Project Manager

Proper Southern Strategies (PSS) seeks a part-time, primarily virtual Project Manager to ensure that the team (President, Administrative Assistant, and project team members) has a skilled, accountable, detail-oriented, and proactive resource to support their effectiveness, including meeting and event support, special project management, and general organization. This is a contract, part-time position for approximately 10-15 hours per week with strong potential for growth, dependent upon performance.

About Proper Southern Strategies

PSS is a private, woman-owned, women-run consulting firm headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas serving clients nationwide. PSS provides an array of services, such as strategic advice, nonprofit support, subject-matter expertise, and customized technical assistance. PSS is focused on helping clients achieve their vision with specific expertise working in the philanthropic, nonprofit, and policy arenas.

Position Details

The Project Manager will report to the President and will work closely with the PSS Administrative Assistant as well as other project-based team members. This is both a strategic program management and a support role. The role requires a highly resourceful individual with strong emotional intelligence, self-motivation, discretion, and strong project management, writing, and analytical skills. The position also requires a flexible schedule. The ideal candidate has done contract work before, is responsive and proactive, is extremely detail oriented, can time manage themselves, can manage project teams and deliverables, is looking for part-time remote work, and is looking for a role with growth potential. PSS is a small, close-knit team and aims to identify a candidate who can be a dedicated member of the team and desires a long term professional engagement. The hiring expectation is a commitment of at least two years (after an initial 6 month trial period).

This person will serve as a Project Manager across all PSS clients/work.

Primary Responsibilities

• Inform and directly manage program/project design and strategies:
  • Provide in-depth, explicit strategy and research support as it relates to client selection, partnership strategies, client deliverables, program development and management, and growth/enhancement of the overall services offered by Proper Southern Strategies.
  • Discreetly and accurately execute contracts and MOUs via Docusign, post roles and review applicants, set up new team member email addresses and signatures, manage licenses on accounts, time tracking, etc.
  • Support and navigate overall project execution processes and help manage project team members, including ensuring deliverables are met on time.
  • Track data for project evaluation purposes.
  • Serve as a trusted advisor to the President while upholding strict confidentiality and discretion.
  • Enhance the President’s and Company’s reputation by professionally representing the Company, maintaining client relationships, increasing the Company’s efficiency, and ensuring client expectations are met.
  • Maintain positive working relationships with team members, clients, key points of contact, and others.
  • Ask questions and actively seek opportunities to learn more about the work PSS does, including independent research.
• Prioritize conflicting needs and deliver tasks efficiently and accurately, often with short deadlines and a large amount of detail requiring extremely close attention:
  • Perform very detailed proofreading of various materials for design, formatting, and copy edits with little to no margin of error.
  • Utilize and manage organized filing systems for contact information, meeting notes, presentation materials, project updates, and other resources in Google Drive, Evernote, SurveyMonkey, Zoom, and Zoho.
  • Assist with research, creation, formatting, editing, proofreading, and distribution of memorandums, emails, presentations, documents, and reports for company clients as needed.
• Provide event and meeting coordination- from inception to day-of, at times requiring in-person support. This includes webinars, large convenings, and more:
  • Scheduling, venue selection, marketing and correspondence development and execution, technology/platform management, accurate recordkeeping, registration setup and management, ordering items, identifying and serving as lead liaison with vendors, materials development, travel arrangements, management and publishing of recordings, and otherwise supporting the overall planning and execution processes- ensuring all details are handled from start to finish in a timely, thoughtful, and professional manner.
  • Virtually attend meetings, provide summarized notes in a timely and accurate fashion, and spearhead follow up on any action items, keeping the President updated as needed.
• Keep the company organized and assist in administrative tasks:
  • Manage expense records and assist in creating expense reports for timely submission.
  • Provide technical assistance to the PSS team, clients, and meeting/event attendees as needed.
  • Scheduling and coordination assistance of the President’s calendar (and other project team member calendars as needed), balancing external relations efforts (meetings, conferences, etc.) with strategic and management priorities as well as personal commitments.This includes scheduling calls, ensuring calendar accuracy and feasibility, rescheduling, forecasting weekly priorities, organizing client timelines and deliverables, reminding clients of scheduled appointments, and assisting with the preparation of relevant resources and background documents.
  • Website management and updates.
  • Assist in personal tasks and other special projects as needed.
  • Over time, anticipate needs and prepare or complete tasks before being asked.
• Must disclose any potential conflicts of interest with Proper Southern Strategies clients.
• Sign a confidentiality agreement.
• Other duties as assigned by the President.

