Program Manager

The Centre for Organization Effectiveness; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 67,500 - 86,250; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and Dental Benefits (employee)

Paid Time Off – 20–30 days/yr

Retirement plan with company match

Learning and Development Opportunities

Job summary

The Centre for Organization Effectiveness advances the public good by strengthening leadership across public-sector and nonprofit organizations in California. The Program Manager will oversee roughly 100 projects annually, build client relationships, and design scopes and budgets that balance client needs with Centre sustainability.

The role supports collaboration across staff on program and operational objectives within a hybrid California work environment, meeting in person monthly for

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; graduate education or professional experience acceptable.
• Experience managing complex projects and coordinating multiple stakeholders in consulting or organizational development.
• Strong ability to develop proposals, coordinate approvals, and translate priorities into actionable plans.
• Excellent facilitation, communication, and relationship-management skills with clients and internal colleagues.
• Strong organizational skills, sound judgement, and ability to balance strategic thinking with execution.
• Proficiency with Windows, MS365, and familiarity with SaaS tools like Airtable, PandaDoc, Zoom.

Responsibilities

• Annually manage approximately 100 projects across varying lengths and complexities.
• Design scopes of work that meet client needs and align with Centre objectives.
• Create project budgets affordable for clients and financially beneficial for the Centre.
• Coordinate consultants from the Centre’s pool to provide direct client services.
• Review invoices, approve consultant charges, and track client payments.
• Evaluate project outcomes and drive continuous improvements.

Skills

Project management

Relationship management

Budgeting

Proposal development

Facilitation

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Windows

MS365

Airtable

PandaDoc

Zoom

Job description

The Centre for Organization Effectiveness advances the public good by strengthening leadership at all levels in community-focused organizations, including public sector, non‑profit, educational, and health-oriented agencies. Since 1993, The Centre has provided thousands of hours of training, coaching, and consulting to hundreds of organizations throughout California. Its services include flagship leadership academies, customized learning and development programs, personalized coaching, thought partnership, and organizational development support. The Centre is a self‑funded, tax‑exempt Joint Powers Authority. Team members collaborate with mission‑driven clients who are committed to improving their communities.

Position Summary

The Program Manager (PM) is a critical member of the Centre’s small but dedicated team. The PM’s core responsibility is to manage approximately 100 projects each year.

A successful PM will build mutually beneficial relationships with clients and consultants, design scopes of work that effectively address client needs, create project budgets that are affordable for clients and that generate sufficient income for the Centre, and collaborate with all stakeholders to expand the Centre’s base of satisfied clients.

The PM reports directly to a Centre Manager and collaborates with multiple colleagues on both program and operational objectives.

The Centre uses a hybrid environment in which employees work traditional hoursfromasite of their choosingwithin California. The Centre teammeetsin personapproximately monthlyfor staff meetings, strategic planning sessions, and other purposes.

Key Responsibilities

Teamwork

The Centre’s team of dedicated professionals are committed to advancing the public good. Team members collaborate on projects, serve as thought‑partners, and play key roles in Centre operational processes. The PM is also responsible for duties as assigned.

Project Management

The PM annually manages approximately 100 projects of various lengths and degrees of complexity, ensuring that schedules are kept, resources are provided when and where needed, and project outcomes are met. PMs track project developments and use Centre processes and technology to track project status. While each project unfolds in its own time and manner, each includes several stages.

• Intake. The PM collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to design a scope of work that meets the client’s needs.
• Proposal and Budget. Based on the Intake process, the PM builds a project budget, and drafts and gets client approval of a comprehensive project proposal.
• Consultant Assignment. The PM assigns and supports consultants from the Centre’s pool of subject matter experts to provide direct client services.
• Billing/Invoicing. PMs review and approve consultant invoices, and request, approve, and support the tracking of client invoices and payments.
• Evaluation. PMs evaluate all aspects of their projects and recommend and/or manage improvements to drive constant improvement.

Billable Time

Depending on the candidate’s skillset, the position may include a billable time component (e.g., to provide direct client services). The amount of billable time will be set each year.

Qualifications and Experience

The Centre seeks well‑qualified candidates whose skillsets complement the rest of the team and contribute to the Centre’s overall development.

• A bachelor’s degree is required. The successful candidate will have developed the necessary skillset through graduate education, professional experience, or a combination of the two.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex projects and coordinating multiple stakeholders in consulting, organizational development, professional services, or a related environment.
• Strong ability to develop proposals, coordinate approvals, and translate strategic priorities into actionable plans.
• Excellent facilitation, communication, and relationship‑management skills with clients, consultants, and internal colleagues.
• Strong organizational skills, sound judgement, and the ability to balance strategic thinking with operational execution.
• Proficiency with basic math skills needed to assist with project‑related financial processes.
• Proficiency with the Windows environment and MS365 software. Familiarity with SaaS platforms such as Airtable, PandaDoc, and Zoom are strongly preferred.
• Commitment to continuous learning, quality improvement, and mission‑driven work.

Salary and Benefits

The salary for this position is $75,000,commensuratewith experience. The Centre offers a generous benefits package.

• Health and Dental Benefits (for the employee only)
• Paid Time Off – new employeesaccrue20 daysof paid time off per year; long-term employeesaccrueup to30 daysper year
• Paid/Unpaid Leave – Family, Disability, Military, Voting, Jury Service, Bereavement, School Visitation, Victims of Felony Crime, Victims of Domestic Violence
• Holidays – 10 paid holidays plus one paid floating holiday per year
• Retirement – a tax‑deferred retirement plan includingacompany matchof up to 3%, and anadditionaltax‑deferred annual company contribution of up to 3%
• Learning and Development Opportunities