Project Manager, Advancement

The Advancement team cultivates, solicits, and stewards individuals, as well as foundation, government and corporate partners who invest in the Society to drive impact through science, technology, education, exploration, and storytelling. The team collaborates with Society teams – and often works closely with NGP/Disney – to build transformative and impact-driven strategic partnerships. The team also produces global events that deepen connections and leverage the Society’s power to convene, and directs robust annual, major and planned giving programs empowering the Society with a broad base of public support.

Reporting to the Chief of Staff of the Advancement Team, the Project Manager (PM), Advancement is responsible for enabling predictable execution, operational discipline, and leadership visibility across Advancement priorities. As the Society prepares for and executes a major multi‑year comprehensive campaign, the PM, in consultation with the Chief of Staff, will translate Advancement strategy into clear plans, timelines, and milestones, ensuring cross‑functional initiatives are delivered consistently, transparently, and on time.

Responsibilities include managing the integrated project planning and milestone tracking; coordinating work across Campaign Engagement & Stewardship, Leadership Giving, Institutional Partnerships, Advancement Operations, Global Special Events and Annual Giving & Membership; identifying risks early and recommending course corrections; and leveraging Monday.com as the single source of truth to provide executive dashboards, capacity insights, and real‑time progress reporting that supports informed decision‑making by Advancement leadership.

Responsibilities Include:

Project Planning, Governance & Prioritization (35%)

• Develop structured, time-bound project plans for Advancement priorities (campaigns, appeals, events, donor initiatives), with clear milestones, dependencies, and ownership.
• Establish and manage project governance, including intake, prioritization, and approval workflows across the portfolio.
• In collaboration with the Chief of Staff, will partner with Advancement VPs to set priorities, align resources, and balance the Advancement portfolio against strategic goals and capacity.
• Maintain a centralized view of active and upcoming work to ensure alignment with priorities and available resources.
• Identify risks, constraints, and competing priorities early; drive mitigation strategies and informed trade-offs.

Execution Management & Delivery Enablement (25%)

• Enable and coordinate execution of complex, cross-functional initiatives by managing timelines, dependencies, and critical paths.
• Proactively engage stakeholders across both complex and routine initiatives to maintain alignment, surface risks early, and build confidence in timelines and delivery.
• Drive consistent, on-time delivery through proactive coordination, follow-ups, and escalation.
• Monitor project health, resolve issues quickly, and sustain delivery momentum.
• Continuously improve delivery practices to increase efficiency, predictability, and quality.

Stakeholder Alignment & Capacity Management (20%)

• Act as a central coordination partner across Advancement.
• Partner with the Chief of Staff and senior leaders to prioritize initiatives and align work with team capacity.
• Surface trade-offs, risks, and constraints to support clear, timely decision-making.
• Clarify roles, responsibilities, and expectations to reduce friction and strengthen collaboration.

Project Management Systems, Reporting & Insights (20%)

• Manage Monday.com as the system of record for project tracking, workflows, and reporting.
• Build and maintain executive dashboards with real-time visibility into progress, risks, ownership, and milestones.
• Implement automated workflows and reporting to drive accountability and consistency.
• Ensure platform adoption, data integrity, and scalability across Advancement.
• Deliver clear, actionable insights to leadership through synthesized project reporting.

What You’ll Bring

Educational Background

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Project Management, Communications, Nonprofit Management, or a related field preferred

Minimum Years and Type of Experience

5+ years of experience in project management, program management, or operations roles, preferably in a non-profit environment

Necessary Knowledge and Skills

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey project plans, timelines, risks, and updates to senior leadership
• Strong project and program management expertise, delivering complex, cross‑functional initiatives using best practices in risk management, dependency mapping, and governance (intake, prioritization, and approvals)
• Excellent time management skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and consistently meet time-sensitive deadlines
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify risks, assess trade-offs, and recommend solutions
• Demonstrated discretion and professionalism when handling confidential and sensitive information
• Advanced proficiency in project management tools, with advanced experience in Monday.com for workflow design, tracking, and reporting

Desired Qualifications

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification (or equivalent) strongly preferred
• Understanding of Advancement, fundraising campaigns, donor engagement, or higher education environments
• Familiarity with change management principles, driving adoption of new tools/processes and project management tools
• Exposure to marketing, communications, or campaign-based work environments

Supervision

No direct reports