Director of Project Management

About Us:
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) was founded in 2000 with one clear objective: accelerating meaningful therapeutic advances and, ultimately, a cure for Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Foundation applies extraordinary scientific, business and media assets to this singular focus—thus creating a unique and dynamic organization. Since inception, MJFF has quickly grown into the largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s disease research, having funded over $2 billion in research projects in both academic and industry labs worldwide.

Core to our philosophy is how we think of our capital and its risk profile relative to other stakeholders in the drug development pipeline. We work aggressively to de-risk various therapeutic strategies and tools in the hopes of building a robust pipeline of new treatments for patients. In order to achieve our mission of finding a cure for PD it is critical that we engage with, and bring together, members of the PD community including researchers, physicians, health professionals and most important, people with Parkinson's and their families.

We believe that to find a cure for PD as quickly as possible, our capital needs to push research forward today—we therefore deliberately hold no endowment or excessive reserves. We instead seek to deploy funds raised as quickly and wisely as possible. MJFF raises over $100 million annually. Today, the Foundation has approximately 250 full-time employees. We offer a collegial and collaborative environment where optimistic problem-solvers and entrepreneurial, resourceful individuals can thrive and make a tangible difference for millions of people living with Parkinson’s disease.

Position Summary:
The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) is seeking top talent for its Director of Project Management position.  The Project Management team is a newly initiated team under the new Development Business Management Department (DBM) to create, build and execute project management needs across all of Development’s fundraising departments. 

The Project Management Director will be responsible for building the Project Management team, creating processes and project management tools and identifying and addressing procedure needs. The Director will be responsible for the operational success of the Development Business Unit, ensuring projects are produced on time and on budget. This person will oversee the development of workflows, processes, procedures, quality control and continual improvement of existing procedures. The Director will work directly with Development Department Heads, revenue program leads, the Campaign Strategy and Growth and Innovation leads and all Foundation operations teams. The Director is a highly motivated, organized and thorough planner that can operationalize projects, put timelines into motion and deliver a collaborative process across internal and external stakeholders. 

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

• Build and manage a team of project management experts; hire, onboard, manage, oversee, coach and guide the team to work collaboratively across Development departments and MJFF-wide project management offices.
• Ensure Development projects are completed on time, within budget and meet the organization’s strategic objectives.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of tools such as project charters, requirements documents and status reports.
• Continuously improve project management practices.
• Set standards for project management excellence and best practices for project team.
• Engage staff from across Development and other MJFF business units to develop and move forward project timelines, and procedures to support internal and external projects and cross-functional collaboration.
• Identify, investigate and write processes needed for Development operations, processes and policies.
• Work closely with other project teams across the Foundation and third-party partners to develop comprehensive workflows and timelines to account for all points of connection.
• Cultivate a team dynamic that reflects the Foundation's values of mutual respect, credibility, trust, transparency, collaboration, optimism and accountability.
• Build key relationships with stakeholders across the Development Business Unit, with other Business Units and project teams in the organization and with third-party partners to design processes for all points of connection.
• Recommend training tools and promote culture of learning that retains and develops top talent.
• Support the development of continual improvement planning to engender pro-active and systematic assessment towards program effectiveness.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Proven history of expertise (10+ years) as a project manager with demonstrated success building project management teams.
• Demonstrated success as a people manager with eagerness to create a strong, collaborative, team culture.
• Highly organized and ability to wear multiple hats in an ambiguous, fast-moving environment; a driving force who manages toward clarity and solutions.
• A successful track record in setting priorities, shaping processes, guiding investment in people and systems and developing an infrastructure that creates a stronger and more efficient organization.
• Thorough understanding of project management and process design with demonstrated skills managing complex projects resulting in measurable success.
• Able to work effectively under pressure to meet deadlines and to build effective partnerships with individuals and teams.
• Excellent communication and coalition building skills with an ability to balance, negotiate and work with a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success developing and evaluating program models and selecting and successfully operationalizing innovative program.
• Proficient in using technology as a management reporting tool and experience working with information technology staff to develop and implement program evaluation systems.
• Experience having worked with a high-performance, collaborative, constructive peer group.

Salary and Benefits:
The salary range for this position is $130k - $155k.  In addition to salary, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• 15+ options for medical insurance (with MJFF paying 90 percent of the premiums)
• Competitive dental and vision plans
• 401(k) plan with 6 percent employer contribution
• Flexible spending accounts
• Employer paid life and disability insurance
• 18 days Paid Time Off (PTO); 12 Well-Being (Sick) Days; 2 Personal Days; summer Fridays (office closure at 2pm) and a summer holiday week over July 4
• Two ways of working: hybrid-flex, or remote work.  We trust all employees to work closely with their manager and colleagues to determine when, where and how programs and projects get done. 

Employees are also eligible for a discretionary bonus on an annual basis. MJFF provides staff and leadership cultivation through regular training courses and events. 

Vaccine Statement: 
At The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF), the health and safety of our team and our community is a priority. MJFF has made the decision to require all staff receive the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment. Successful applicants for this position must be fully vaccinated by date of hire and proof of vaccine is required. Full vaccination is defined as two weeks after both doses of two-dose vaccine or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine has been administered. Anyone unable to be vaccinated, because of medical or religious reasons, can request a reasonable accommodation for consideration.

How to Apply:
Interested candidates should submit a resume and thoughtful cover letter describing their specific qualifications and interest in the position.

MJFF is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from individuals who will contribute to our efforts to build and support a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce. Diversity may refer to characteristics including, but not limited to, race, religion, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic circumstance, geographic background, ability and disability, political ideology and age.