Senior Project Manager - Heartland Human Care Services

Title: Senior Project Manager

Location: 4822 N. Broadway 2nd Floor Chicago, IL. 60640

Schedule: Hybrid, Monday to Friday (8:30am-5:00pm)

Summary:

Heartland Human Care Services (HHCS) is looking for an experienced and detail-oriented Process Improvement Project Manager to work directly with the Chief Operating Officer (COO) in overseeing key projects that enhance operational efficiency and impact. In this role, you’ll provide executive-level project management and coordination, ensuring that all organizational process improvement initiatives are executed effectively and align with the company’s goals.

Building strong relationships with vendors, business partners, senior leadership, and program staff will be critical as you manage projects from start to finish. You’ll collaborate with leadership to drive consistency, visibility, and sustainability across projects, while coordinating small to large cross-functional teams. Your work will ensure that project requirements, deadlines, and schedules are on track, contributing to the long-term success and innovation of the organization.

If you’re ready to lead impactful process improvement efforts and work with teams across all levels, this is your opportunity to make a lasting difference.

Why Join Us?

• Make a meaningful impact on the lives of individuals seeking education and career pathways.
• Collaborate with a diverse and passionate team dedicated to the mission and vision of our organization.
• Enjoy a hybrid work arrangement, providing flexibility and work-life balance.
• Participate in professional development opportunities to enhance your skills and expertise.

Our Benefits:

•  Medical insurance. BCBS PPO, EPO, and HSA Plans
•  Dental insurance.
•  Vision insurance.
•  401(k) 3% Employer Contribution.
•  Paid maternity leave.
•  Paid paternity leave.
•  Commuter benefits.
•  Student loan assistance.
•  Tuition assistance.
•  Disability insurance
•  FSA Spending Account
•  Life Insurance
•  Employee Assistance Program
•  Special Vendor Discounted Offerings on Travel, Amusement Parks, etc.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Duties & Responsibilities

• Serves as the lead project manager for multiple projects, overseeing all phases from initiation to completion. This includes planning, resource allocation, timeline management, and coordination with cross-functional teams to ensure successful execution and timely delivery of project objectives. Provides regular updates to stakeholders and ensures alignment with organizational goals.
• Collaborates with project staff and internal customers to prepare formal Project Charters.
• Authors and manages detailed project plans outlining the objectives, detailed scope, risks, resources, deliverables,
• Develops project schedule and planning documents, schedule tasks, deadlines and milestones for all project stakeholders, and resources to include, preliminary estimates, budgets, team members and responsibilities, quality assurance requirements, and establishing expected outcomes of the project.
• Prepares status reports and facilitate status review meeting with respective project teams.
• Conducts or coordinates, as appropriate, presentations, trainings, and workshops.
• Performs risk and issue analysis for projects, including mitigation strategies.
• Manages reviews and change requests to the project team and stakeholders.
• Manages the effective transition of requirements to the support team, ensuring a clear and complete understanding of the requirements.
• Develops workflows, procedures, and identifies opportunities for new or improved SOPs and policies, collaborating with Policy Manager, as appropriate.
• Issues and receives project correspondence and distribute as necessary. Presents updates to various stakeholders, including the senior leadership team, project teams, and director meetings.
• Reviews and assists in preparing technical specifications as needed by the project technical lead.
• Other duties as assigned.

Project Portfolio Management

• Serves as leader for Heartland Human Care Services (HHCS) tracking projects with aim for organization-wide implementation.
• Assesses resources required for to support prioritization of new organization-wide project implementations.
• Advises COO and Chief Executive and Vision Officer of planning, resources, and timing for optimized strategic execution and business delivery in support of business goals and Strategic Plan
• Manages HHCS priority matrix, categorical priorities, and implementation queue.

