First 5 Alameda County is an innovative public entity created to improve the early childhood system of care. Our vision is that every child in Alameda County will have optimal health, development and wellbeing to reach their greatest potential. Our mission is that in partnership with the community, we support a county-wide continuous prevention and early intervention system that promotes optimal health and development, narrows economic disparities and improves the lives of children aged 0 to 5 and their families. As we celebrate our twentieth anniversary, we are more strongly embracing our role as a catalyst, collaborator, capacity builder, and policy advocate.

Join our mission-driven team that in partnership with the community, supports a county-wide prevention and early intervention system that promotes optimal health and development, narrows disparities and improves the lives of children 0 to 5 and their families.

Under the direction of the Chief of Staff, the Project Manager will focus on internal systems and will be responsible for project management support for all core operations, helping to prioritize time and resources according to organizational needs, and ensuring through focused collaboration with stakeholders that projects and work assignments are accomplished with agreed metrics i.e., quality, quantity, and timely completion. The Project Manager will work closely and collaboratively with Agency Directors and their staff to facilitate identification, implementation, and execution of priorities by ensuring development of workplans, establishing project teams, delineating responsibilities of team members, and identifying needed resources for successful execution of agreed projects and/or work activities.

The Project Manager is expected to provide expertise in the project planning, budgeting, overseeing and documentation of all aspects of the projects they are supporting. The Project Manager will focus on delivering the Agencys organizational priorities by ensuring project timelines and work plans are aligned and implemented by establishing and maintaining processes to manage project scope over the project lifecycle, setting project quality and performance standards, and assessing and managing risks within and across multiple projects ensuring that all project milestones and final project deliverables are completed as agreed. The Project Manager will work closely with Agency stakeholders to ensure that the scope and direction of assigned projects are on schedule. The Project Manager will work cross functionally with other departments.

• Track all agency and departmental projects in coordination and collaboration with stakeholders. Prepare and manage the tracking of open issues/bugs; escalates and facilitates resolution of risks, issues, and changes tied to the program development initiatives; and identifies opportunities for continuous improvement.

• Support the planning, directing and management of projects from initiation through to implementation and assist with ensuring that the project scope and approach are fully understood by stakeholders.

• Coordinate and facilitate communication using strategic project management communication and analytical documents (i.e., evaluations and assessments of results) all to enhance overall agency efficiency and effectiveness

• Create and present dashboards and status/project reports to communicate with management and other staff as required based on the project.

• Engages with stakeholders to help elicit and understand agency needs to determine and translate agency requirements into solutions; and ensure optimal use of resources.

• Assist with the implementation and alignment with the Agencys strategic plan, integration of operations with program and finance, and the standardization of protocols and practices.

• Identify and assess opportunities for continuous improvement.

• Provide support for managing project costs, resources, change requests, schedules, scopes, budget estimations, and project implementation plans, and risk mitigation, which includes identifying all risks and issues to ensure that maximum agency benefit is maintained.

• Work with Finance team and project stakeholders to create project budgets, and effectively manage them throughout the life of the project

• Prepare and manage the tracking of open issues/bugs; escalates and facilitates resolution of risks, issues, and changes tied to the program development initiatives; and identifies opportunities for continuous improvement.

• Performs hands-on reviews of program backlog/requirements, designs, and development results as needed in addressing impediments or quality issues.

• Establishes and maintains relationships with stakeholders by providing regular contact on project status and updates.

• Evaluates and makes recommendations relating to workflow and staffing patterns and assists in the establishment of performance standards and workload measures specific to assigned projects.

• Ensures adherence to Project Management process.

Qualifications

Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

• Minimum of eleven years full-time progressively responsible project management experience in a public or private organization or community development agency, including at least four years of high-level program and operational planning, management, and administration experience. Experience across a variety of sectors, including government, non-profit, and for-profit organizations preferred

• Associate degree or equivalent of two years of college (90 quarter units or 60 semester units) from an accredited college or university can be substituted for up to one year of the required experience

• Bachelors degree in business or public administration, public health, public policy, social services, or a related field may be substituted for up to two years of the required experience

• Masters degree in business or public administration, public health, public policy, social services, or a related field may be substituted for up to three years of the required experience

Additional Requirements

• Travel within Alameda County as necessary to carry out job duties. Some travel outside Alameda County occasionally required

• Possess and maintain Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE)

• Program Management Professional (PgMP) certification highly desirable

Knowledge of:

• Strategic, operational, project planning, change and quality management principles and methodologies

• Principles of public administration and administrative analysis

• General business principles, organization management and practices applicable to government agencies

• General knowledge of program planning, development, and evaluation methodologies, including results-based accountability and metrics development

• Principles and practices of organizational development, performance management, and supervision, including workforce planning and resource allocation

• Statistical analysis of data and methods for graphic presentation

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, use of the internet for research

• Project management software and tools

• Solid understanding of public funding, not-for-profit funding and budgeting

Ability to:

• Support and foster a healthy organizational culture, encourage collaboration and teamwork, inspire, and motivate staff with a mission-driven focus and modeling of high ethics and high-quality work practices

• Think strategically and analytically, negotiate with leaders and stakeholders to incorporate new information and trends into organizational planning and program implementation

• Manage projects and deliver work products in an effective and economic manner

• Provide thought partnership, critical thinking and adeptness at problem solving

• Initiate and maintain effective, collaborative working relationships with both internal and external stakeholders

• Demonstrate high tolerance for stress, adapting to new perspectives and support self and others with a sense of humor and confidence during organizational transitions

• Demonstrate a track record and leadership in building organizational and staff capacity, developing a strong workforce and culture of accountability, and delegating assignments

• Research, analyze, and evaluate the effectiveness of Agency programs, recommend improvements, to ensure the agency runs smoothly and efficiently and effectively

• Effectively plan, facilitate, contribute to, and represent the agency in meetings, with various internal and external stakeholders

• Demonstrate respect, cultural awareness, and sensitivity in a variety of contexts, including lifestyle and linguistic differences of diverse internal and external stakeholders

• Communicate clearly and effectively, orally and in writing, including the ability to write and edit reports ranging in complexity, and develop and deliver clear, compelling oral presentations to Agency staff, Commission members, partners, and the public

• Define and address highly complex problems and issues requiring the analysis of multiple variables or situations; collect, synthesize, and analyze information; consider alternatives; and draw valid conclusions

• Ensure compliance with established policies and procedures and makes recommendations to change when necessary to ensure smooth functioning of the agency

• Ensure legal requirements are understood and observed

• Maintain executive level confidentiality

First 5 Alameda County Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits package with health care options to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. These benefits include but are not limited to Medical, Dental, & Vision Coverage, $1,500 credit per year to spend on benefits, Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Employer Paid & Voluntary Life & AD&D Insurance, Long-Term Disability Insurance, Retirement Plans including the ACERA Pension Plan, Commuter Benefits, Employee Assistance Plan and more.

We also offer paid vacation, paid time off and sick time. We have 15 paid holidays including the week between Christmas Day and New Year's Day as paid time off.