Project Manager

About SF New Deal:

SF New Deal (SFND) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides supportive services and financial opportunities for small businesses in San Francisco. Our mission is to strengthen neighborhoods by making it easier for under-resourced small business owners to succeed. We envision and are building towards a vibrant San Francisco with diverse and thriving small businesses.

Our team is growing rapidly to build and deliver innovative and responsive community-centered solutions to some of San Francisco’s most persistent challenges. Since our launch in March 2020, we’ve had significant impact and disbursed over $60 million dollars to over 2,300 small businesses citywide through a host of diverse programs. Our work is funded through private donations and government contracts.

We’re a team of collaborative optimists and would love to have you join and build with us.

About the role:

SF New Deal is seeking a part-time (est. 20 hours per week) Project Manager to lead the implementation, field testing, and scale plan for the Vibrancy Index.

The Vibrancy Index is a new, multi-faceted framework SF New Deal has developed in partnership with Gehl, an urban design and research firm focused on improving city life, to help us understand and measure vibrancy in neighborhoods and get deeper insights into a broader range of possible solutions to increase vibrancy across varied scales and levels of investment.

This role will support the testing, implementation, and scaling of the Vibrancy Index framework across multiple neighborhoods in San Francisco. The Vibrancy Index Manager sits at the intersection of data, community partnership, and project leadership. You'll work with neighborhood organizations to implement the Vibrancy Index in neighborhood commercial corridors. One day you might be training community partners on field data collection, facilitating a Vibrancy Index implementation plan, or managing multiple project timelines across implementation in multiple neighborhoods.

The Project Manager will work closely with our external partner, Gehl, community based organizations and neighbor associations to structure implementation partnerships, deployment schedules, and lead in sharing Vibrancy Index insights post-implementation.

We are looking to scale the Vibrancy Index as a widely used framework in San Francisco across diverse stakeholders from City agencies, community organizations, neighborhood groups, and private philanthropy. The Vibrancy Index Manager will have a key leadership role in advancing the development of this new framework. This role will be supported by a Partner Success Manager and will report to the Chief Impact Officer.

Key Responsibilities:

Project Management & Coordination

• Manage citywide implementation of the Vibrancy Index across multiple neighborhoods, ensuring each deployment stays on track, on schedule, and aligned with project goals.
• Develop and manage project plans, timelines, milestones, roles, and deliverables for each neighborhood deployment.
• Coordinate across SF New Deal staff, community partners, technical partners, and other stakeholders to ensure clear communication, alignment, and accountability.
• Maintain clear documentation of implementation activities, decisions, lessons learned, and next steps across neighborhood deployments.

Community Partnerships & Engagement

• Identify and build relationships with community-based organizations, neighborhood groups, merchant associations, and other local partners in neighborhoods where the Vibrancy Index is deployed to ensure implementation reflects neighborhood context, knowledge, and priorities.
• Recruit, onboard, and support neighborhood organizations serving as Vibrancy Index implementation and data collection partners.
• Coordinate with public agencies and other stakeholders whose participation can strengthen neighborhood implementation and use of the Vibrancy Index.

Field Implementation, Training & Data Quality

• Facilitate trainings with SF New Deal project partner Gehl, that prepares community partners to collect high-quality observational and survey data using Vibrancy Index methodology.
• Coordinate fieldwork logistics, including staffing, scheduling, materials, data collection protocols, and communication across participating teams
• Provide support to partners during data collection and troubleshoot implementation questions as they arise.
• Monitor data collection for completeness, consistency, and adherence to Vibrancy Index protocols, coordinating with partners to address quality issues.
• Lead SF New Deal’s direct deployment of the Vibrancy Index in priority neighborhoods, including planning, coordinating, and participating, as needed, in field data collection.

Scaling & Continuous Improvement

• Lead expansion of the Vibrancy Index into additional neighborhoods beyond the initial planned deployments, building SF New Deal’s internal capacity to implement the tool directly.
• Develop repeatable tools, resources, training materials, and workflows that make neighborhood implementation increasingly efficient and accessible as the Vibrancy Index scales.
• Capture lessons learned across deployments and translate them into improvements to training, fieldwork, partner engagement, and project management processes.
• Collaborate with SF New Deal’s Impact team and technical partners to refine implementation practices based on partner feedback and experience in the field.

Qualifications

We're looking for someone who enjoys designing thoughtful systems and frameworks, but is equally comfortable rolling up their sleeves to make them work.

You likely bring:

• 4+ years of experience in project management, impact measurement, research, or a related field.
• Experience designing or managing evaluation frameworks, surveys, or measurement systems.
• Ability to manage ambiguity and build new processes from the ground up.
• Experience with community-based research or participatory evaluation.
• Experience working with nonprofits, local government, urban planning, economic development, or community development organizations.
• Experience working with cross-sector partnerships or neighborhood-based initiatives.
• Strong project management skills with experience coordinating multiple stakeholders across workstreams.
• Comfort working with quantitative and qualitative data.
• Experience with spreadsheets, aggregating, and cleaning data
• Experience facilitating trainings or workshops.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

You’ll Be a Great Fit If You...

• Care deeply about strengthening neighborhoods, supporting small businesses, and creating measurable community impact.
• Like making complex projects feel organized.
• Naturally connect people across teams and disciplines.
• Enjoy turning data into stories and actionable recommendations.
• Can zoom out to think strategically and zoom in to manage execution details.
• Are curious, analytical, and always asking, "How can we learn from this?"
• Thrive in collaborative environments where priorities evolve and innovation is encouraged.

Across all platforms, the Project Manager is expected to always act professionally, use good judgment, and bring a hospitality mindset to programs. In all interactions, they should thoughtfully and empathetically manage expectations with clients, partners, and team members with clarity and consistency.

Employment Classification: Part-time, salaried, non-exempt

Weekly Hours: Approximately 20 hours per week

Preferred Work Days: Monday–Friday; schedule may vary based on Vibrancy Index implementation needs

Salary Range: $50,000-$55,000 annually for a 20-hour-per-week position

Reports to: Chief Impact Officer

Location: This role is primarily remote/work from home, with a preference for candidates who live in or near San Francisco; the role requires regular time in neighborhoods across the city and attendance at 8 in-person team events per year, including annual kickoff, midyear, and 6 culture and team-building events.

Research has shown that women and people from marginalized communities apply to roles when they meet 100% of the job requirements, versus men who apply if they meet an average of 60% of the requirements. We encourage EVERYONE to apply if you have transferable skills and can add value to this role, regardless of whether you have 100% of the skills and experience requested.

We strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply, especially people from communities of color, the LGBTQ+ community, veterans, and people with disabilities. No matter your background, our new Marketing Manager must advocate for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. We look forward to receiving your application. SF New Deal is an equal opportunity employer; people of color and individuals from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic background, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, or disability. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Medical, dental and vision insurance; paid time off; 401(k); annual work-from-home stipend and monthly internet/phone and wellness stipends; and professional development.