Director of Special Projects
10 days ago
Denver
Job Description The RMP Promise Rocky Mountain Prep is a diverse and dynamic community of educators, families, scholars, and advocates committed to reimagining what excellent public education looks like in Colorado. We are a network of 12 rigorous and loving schools serving children from 12 weeks through 12th grade across the Denver metro area. Grounded in our PEAK values—Perseverance, Excellence, Adventure, and Kindness—we work relentlessly to ensure every student, especially those historically marginalized by systemic inequities, is prepared to thrive in college, career, and life. At RMP, we draw strength from the diversity of our racial, cultural, linguistic, and lived experiences, equity is our commitment, and inclusion is our daily practice. We believe that by combining high expectations with deep belonging, we can create joyful, affirming spaces where every child and adult can realize their full potential. Why RMP? At Rocky Mountain Prep, you won’t just find a workplace, you’ll find a movement grounded in love, excellence, and equity. We believe that every child deserves access to a world-class education and that every adult deserves the coaching, care, and opportunity to grow while delivering it. High expectations and deep belonging define our culture: we celebrate diversity as a source of strength and push one another to create classrooms and teams where everyone can thrive. You’ll be part of a joyful, mission-driven community that balances data with heart, rigor with grace, and ambition with humility. At RMP, we cultivate the curiosity, confidence, and character that fuel lifelong learning and meaningful leadership. The Role of the Director of Special Projects If you are the kind of person who sees a tangled, ambiguous challenge and immediately starts building the system to solve it, this role was designed for you. The Director of Special Projects sits at the center of RMP’s most important cross-functional work, bringing structure, clarity, and momentum to initiatives that span teams, schools, and strategic priorities. Reporting to the Deputy Chief of Strategy and embedded in the Office of Strategy, this role builds and stewards the organization’s project management infrastructure, directly leads high-complexity initiatives, and serves as a trusted advisor and thought partner to leaders across every level of the org chart. This person thrives in schools, is energized by the complexity of a charter network, and brings the rare combination of systems-level thinking, warm accountability, and meticulous follow-through that makes things actually happen. This is a Denver-based role with regular visits to RMP’s campuses; presence in schools is not just encouraged, it is a meaningful part of the work. Job Title: Director of Special Projects Team: Office of Strategy Reports to: Deputy Chief of Strategy Location: Denver, CO (on-site; regular school visits expected) The Director of Special Projects at RMP will… Building & Leading the Project Management Office • Design, build, and continuously improve RMP’s project management infrastructure, including shared standards, templates, planning tools, milestone trackers, decision frameworks, and implementation routines that teams across the organization can actually use., • Create clarity where there is ambiguity: help leaders and teams move from ideas and intentions to crisp project charters, clear owners, sequenced timelines, identified dependencies, and realistic risk plans., • Develop and train leaders across the org to use shared systems consistently, building organizational capacity for disciplined, high-quality execution over time., • Establish feedback loops and implementation check-ins that allow teams to surface problems early, adjust course, and maintain momentum through the inevitable complexity of a growing network., • Build systems that are right-sized for the organization: sophisticated enough to hold high-stakes work, simple enough that busy leaders actually adopt them. Leading High-Stakes Cross-Functional Projects • Directly lead RMP’s most complex, cross-functional initiatives, those that require tight coordination across multiple teams, clear dependency management, and persistent follow-through from kickoff through close-out, such as our network response to regular staff engagement surveys via Culture Amp., • Own planning and execution for major network events and initiatives, such as Summer Professional Development, that require bringing together academic, operations, talent, finance, communications, and school leadership teams in service of a single outcome., • Identify and escalate risks, trade-offs, and decision points early, with clear recommendations and the information leaders need to make good calls quickly., • Ensure every major project includes a strong change management and communications plan, so that the people doing the work understand the why, know what to expect, and feel supported through transitions., • Serve as a model for how great project management looks and feels: organized, clear, warm, and relentlessly accountable to outcomes. Trusted Advisor Across the Organization • Function as a credible, go-to thought partner for leaders at every level of the org chart, from the Deputy Chief to department managers to school-based leaders, helping them think more clearly, plan more effectively, and execute with greater confidence., • Use strong cross-functional relationships and network-wide context to help teams anticipate implementation barriers before they become problems, and design project plans that are grounded in operational reality., • Translate between strategy and execution: take big-picture direction from senior leaders and help teams understand exactly what that means for their