Senior Project Manager

Location

This is a full-time, remote position that can be based anywhere in the U.S. The majority of working hours each day must fall between 8am and 6pm Eastern Time. The role includes travel within the United States, up to 10% of the time.

Salary Range 

$101,000 - $112,000 annual salary.

Final salary within this range will be based on the candidate’s experience and internal equity with team members in similar roles.

Overview

Reporting to the Head of Education Initiatives, the Senior Project Manager supports effective execution and coordination across DataKind’s Education portfolio. You’ll coordinate work across Research, Product, Data Science, and our partner-facing teams, manage a set of projects and grants directly, and serve as a steady point of contact for institutional partners and funders. You bring  substantive knowledge of education, particularly higher education, and the ability to contribute meaningfully to applied research, implementation, and partner-facing work when a workstream needs extra capacity.

What you’ll do

• Coordinate timelines, milestones, deliverables, and dependencies across the Education portfolio, working with functional leads to keep commitments on track.
• Manage designated projects and grants day to day, including deliverables, budget tracking, and funder reporting.
• Facilitate planning and problem-solving across Research, Product, Data Science, and partner-facing teams, ensuring clarity around responsibilities, priorities, and dependencies.
• Handle routine project matters with institutional partners, funders, and collaborators, using your own judgment and escalating strategic issues to leadership.
• Contribute to applied research and evaluation work, project deliverables, and partner- and funder-facing materials.
• Find and fix gaps in how the portfolio coordinates, tracks work, and runs.

• Deep alignment with DataKind's mission and values, and demonstrated commitment to educational equity and data-driven social impact
• 6+ years of professional experience managing or coordinating complex, externally funded projects, preferably in applied research, education, evaluation, or technical assistance settings that involve grant reporting, budget monitoring, and multiple teams and stakeholders.
• Substantive knowledge of education, preferably higher education, along with familiarity with ed tech or technical assistance models.
• The ability to anticipate needs, spot emerging problems, and move work forward without close direction.
• Strong written and verbal communication, including turning complex technical and research work into clear project updates, funder reports, and partner materials.
• Strong facilitation skills and a track record of moving work forward across teams without direct authority.
• Proficiency with project management platforms such as Asana or comparable tools, including timeline, milestone, and dependency management.
• Demonstrated adaptability and comfort navigating ambiguity, shifting priorities, and evolving organizational structures while maintaining focus on key commitments and outcomes.

• Experience working in or with a nonprofit or philanthropically funded organization.
• Familiarity with customer success, implementation, product analytics, or education research and evaluation.
• Working understanding of higher education policy, student success, or institutional improvement.
• Ability to engage with research findings, data analyses, and evaluation results and communicate their implications to varied audiences. 

At DataKind, we believe in the transformative power of data science and AI to create a more promising future. Since our founding in 2012, we've been at the forefront of designing scalable, data-driven tools that address some of the world's toughest challenges—ranging from frontline health, humanitarian action, climate and environment, economic opportunity, education, and more. As both a product innovator and a movement catalyst, we set new standards in the social sector, empowering organizations to harness the full potential of data science and AI while putting communities first.

At DataKind, we believe that people are the most important asset to delivering on our mission. As a people-first remote organization, we offer the following for all our employees:

Flexibility and time off. Enjoy genuine flexibility that goes beyond adjustable hours. We build in shared time off, organization-wide recharge days, bi-weekly meeting-free days, and flexible PTO (with a minimum of 20 vacation days encouraged annually).

Comprehensive Wellness Support. We care for your total wellbeing with 100% employer-paid medical, vision, and dental benefits for employees (72% for dependents), a wellness reimbursement program for the activities and purchases that matter to you, and 12 weeks paid parental leave when you need it most.

A Culture of Growth. Every team member receives professional development funding each year, alongside mentorship and advancement opportunities. We invest in your future with a 401(k) plan with 5% employer matching.

Meaningful Connection. Despite being distributed across time zones, we value being able to come together in person for conferences, strategic planning, and at our annual staff retreat.

Living our Values. DataKind is committed to a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment in our day-to-day work and via special initiatives driven by our DEI Steering Committee.

DataKind is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages candidates from underrepresented groups in tech to apply. DataKind does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, disability, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected category.

Applicants must have a U.S.-based permanent address and currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis indefinitely without employer visa sponsorship.