Senior Project Manager (54559)

Job DetailsLevel: ExperiencedJob Location: Washington DC - Washington, DC 20005Position Type: Fixed TermEducation Level: 4 Year DegreeSalary Range: $76,000.00 - $114,000.00 SalaryTravel Percentage: Up to 10%Job Category: Information TechnologyWho We Are The Center for Geospatial Solutions (CGS) is a self-sustaining nonprofit enterprise. Founded to help bridge the gap between policy and practice, our mission is to enable people and the planet to meet the pace of change by expanding access to new technologies that power more sustainable and equitable outcomes. We are a fully remote team of award-winning professionals with decades of applied expertise and end-to-end GIS capabilities. By embracing whole-system thinking and state-of-the-art technology, we enable partners across public, private, and nonprofit sectors to tackle complex, real-world challenges—like housing affordability, ecosystem conservation, water management, and sustainable infrastructure—with greater clarity. Our work liberates and connects key information, creates nuanced pictures of complex situations, and makes land, water, and social data easier to use, understand, and act on. We use tools like satellite data and artificial intelligence to deliver insights for impact. At CGS, we believe that technology can be a tool for positive change. We are dedicated to building a diverse team that represents the communities and systems we live and work in. If you’re excited about this role but don’t meet every listed qualification, we encourage you to apply. We value potential, curiosity, and lived experiences, and know a more inclusive team makes us a stronger organization.   About the Lincoln Institute CGS was established in 2020 at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, which seeks to improve quality of life through the effective use, taxation, and stewardship of land. A nonprofit private operating foundation whose origins date to 1946, the Lincoln Institute researches and recommends creative approaches to land as a solution to economic, social, and environmental challenges. Through education, training, publications, and events, the Lincoln Institute integrates theory and practice to inform public policy decisions worldwide and has office locations in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Washington, DC; Phoenix, Arizona; and Beijing, China. Position Overview: The Center for Geospatial Solutions (CGS) is seeking a Senior Project Manager to coordinate the successful delivery of geospatial, data, AI, and environmental projects for public, private, nonprofit, and philanthropic partners. Reporting to the Associate Director of Solutions, the Senior Project Manager will translate contracts and scopes of work into practical plans, track schedules and budgets, coordinate technical teams, manage client communications, and help identify and resolve risks before they affect delivery. The role will lead project planning, financial and contractual management, client engagement, risk management, and coordination of cross-functional technical teams, often across multiple organizations, disciplines, and workstreams. The Senior Project Manager will exercise substantial independent judgment to manage complex project scope, schedules, budgets, resources, dependencies, and client expectations and will be responsible to anticipate and resolve complex client delivery challenges before they affect project outcomes. The position will regularly work with senior client stakeholders, technical leads, organizational leadership, subcontractors, and external partners. In addition to managing assigned projects, the Senior Project Manager will help strengthen CGS's organization-wide project delivery practices by mentoring staff, developing tools and standards, identifying systemic delivery risks, and improving how CGS manages increasingly larger and more complex client engagements.   What You Will Do: Complex Project Delivery Lead multiple complex geospatial, data, AI, software, or environmental projects from contract execution and kickoff through delivery, acceptance, and closeout. Develop and own integrated project-management plans translating contracts, technical approaches, and scopes of work into schedules, workstreams, milestones, deliverables, dependencies, resource plans, decision points, and acceptance criteria. Lead delivery across multidisciplinary teams that may include geospatial analysts, data scientists, software engineers, environmental scientists, product specialists, subcontractors, and external partners. Exercise independent judgment to resolve project-level issues involving priorities, staffing, sequencing, technical dependencies, client expectations, and competing contractual requirements. Maintain project plans, meeting notes, decision logs, action registers, and team coordination using Monday.com or comparable tools. Coordinate staffing and work-sequencing with technical staff and organizational managers. Track deliverable status and ensure reviews, approvals, and client submissions occur on time. Client and Stakeholder Responsibilities Serve as a primary day-to-day lead and trusted advisor for assigned clients and partners, including senior government, nonprofit, philanthropic, and private-sector stakeholders. Lead client meetings, executive-level project updates, planning sessions, reviews, and difficult conversations concerning scope, schedule, performance, risk, or changing priorities. Set and manage expectations regarding scope, schedule, roles, dependencies, data needs, and technical constraints. Build trusted client relationships and identify concerns or opportunities that should be elevated to others. Identify follow-on opportunities, changing client needs, and potential extensions of work and communicate them to the appropriate parties. Represent CGS professionally in multi-organization project teams, steering groups, and other external forums. Budget, Scope, and Risk Management Own project-level financial management for assigned engagements, including budgets, burn rates, labor plans, subcontractor costs, forecasts, invoicing inputs, and estimates to complete. Identify scope changes, delivery risks, resource constraints, and unresolved decisions early and handle timely mitigation. Lead change-management processes when client requirements or project assumptions change, including documenting impacts and supporting amendments, modifications, or revised scopes. Support management of federally funded contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and subawards, including coordination of applicable reporting and compliance