Project Director

Position Summary:

The Project Director provides project management expertise to the design and delivery of Duke CE's executive educational programs and is responsible for operationalizing client deliveries and ensuring their commerciality. The project director also takes part in account and business development.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Owns, drives, resources and manages a program plan and related project tasks to ensure flawless execution. This includes:

• Creating, driving and updating activity-based work plans and account plans
• Co-creating and managing project budgets and invoicing schedule
• Owning the contracting process
• Driving milestones and managing touchpoint client check ins, and managing the delivery of high quality outputs on time and to budget with client. Driving client decision-making through robust planning for decisions required and providing client options for decision. Managing risks and issues with the client proactively.
• Partnering with Managing Director, Program Manager and internal resources (GEN,) to ensure proper project sourcing and execution
  • Sourcing, vetting and managing external educators and faculty to optimize their contributions and experience ensuring the flow of project information in a timely manner
• Managing and chairing meetings with appropriate project management tools and client relationship management. Documenting, executing and reporting back on client actions to the satisfaction of the client.
• Partners with digital learning group on virtual and blended deliveries
• Ensure commercial success of projects

• Establishes strong professional credibility with clients providing Client Relationship Management (CRM)

• Owns the day-to-day interactions with the client; creates guidelines for communication frequency; understands client's wants/needs and manages against
• Stays on top of business challenges and trends
• Identifies potential risks and challenges with client relationships and projects

• Taking design steerage from MD and client and creating a detailed design.
  • Applies creativity, sourcing, integration and design experience to create new, unique client learning journeys which offer a blended learning approach of face-to-face and digital
  • Translates design into project plan

• Contributes to business development by directly influencing growth of existing client business through superior performance and building of client relationships.
  • Contributes to winning new business, chiefly through the business development proposal process.

• Understands and manages the commercial and operational imperatives for client work a delivery. This includes, and is not limited to:
  • Financial management and profitability management
  • Contracting and educator relationship management
  • Resource planning
  • Flawless execution

• Actively works with the Managing Directors to guide and develop Program Managers (PM) capabilities; manages project team staff to ensure a successful delivery of programs
• Builds a personal brand (in content, process, or relational) that clients look to for advice and partnership
• Performs other job-related duties and responsibilities as may be assigned or required

Requirements

Position Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Project Management Skills
  • Meets deadlines; Able to set priorities, organize and manage multiple tasks independently
  • Strong attention to detail and quality
  • Project management qualification preferred
• Client Relationship Management
  • Able to effectively communicate and build rapport with others
  • Able to establish and maintain relationships with clients, vendors, faculty and key stakeholders
  • Able to establish strong professional and personal credibility with others.
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Financial Acumen
  • Understand budgeting, pricing and forecasting
  • Understands how businesses make money
  • Curious about client business and industry
• Design Capability
  • Understands learning outcomes
• Business Development Mindset

Education and Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) required; advanced degree preferred
• A minimum of 5 years prior experience, including Project Management and CRM experience, preferably in a professional services environment and preferably with a formal project management qualification
• Preference given to candidates with instructional and/or digital design experience
• Experience working with remote/virtual teams
• Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and Power Point
• Post Pandemic: Requires travel both domestically and globally ~ 50%