Senior Manager, Special Projects

Democracy Fund; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 101,000 - 117,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401k with employer match

Paid time off

Parental leave

Flexible spending accounts

Professional development funds

Job summary

Common Cause is seeking a seasoned Project Manager to lead cross-department initiatives and drive strategic priorities. You will translate goals into actionable plans, track milestones, and ensure on-time delivery while maintaining budget discipline.

Ideal candidates hold a PMP certification and have experience with nonprofits or advocacy settings. The role requires DC office presence two days a week and some travel; strong communication and stakeholder-management skills are essential.

Qualifications

• The candidate must hold PMP certification and demonstrate experience leading complex projects.
• Experience working in nonprofit, political campaign, or advocacy environments is preferred.
• Willingness to work in the DC office at least two days weekly and travel 3–4 times yearly.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-department project groups and drive progress on strategic priorities.
• Translate goals into detailed work plans and monitor milestones.
• Maintain momentum across internal teams with deadlines and deliverables.
• Facilitate cross-functional meetings and provide PM support for events.
• Manage project budgets and confidentiality of sensitive information.

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Stakeholder management

Budget management

Communication

Discretion/confidentiality

Education

Project Management Professional (PMP)

Tools

Asana

Job description

Responsibilities

• Serve as the lead project manager for cross-departmental working groups, driving progress on organizational goals and high-visibility strategic priorities
• Translate strategic goals into detailed workplans, schedules, and task assignments, monitoring day-to-day progress to ensure teams consistently hit key milestones
• Track inputs, deadlines, and deliverables across internal teams to maintain momentum on complex, multi-stakeholder projects
• Cultivate strong working relationships with leaders across the organization
• Build and track project budgets, monitoring resource allocation and billed hours against project scopes
• Handle sensitive organizational data and strategic conversations with deep discretion, sound judgment, and a high standard of confidentiality.

Risk management & systems building

• Proactively identify project dependencies, potential bottlenecks, and risks early, working with teams to navigate delays and keep work on schedule
• Develop, implement, and invest stakeholders in standardized project management templates, intake workflows, and KPI tracking dashboards using tools like Asana
• Maintain clear communication across project teams and executive leadership, providing transparent, regular updates on project health, milestones, and strategic priority progress

Team meeting facilitation & operations

• Design agendas, schedule, and facilitate effective cross-functional project meetings—from initial brainstorming and alignment sessions to post-launch retrospectives
• Provide project management support to convenings and retreats as needed
• Execute necessary project-related administrative tasks and perform other duties as assigned to support organizational efficiency

Other duties as assigned

Other duties as assigned

You will thrive in this role if you have:

• A strong commitment to Common Cause’s nonpartisan mission and to advancing civil rights through our pro-democracy agenda
• Ability to manage and meet deadlines for multiple short- and long-term priorities at once – including shifting priorities, with high attention to detail; strong organization skills, and the ability to manage your time independently
• A track record of working collaboratively with others, with the ability to build rapport, trust, and credibility with multiple stakeholders with diverse interests
• Innovative and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to proactively navigate through ambiguity and address risks before they esc
• Ability to navigate organizational and power dynamics, respectfully navigate conflict while maintaining your values, and influence others to adopt changes to meet common goals
• Ability to compel action through both written and verbal communication, including distilling complex concepts for a broad audience, and to differentiate communications as needed for various audiences
• A commitment to equity in the goals of your work and in how you work with others
• Openness to feedback and awareness of your own strengths and areas for growth
• Familiarity with office productivity tools including Microsoft Office and Zoom, as well as strong knowledge of project management platforms (e.g. Asana)

The following is required:

• Certification as a Project Management Professional
• Experience leading complex projects across multiple stakeholders, ideally within a nonprofit, a political campaign, and/or within an advocacy or policy environment
• Ability to work in our DC office at least two days a week, and to travel 3-4 times per year for team and/or staff retreats
• Willing to have a social media presence on behalf of Common Cause, including being tagged on posts and creating content on behalf of the organization (as needed, Common Cause will provide accounts for staff members to use)
• Per our nonpartisan policy, Common Cause staff members may not currently be in elected office (or running for office); on the Steering Committee or Finance Committee for any political candidate; or affiliated with the leadership of a political party

Additional information about this role:

• This position is classified as confidential and therefore not included in the union-represented collective bargaining unit
• Common Cause is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time; please note that if hired, you will be asked to produce documentation for authorization to work in the US

Common Cause is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants of any race, creed, color, religion, ethnicity, national origin, income class, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status, or marital status, as well as applicants who have been previously incarcerated.

Common Cause (501(c)(4)) and Common Cause Education Fund (501(c)(3)) are nonpartisan, nonprofit grassroots affiliate organizations dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create an open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.

Founded in 1970 and headquartered in Washington, DC, Common Cause has members and supporters living in every congressional district in the United States, and offices in 23 states around the country.

100786 - 116699 USD a year

Note that as this role is based in Washington, DC, there would be a 3% increase on the offered salary as part of our geographic adjustment.

In order to ensure greater equity and transparency as an organization, Common Cause sets salary ranges consistently based on job responsibilities, and we determine salary for each staff member based on relevant years of experience (you can read more about our approach to compensation here, including where we offer geographical adjustments). For these reasons, we do not negotiate on our salary ranges or our specific salary offers.

In addition to salary, we also offer a generous benefits package, including:

• A robust healthcare plan that covers 97% of employee’s medical care, 100% of employee’s vision and dental benefits, and 75% of family medical care and 100% of family vision and dental benefits
• Long-term disability and life insurance
• Generous Paid Time Off including 20 Days of Vacation and 10 observed Holidays per year, and additional days off for Thanksgiving and Winter break
• 16 weeks of paid parental leave
• Flexible spending accounts
• A 401k retirement savings plan, with immediate Employer Match
• Dependent Care and Pet Care Support when you travel for work
• Funds for professional development
• And more! See more details here: https://www.commoncause.org/our-benefits/