Project Manager

I. Purpose

The Project Manager in the Office of Business Excellence leads high-impact, cross-functional projects and process improvement initiatives that advance ASHA’s strategic and organizational priorities. The position applies disciplined project management, facilitation, change leadership, and continuous improvement practices to move work from definition through implementation and measurable results.

II. Key Responsibilities

1. Lead high-impact, cross-functional projects and process improvement initiatives from initiation through closeout, establishing clear outcomes, scope, roles, milestones, resources, and success measures, and appropriate delivery approaches.
2. Partner with project sponsors, business owners, and project teams to develop project charters, implementation approaches, project plans, and practical strategies for achieving intended outcomes.
3. Drive project execution by coordinating work across teams; managing schedules, dependencies, risks, issues, scope, resources, budgets, and vendors; facilitating decisions; and proactively addressing barriers to progress.
4. Lead and support process improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, and other continuous improvement methods to understand current-state processes, identify root causes and improvement opportunities, design future-state processes, and support implementation, sustainment, and measurement of results.
5. Provide clear and timely project communications and reporting that give sponsors, stakeholders, and leadership visibility into progress, risks, issues, decisions, dependencies, and actions needed.
6. Select and tailor project management approaches based on complexity, risk, and needs of each initiative to drive disciplined execution.
7. Coordinate the contributions of staff, consultants, vendors, contractors, and other stakeholders to support effective delivery of assigned initiatives.
8. Strengthen OBE’s project management and process improvement capabilities through practical standards, tools, templates, lessons learned, and practices that help teams execute work effectively and continuously improve.

III. Position within ASHA

The Project Manager is a member of the Office of Business Excellence and reports to the Senior Director, Office of Business Excellence. The position does not have direct reports but regularly leads cross-functional project teams and coordinates the work of staff, consultants, vendors, and other contributors across the National Office.

IV. Autonomy & Decision Making:

The Project Manager works with a high degree of independence in planning and leading assigned initiatives, determining appropriate project and process improvement approaches, organizing work, facilitating decisions, and resolving day-to-day delivery challenges. The position uses sound judgment to identify and escalate issues with significant implications for strategic outcomes, scope, resources, budget, timeline, risk, or organizational impact and provides well-developed recommendations to sponsors and leadership.

V. Qualifications & Skills

Qualifications:

Knowledge typically acquired through:

• 5-7 years of progressively responsible project management experience, including demonstrated success leading high-impact, cross-functional projects or strategic initiatives with organizational visibility and impact.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple concurrent initiatives and coordinating work across business functions, senior leaders, subject-matter experts, vendors, and other stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience leading or supporting business process improvement, process redesign, or continuous improvement initiatives.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification preferred.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification preferred; equivalent formal training and demonstrated application of Lean/Six Sigma methods may also be considered.

Skills

• Advanced project leadership skills, including project planning, governance, scope management, schedule management, risk and issue management, dependency management, resource coordination, budget oversight, vendor management, and project closeout.
• Strong process improvement and analytical skills, including process mapping, root-cause analysis, problem definition, data-informed decision making, solution design, and measurement of improvement outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate complex decisions surface and resolve competing priorities, build alignment, and move groups toward decisions and action.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex information and communicate clearly, concisely, and credibly with senior leaders and other stakeholders through written communications, presentations, status reporting, and verbal briefings.
• Strong judgment, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, including the ability to anticipate risks, identify interdependencies, evaluate tradeoffs, and recommend practical paths forward in ambiguous situations.
• Ability to influence without direct authority and establish productive working relationships across organizational levels and functions.
• Ability to tailor project management methods and level of rigor to the work, with knowledge of predictive, Agile/adaptive, and hybrid approaches.
• Proficiency with contemporary project and work management tools, with preferred experience using enterprise platforms to support project planning, execution, governance, and portfolio visibility.

VI. Universal Expectations of ASHA Staff

At ASHA, we believe in working together to make well-informed decisions that will advance the association and the discipline of human communication sciences and disorders; teamwork is vital to achieving our mission, vision, and maximizing impact. As committed stewards of the organization, we care deeply about our professions, members, and staff, and building a strong and welcoming community. We strive to ensure that everyone's voice is heard and valued. We are dedicated to helping each other grow and innovate by encouraging open communication and continual learning. Our focus is on delivering excellent service and value to members, advancing equity, and promoting the power of science and research. The enduring strength of our work is rooted in community, integrity, and the inclusion of differing perspectives, while collaboratively seeking better solutions.

VII. Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

ASHA is an equal opportunity employer. As such, it is ASHA’s policy to provide equal opportunity to all qualified applicants and employees without regard for race, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, age, sexual orientation or LGBT status, genetic information, citizenship, or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws and ASHA's Bylaws. This policy applies to recruiting, hiring, transfer, promotion, compensation and benefits, upward mobility, training and development, access to facilities, termination, and other personnel actions.

VIII. Disclaimer

This job description reflects the primary responsibilities of the job but is not a detailed description of all duties which may be required of someone in the position. All ASHA staff are expected to take on additional responsibilities from time to time and to help their colleagues.