Process Improvement

• Applies lean continuous quality improvement methodologies to support evaluation steps, and organizational efficiency, standardization, reduced variance, and streamlined processes at the organization level.
• Conducts data collection and analysis protocols.
• Conducts formal pilot implementations and develops outcome metrics to evaluate success of pilots prior to large scale launches.
• Applies change management best practices, and processes to hardwire new Standard Operating Procedures
• Develops and promotes CQI project storyboards in support of building a learning culture for completed QI projects.

Technical Assistance & Trainings

Supervisor Responsibility (if applicable):

• Serves as supervisor and mentor for one (1) Manages 1 FTE Project Specialist.

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience:

• Bachelor's degree required. Graduate degree in business administration, or other business degree preferred.
• PMP or lean six sigma black belt certification required.
• Minimum of 5 years of project management experience, with emphasis on best practices and methods, preferably in a mission or service driven operations environment.
• Minimum of 5 years conducting and facilitating the use of process improvement and evaluation tools and methodologies, including PDSA, DMAIC, RCA (Root Cause Analysis), Fishbone Diagrams, and 5-Why’s for structured problem solving with teams.
• Prior experience driving change management at organization level. Prior experience with change management, and implementation of cloud-based technology solutions.

Technical Skills:

• Thorough understanding of Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) and project lifecycles.
• Proficiency with project planning software such as MS Project, Asana, Excel and Visio.
• Proficient in process mapping, value stream mapping, root cause analysis, and quality/process improvement formal methodologies.
• Proficient with power point and providing highly polished presentations to various stakeholder audiences.
• Proficient with data analytics. Ability to apply data visualization for project tasks, such as frequency distributions, pareto charts, analysis of variance, and correlation techniques.

Certifications/Licenses:

• PMP and/or lean six sigma green belt or black belt certification from an accredited body required.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities (K/S/A):

• Pleasant and professional attitude.
• Prior understanding and demonstrated practice in successful project management.
• Proficiency using project planning software.
• Excellent communication and relational skills required for interaction with internal and external customers and end users at all levels. Experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Ability to translate business needs into technical specifications and standard operating procedures.
• Strong time management skills, demonstrate ability to manage multiple, parallel assignments with accountability for timely, cost-effective results.
• Experience with contract negotiation, SOP development, and managing relationships with vendors, as well as internal stakeholders and customers. Excellent analytical skills and ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• The ability to function and manage projects independently.
• Confident and proficient in conducting and facilitating process improvement tools and methodologies, including RCA (Root Cause Analysis), fishbone and 5-why’s to help solve problems and prevent repeat occurrences.
• Customer service driven, and skilled in using voice of the customer approach to work.
• Excellent organizational, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Outlook, Teams, and other software platforms.
• Strong collaboration and relationship building skills with internal and external stakeholders across an organization.
• Ability to translate business needs into technical specifications and standard operating procedures.
• Excellent analytical skills and ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.

Work Arrangement

This role is “hybrid.” This position’s primarily work arrangement is working from home. It is expected this position will be onsite for in person meetings, as needed for projects, or for business needs. Must reside and be able to commute to the Chicago metropolitan area to HHCS sites, as needed.

Work Environment

• Flexible and comfortable work remotely and/or onsite.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• Moderate exposure to outdoor elements at all times of year when traveling to and from work sites via public transportation.
• The employee must be in possession of a valid driver’s license and able to travel to HHCS work sites, as needed. Program sites are located throughout the Chicago area, including North and South sides of Chicago, as well as the suburbs.

Physical Demands

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to key, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, and walk; and occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

Heartland Human Care Services makes all hiring and employment decisions, and operates all programs, services, and functions without regard to race, receipt of an order of protection, creed, color, age, gender, gender identity, marital or parental status, religion, ancestry, national origin, amnesty, physical or mental disability, protected veterans status, genetic information, sexual orientation, immigrant status, political affiliation or belief, use of FMLA, VESSA, military, and family military rights, ex-offender status (depending on the offense and position to be filled), unfavorable military discharge, membership in an organization whose primary purpose is the protection of civil rights or improvement of living conditions and human relations, height, weight, or HIV infection, in accord with the organization's AIDS Policy Statement of September 1987.