At InStride, we’re pioneering a new approach to workforce education. Our mission is to enable employers to provide life-changing education to their employees in partnership with the highest-quality global academic institutions. We unlock business and social impact to transform companies and people for the future. 

We believe that a company’s richest resource is their employees, and that investments in people yield the highest returns for individuals, businesses, and society as a whole. That’s why every InStride employee is eligible to enroll in 1,700+ online certificate and degree programs through our Step Forward program. Unlike traditional tuition reimbursement programs, InStride covers your tuition upfront, regardless of your course of study, degree type, or school. The Step Forward program, along with InStride’s best-in-class employee benefits, are available to all employees from the day they join InStride. 

Read further to see how you can be part of the movement to drive businesses and society forward through life-changing, best-in-class workforce education.

Role Overview

InStride is looking for a strategic and delivery-focused Project Manager to join our information technology team! The ideal candidate possesses a combination of project management subject-matter knowledge and experience delivering technical projects from start to finish. Success in this role will require someone who is quick on their feet and highly adaptable to ensure frequently changing projects go off without a hitch. This is a great role for highly motivated project managers looking for further growth into IT project management at a mission-driven company!

Individuals in this role must possess both a high level of technical expertise and the capabilities required for all project managers, including excellent organization, leadership, and interpersonal skills!

The Project Manager, IT will

• Lead and coach the IT team on the following stages of the Project Management Life Cycle, including project kickoff, planning, execution, monitoring and reporting, project closure, and retrospectives.
• Work with the Senior Manager, IT to define features, scope, and prioritization for projects, and to build strategic project plans that drive key priorities towards on-target completion.
• Gather business objectives and supervise outcomes according to objectives established by the Senior Manager, IT.
• Drive process enhancements and improvements through collaboration with IT leaders and partners.

A Day in the Life

• Work directly with project sponsors and partners on the development, documentation, and approval of formal business requirements to drive discovery and project execution requirements.
• Be a strategic partner for, and advisor to, the Senior Manager, IT to help scope out quarterly goals, targets, and measurements and roll-out into team projects
• Develop communication plans, including project status reporting, and define project expectations to team members and partners in a timely and well-organized fashion.
• Lead during project execution, ensuring any committed and uncommitted work is tracked and that any tasks, achievements, and deliverables are in alignment with the IT roadmap.
• Efficiently, in concert with project team members, assess and handle risk, including mitigation planning.
• Continuously improve processes and documentation that contribute to operational excellence.
• Prepare meeting agendas, track action items, and disseminate project information to ensure the team is moving forward optimally; and any ad hoc tasks regarding successful and timely project completion.

Ideal Profile

• 5+ years in project management
• Proven ability in technical project management
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required
• Experience in SaaS, EdTech, or consumer internet type companies
• Experience using agile methodologies (e.g., Scrum, Kanban) and ITIL to complete projects and deliver regular releases
• Industry certifications (e.g., PMP, PMI-ACP, CAPM, or CSM) strongly preferred
• Proven success and understanding of diverse IT Systems, especially cloud applications and services
• Sophisticated knowledge of information technology and development workflows/lifecycles
• Exposure to enterprise-level tools and systems such as GSuite, Okta, HRIS, JIRA, and AWS
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills including detailing and explaining technical issues
• Ability to drive consensus across a diverse group of internal and external partners
• Eager to waste no time, proactive, entrepreneurial, self-motivated, and enjoys taking the reins in sometimes ambiguous situations
• Excited by the challenge to build a world-class business that delivers not only high revenue growth and compelling value, but also has a meaningful impact on society
• High EQ, comfort with ambiguity, and a “no job to small” startup mentality
• Experience with higher education institutions or consulting firms is a plus

InStride is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, ethnicity, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, medical condition, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance relating to an applicant's criminal history.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please discuss your requested accommodation with our HRBP.

Effective November 1, 2021, all new hires must be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus unless they have been granted a reasonable accommodation. If you are offered employment, this requirement must be met by your date of hire, unless a reasonable accommodation is approved by the People & Talent team in writing. 

If you are looking to apply for one of our Remote opportunities please know that InStride is only able to employ candidates from the following states.

Arizona

California

Florida

Illinois

Louisiana

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

Ohio

Texas

Washington

Wisconsin