day-to-day work and timelines., • Advise senior leaders on organizational readiness, project interdependencies, and sequencing decisions, bringing a clear-eyed, systems perspective to high-stakes planning conversations., • Hold a high bar for quality in every deliverable and interaction, while remaining easy to work with, approachable, and genuinely collaborative. Schools as a Real Part of the Work • Visit RMP’s campuses regularly to build authentic relationships with school leaders and staff, understand the real conditions on the ground, and ensure that network initiatives are designed with schools in mind., • Use school-level insight to improve project planning, spot implementation risks early, and serve as a credible bridge between the network support team and campus teams., • Champion the school perspective in cross-functional planning, ensuring that complexity or burden is not inadvertently shifted to already-stretched school teams. Team Management & Development • Directly manage the Manager of Events and NST Logistics, providing clear direction, regular coaching, and strong support for their growth and success., • May lead dotted-line project teams for major cross-functional initiatives, bringing together people from across the org to deliver against a shared goal. Required: • Demonstrated experience building organizational systems from scratch or significantly improving them, including project management tools, planning routines, decision frameworks, or implementation infrastructure., • Proven ability to take ambiguous, complex challenges and translate them into clear, organized, actionable plans with owners, timelines, and accountability structures., • Strong cross-functional project management skills, including planning, milestone tracking, risk management, dependency mapping, and follow-through., • Experience serving as a trusted advisor, thought partner, or internal consultant to leaders at multiple levels of an organization, including senior leaders outside one’s own reporting line., • Exceptional attention to detail combined with the ability to zoom out to the strategic level and back again without losing either., • Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to produce clear project plans, crisp decision documents, tight agendas, and compelling stakeholder updates., • Familiarity with school environments, ideally including charter schools or charter management organizations; genuine curiosity about and respect for the complexity of school operations., • A collaborative, low-ego working style with the warmth and interpersonal skill to build trust across diverse teams, and the backbone to hold a high bar on quality and accountability. Preferred: • Experience working in or closely with charter schools, a charter management organization, or a comparable education-focused organization., • Experience planning and executing large-scale events, professional development, network summits, or annual planning cycles., • Experience building or formalizing a project management office or organizational operating system., • Familiarity with project management tools and platforms (e.g., Asana, Monday.com, Smartsheet, or similar)., • Experience working in strategy, operations, or a cross-functional generalist role in a fast-paced, mission-driven organization. Education: • Bachelor’s degree required., • PMP, Together Project Management, or other project management certification preferred. Years of Experience: • 5+ years of relevant experience in project management, strategy, operations, or cross-functional implementation work, with at least some experience in or closely adjacent to schools or education organizations. Salary $90,000 - $135,000 annually. This range reflects the full growth potential of the role over time. Rocky Mountain Prep typically expects to place candidates in the lower- to middle-range, depending on experience, qualifications, and internal equity considerations. Benefits At Rocky Mountain Prep, taking care of our team is essential to building joyful, academically excellent schools. We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes: • Paid Time Off – including vacation, personal, and sick days, • 5 Weeks of Paid Organizational Holidays – including Winter and Summer breaks, • Comprehensive Health Insurance – medical, dental, and vision coverage, with 100% of medical coverage for employee-only plans., • Retirement Through PERA – Public Employees' Retirement Association of Colorado, • Paid Leave of Absence Options – including parental, medical, and disability leave, • Mental Health & Wellness Support – to help you thrive personally and professionally, • Pre-Tax Accounts – flexible spending accounts (FSA), dependent care accounts, and health savings accounts (HSA) *A detailed list of benefits is here. Why RMP? At Rocky Mountain Prep, you're joining a movement to change what's possible for public education in Colorado.We believe every child’s brilliance deserves a world-class education, and we build schools where rigor and love are the foundation for that promise. Here, you’ll be developed, challenged, and championed as you grow into the educator you aspire to be. If you want to do the most meaningful work of your career alongside people who believe deeply in kids, this is the place. Demonstrate Eligibility to Work in the United States All employees must verify their identity and eligibility to work in the United States at the time of hire. Rocky Mountain Prep does not sponsor visas at this time. RMP is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants of all backgrounds. Apply Today! Join our movement to transform public education in Colorado and prepare every student for college and beyond. Powered by JazzHR EEmcEG1irg
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