) and oversee processes to strengthen cross-team collaboration
• Creating and maintain systems to document operational processes

 About you: 

• Have a Bachelor’s degree, and perhaps an advanced degree (e.g. MSW, M.Ed., etc)
• A minimum of three (3) years of professional experience in an administrative and/or program services capacity
• Passionate about educational access for underserved communities
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and evident ability to handle multiple projects
• Skilled in keeping data, analyzing data, and creating reports or evaluations
• Strong oral and written communication, technological skills and ability to learn systems quickly
• Ability to think strategically, identify potential problems, innovate, and provide proactive solutions
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to foster collaborative relationships students, partners, PFSS peers and other external stakeholders
• Experience with program or project management within a youth-serving organization,

Other things to keep in mind: 

PFSS employees: 

• Must meet expectations to report in-person on a schedule determined by their direct manager and/or the Vice President of the team.
• Must meet PA State background check requirements [PA Criminal, PA Child Abuse and FBI Fingerprint Check] at hire and every five years thereafter.
• Strong orientation to customer service, particularly with regard to students, partners and colleagues
• Proficiency in Google Suite, Microsoft Office and related applications, as well as use of general office equipment (phones, computers, copiers, etc)
• Fluency in the use of data and data systems. Maintains appropriate engagement with data entry, reporting and review.
• Must adhere to COVID safety guidelines as established by PFSS and/or its partners.
• Office-based staff should be mindful of the organization’s strong recommendation that staff maintain up to date with COVID vaccination and boosters.
• Site-based staff must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and must submit to any COVID testing or other health screenings as required by the Department of Human Services and/or the School District of Philadelphia.
• Must be able to work in a busy, often complex work environment that is generally climate controlled.
• Must be able to lift up to 20 pounds unassisted on an occasional basis.
• Must be able to sit for long periods of time.
• Must be able to stand or walk for long periods of time.
• Access to reliable transportation required