The Most Successful Candidate:

• Has experience working on multiple projects and for multiple clients at once, including strong task management and prioritization.
• Is hyper organized and excels at time-management with multiple overlapping timelines, completing time-pressing tasks in expert fashion.
• Is incredibly detail-oriented across all aspects of work, in addition to strong proofreading skills- both content and formatting.
• Is a strong communicator (verbal and written) given the remote nature of the work and is comfortable flagging priority changes to key stakeholders.
• Enjoys engaging with people and embodies a great customer service ethic to foster positive organizational responses.
• Feels at ease working remotely with team members across multiple time zones.
• Knows, or is experienced with, philanthropy or the nonprofit sector.
• Is both a self starter and comfortable following instructions and proposing solutions to problems.
• Is eager to learn processes and anticipate needs.
• Has a flexible schedule, is looking for a long-term engagement, and wants to learn and grow with a close-knit team.

Required Qualifications

• Extremely strong attention to detail and experience proofreading materials for grammar, content, and formatting.
• Exceptional project and time management skills: experience managing multiple projects and/or clients with varying deliverables and deadlines.
• Ability to be responsive and flexible to project needs, often with short deadlines and low margin for error.
• Administrative, secretarial, or other relevant experience- preferably in the nonprofit and/or philanthropic fields.
• Extremely organized, dedicated, and efficient.
• Self-starter: eager to learn and grow, not afraid to ask questions, motivated to jump in and help where needed, take on tasks without being asked.
• Enjoys challenges and is eager to learn more about the work and displays a helpful attitude.
• Demonstrated ability to recognize and learn processes surrounding planning and daily tasks/anticipating needs.
• Resourceful and able to use all tools available to you with minimal guidance.
• Excellent written and spoken English language communications skills.
• Superior written and verbal communication skills and demonstrated ability to be flexible and diplomatic with diverse constituent groups.
• Experience creating online posts, meeting materials, memorandums, annual reports, and other communications with efficiency and consistency.
• Technologically savvy; proficient and comfortable with Zoom, Evernote, Microsoft applications, Google Suite, Zoho, SurveyMonkey, Canva, etc.
• Ability to manage sensitive information with discretion.
• Remote work experience.
• Knowledge of and recommendations for project management processes.
• Ability to work with other organizations, and their team members, of various sizes, capacity, and sophistication.
• Background in the family economic security, philanthropic, and/or nonprofit field(s) a plus.

Preferred Background & Skills

• 5+ years of administrative assistant experience.
• 2+ years of project management experience.
• Experience with project management software.
• A Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in a relevant field.
• Federal and state grant experience a plus.

Location for Work & Term

Part-time contract, initially for 6 months with strong potential for extension and annual renewal based on performance. Potential for more hours based on performance.

Virtual, preferably Arkansas or Little Rock based but not required. Candidates must reside within the United States, preferably in the Central Standard Time Zone. Preference will be given to candidates located in Arkansas and/or Central Standard Time Zone.

Compensation

This position will require approximately 10-15 hours per week on average (with potential for growth). Some months will require minimal engagement, while others may be busier. This part-time position will be contractor paid at an hourly rate. $40.00-50.00/hour depending on qualifications and experience.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit their resume, a statement of interest, and proposed hourly rate to Sarah Ridgeway, sarah@propersouthernstrategies.com. Please reference the position title in the subject line of the email. Candidates will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.