requirements. Maintain clear documentation to support financial oversight, contractual accountability, audits, and organizational decision-making. Team Leadership and Organizational Project Management Coach and mentor project managers, technical leads, and other staff in project planning, client management, financial management, risk identification, and delivery practices. Create and maintain clear operating rhythms for project teams, including planning sessions, standups, reviews, retrospectives, risk reviews, and executive status reporting, without relying on direct supervisory authority, to establish clarity around project responsibilities, priorities, deadlines, and decision-making. Promote consistent use of CGS project-management practices while adapting the level of process to the needs of each project. Analyze lessons across projects and recommend changes that improve delivery predictability, financial performance, client experience, and organizational scalability. QualificationsWhat You Will Need: Undergraduate degree or equivalent professional experience in project management, business, public administration, environmental science, geography, technology, or related field. 7 or more years of progressively responsible experience managing complex consulting, professional-services, technology, research, environmental, or other client-facing projects, including significant responsibility for project financial performance and client relationships. Demonstrated experience running large, complex, or multidisciplinary projects involving multiple workstreams, stakeholders, technical disciplines, or partner organizations. Demonstrated ability to manage scopes, schedules, budgets, deliverables, dependencies, risks, and cross-functional teams. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to nurture relationships and facilitate meetings and communicate clearly with clients and technical staff. 5 or more years of experience managing geospatial, remote sensing, data science, AI, software, or environmental projects. 3 or more years of experience managing large government or federally funded engagements, including prime contracts, subcontracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or subawards. Strong understanding of professional-services project economics, including labor planning, burn rates, estimates to complete, budget-to-actual analysis, and the financial implications of scope and staffing decisions. Ability to translate technical and contractual information into practical project plans. Demonstrated ability with project management platforms, such as Monday.com, to deliver complex projects. Ability to work effectively in a fast-moving, fully remote environment with multiple concurrent priorities. Passion for collaborative, inclusive, and client-centered project delivery. Helpful Experience (Nice to Have): PMP, Agile, Scrum, or comparable project management training or certification. Experience managing federally funded contracts, grants, or subawards. Experience with resource planning, utilization, earned value, or project financial management. Familiarity with cloud environments, data platforms, or AI development processes. Domain expertise in water modeling, remote sensing, and geospatial data analysis Proficiency with geospatial/geostatistical software (ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Enterprise, QGIS) Programming and automation tools experience a plus.   Application Process Please submit a cover letter and resume. The cover letter should succinctly describe your interest in joining the CGS team; why you are qualified; and what relevant expertise and experience you offer. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled.   Compensation Overview The salary market range for this role is posted above and dependent on level of education and years of experience. We value internal and external equity and encourage those who may be missing qualifications to submit their materials still.   Our Benefits Our Benefits Benefits highlights include but are not limited to (a) 3x employer contribution towards retirement matching your employee contribution up to 15%, (b) health insurance with no deductible (c) dental insurance, (d) vision insurance, (e) copay assistance through an employer-funded health reimbursement account, (f) short-term disability coverage, (g) long term disability coverage, (h) paid parental leave, (i) voluntary insurances such as accident insurance, (j) health care flexible spending, (k) dependent care flexible spending, (l) paid time off for holidays, vacation, personal, sick, bereavement, and jury duty, (m) office closure between December 24 Jan 1 each calendar year, (n) flexible schedule and option for a compressed 4 day workweek, (o) tuition and staff development reimbursement, (p) pet insurance, and (q) Employee Assistance Program.   Our Values Cooperation and Teamwork, Forthright Feedback, Initiative, Acceptance of Responsibility, Multicultural Sensitivity   Equal Opportunity Employer The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy is dedicated to creating an inclusive work environment by hiring, training, promoting, and carrying out personnel procedures with respect to compensation, benefits, transfers, layoffs, or terminations, on the basis of individual merit, experience, and ability without regard to race (including traits historically associated with race such as hair texture, length of hair, protective hairstyles or cultural or religious headdresses), color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), ancestry, citizenship status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, military service, serious medical condition, expunged juvenile record, personal appearance, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, status as a victim, credit information, homelessness status, reproductive health decision making, or any other characteristic protected by law or otherwise.    Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision Lincoln Institute of Land Policy will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.   Non-Smoking Organization Lincoln Institute of Land Policy is a Non-Smoking organization. Smoking and the use of tobacco products are prohibited at all times and on all property owned, leased, or under the control of Lincoln Institute of Land Policy at all times, including, but not limited to, indoor and outdoor grounds, walkways and sidewalks, parking lots, company vehicles, and private vehicles parked on Lincoln Institute of Land Policy property.   MA Polygraph Statement It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.