Project Management Lead, Science

About the company

The company helps teachers bring delight and rigor to students every day. We have become a leader in K–12 literacy, biliteracy, math, and science by building inspiring teaching and learning experiences based on research. The company Classroom platform combines curriculum, assessment, and supplemental learning into one coherent high-quality instructional system. A pioneer in education since 2000, the company has developed deep relationships in states and districts by partnering with educators to drive implementation quality and improved outcomes. Today, the company serves more than 18 million students and teachers across all 50 states and on six continents. For more information, visit the company [link for members]

Job Summary

As the Project Management Lead, you are the operational leader responsible for the on-time and in-budget execution and delivery health of the company's most critical product portfolios or cross-cutting enterprise initiatives. You partner with the Head of Product and leadership team on delivery strategy and organizational capability.

You oversee execution of the set of active projects, while also building and refining the delivery systems that empower cross-functional teams to do their best work. You are a master of process design, a mentor to project managers, and the primary point of contact for ensuring that the product/initiative strategy and concept is translated into a realistic, high-velocity execution project plan.

You Will...

• Architect the delivery framework - design and implement the operating rhythm and

artifact/tool standards for your product area. You decide which ceremonies (sprints,

milestones, creative reviews) are necessary to maintain momentum and which process

debt needs to be cleared away to increase team velocity.

• Direct project delivery - oversee and support the development and execution of project

schedules, dependency maps, and resource plans to deliver target outcomes.

Communicate project health and status to teammates, stakeholders, and executives.

• Bridge the content-software divide - lead the synchronization between our curriculum

writers and software engineers. You ensure that digital features are ready when the

content needs them, and that content is authored to take full advantage of our platform’s

capabilities.

• Manage team capacity and planning - own the resource-allocation model for your

teams. Identify early signs of burnout or under-utilization and work with functional leads

to rebalance staffing or adjust project scope before deadlines are at risk.

• Drive risk management and issue resolution - act as the ultimate escalation point for

project blockers. When a print deadline is threatened or a software bug halts a content

release, you lead the charge to identify the fastest path to resolution, surface trade-offs

for decision-making, communicate the recovery plan to stakeholders, and drive to

resolution.

• Manage operational budgets - monitor project-level spending and ensure projects are

delivered within approved financial parameters. Partner with Product Management

leaders and Heads to create inputs for annual budgets, re-forecasts, and five year plans.

• Optimize the "print-to-digital" pipeline - collaborate with Supply Chain and Production

to ensure that the hand-off from creative teams to manufacturing is seamless. Define the

"definition of ready" for physical production, ensuring that files are technically accurate

and instructional intent is preserved.

• Own vendor strategy and manage strategic partners - evaluate and select vendors,

negotiate terms, and set performance standards. Monitor vendor performance across

the portfolio and make recommendations on renewals, expansions, or terminations.

• Pioneer AI efficiency - identify and implement AI-powered tools within the project

management workflow to drive development efficiencies and reduce the administrative

burdens.

• Mentor excellent project managers - directly manage and nurture the development of

a team of project managers.

• Elevate the Project Management discipline - contribute to project management

standards, templates, tooling decisions, and ways of working that improve delivery

effectiveness across the organization. Be a thought partner to peers on complex delivery

challenges.

How You Work...

• The multiplier - managing projects yourself and managing the people who manage

projects, making them more effective.

• High-stakes diplomat - working with cross-functional partners, independently resolve

major resource or timeline conflicts that threaten successful delivery and product-line

and enterprise goals

• Radically candid - providing clear, honest feedback to product and content leads when a

roadmap is unrealistic, and backing it up with data-driven alternatives.

• Standard-bearer for quality - believing that "shipped on time" only counts if it’s "shipped

with excellence," holding the team accountable to the highest standards of accuracy and

user experience.

• Process (and meeting) minimalist - constantly looking for ways to make communication

more asynchronous and efficient, and improving the ways we work

• Foresight specialist - leveraging your product mastery and ability to see future paths to

ask questions, improve delivery, and find alternatives long before a deadline is at risk

What We’re Looking For...

• 5-8 Years of Experience with increasing people management experience: Proven experience leading project management or operations teams in an EdTech, publishing, or SaaS environment.

• Expertise in project management and product development methodologies: Deep fluency in Agile/Scrum for software and Waterfall for physical production. You know how

to make these two "speeds" work together.

• Demonstrated Leadership: Experience managing at least 3–5 direct reports, with a track

record of hiring, training, and retaining high-performing talent.

• Technical and Operational Literacy: Comfortable using (and configuring) advanced PM

tools like Jira, Smartsheet, and Notion. You can easily speak with engineers, designers,

supply chain teammates, and content writers alike.

• Strategic Communication: Ability to take granular project risks and synthesize them into

clear health reports for product leadership.

The company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The company makes employment decisions based on qualifications and merit, and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability status, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic or status.

The company is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities, including disabled veterans. If you have a disability and need an accommodation in connection with the application or hiring process, please email [link for members]

If you are selected for employment, a background check will be required. As required by state and local laws and district policies, you may be required to provide additional documentation, such as proof of vaccination, or submit to enhanced background screening, such as fingerprinting.

The company is an E-Verify participant.