IT Project Manager/Business Analyst
Location: New York, NY
Immediate Supervisor:
Division/Department:

Audubon’s headquarters are in New York, supporting more than 700 staff in over 80 locations, nationwide. It has a national budget of $81 million.  Founded in 1905 and supported by 400,000 members, close to 500 chapters, 23 state offices, 58 Audubon Education Centers and a number of Sanctuaries throughout the Americas, the National Audubon Society conserves and restores natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife, and their habitats, for the benefit of humanity and the Earth's biological diversity.  What has traditionally set Audubon apart from other conservation organizations is its focus on people as the solution to the environmental challenges we face today.  Audubon believes that individuals can make a difference in protecting our environment and therefore it develops programs and strategies at the local level to both educate, and employ the strengths of, numerous constituencies and local communities.  We do this through local chapters, nature centers, citizen science programs, and public policy advocates.

Audubon's goal is to become the most effective conservation organization in the country.  Building upon its Strategic Plan and Five Year Goals, Audubon plans to establish a state program in most states as the primary operating vehicles to deliver conservation programs locally.  Audubon currently operates offices in 23 states and is rapidly expanding its outreach across the country.  Each state program is charged with protecting key ecosystems in its state, supporting local Chapters and with establishing a network of community-based nature centers. 

Audubon is about engaging people in conservation and one of our key strategies is bird conservation through a national and global network of Important Bird Areas.  In addition, we recently received a large, multi-year grant to educate and empower the public to take hands-on conservation action to reduce the negative impact of human activity on nature. Audubon is also emphasizing the use of internet technology to engage new audiences for conservation in new ways.  It is all part of a larger strategy to diversify the organization and the environmental movement, and to engage a much broader spectrum of people in conservation.   A popular cornerstone of Audubon’s communications efforts is the award-winning Audubon magazine which is published six times per year.

All of these programs and activities represent significant growth in the organization over the past few years, and they increasingly rely on technology to support their implementation. 

The IT Project Manager/Business Analyst (PM/BA) will report to Audubon’s Vice President of Information Systems and Administration.  The PM/BA’s role is to plan, design, develop, and launch efficient business and operations systems in support of core organizational functions and business processes. The role includes a strong systems integration component that includes effectively integrating key systems and vendor management. 

The PM/BA is also responsible for generating and compiling reports based on the findings, complete with probable causes and possible solutions to systems issues. The PM/BA’s will coordinate implementations and finalize projects according to strict deadlines and within budget. This includes acquiring resources and coordinating the efforts of team members and third-party contractors or consultants in order to deliver projects according to plan. The Project Manager/Business Analyst will also define the project’s objectives and oversee quality control throughout its life cycle.

• Meet with decision makers, systems owners, and end users to define business, financial, and operations requirements and systems goals, and identify and resolve systems issues.
• Lead design sessions in prototyping new systems for the purpose of enhancing business processes, operations, and information process flow.
• Review and analyze the effectiveness and efficiency of existing systems and develop strategies for improving or further leveraging these systems.
• Identify and establish scope and parameters of systems analysis in order to define outcome criteria and measure-taking actions.
• Define project scope, goals and deliverables that support business goals in collaboration with senior management and stakeholders.
• Effectively communicate project expectations to team members and stakeholders in a timely and clear fashion.
• Set and continually manage project expectations with team members and other stakeholders.
• Plan and schedule project timelines and milestones using appropriate tools.
• Track project milestones and deliverables.
• Determine the frequency and content of status reports from the project team, analyze results, and troubleshoot problem areas.
• Define project success criteria and disseminate them to involved parties throughout project life cycle.
• Conduct project post mortems and create a recommendations report in order to identify successful and unsuccessful project elements.
• Develop best practices and tools for project execution and management.

• Collaborate in the planning, design, development/selection, and deployment of new applications, and enhancements to existing applications.
• Conduct research on software and hardware products to justify recommendations and to support purchasing efforts.
• Estimate the resources and participants needed to achieve project goals.
• Draft and submit budget proposals, and recommend subsequent budget changes where necessary.
• Where required, negotiate with other department managers for the acquisition of required personnel from within the company.
• Determine and assess need for additional staff and/or consultants and make the appropriate recruitments if necessary during project cycle.

• Prepare and deliver reports, recommendations, or alternatives that address existing and potential trouble areas in operating systems across the organization.
• Create system design proposals.
• Perform cost-benefit and return on investment analyses for proposed systems to aid management in making implementation decisions.
• Ensure compatibility and interoperability of in-house computing systems.
• Create systems models, specifications, diagrams, and charts to provide direction to system programmers.
• Coordinate and perform in-depth tests, including end-user reviews, for modified and new systems, and other post-implementation support.
• Provide orientation and training to end users for all modified and new systems.
• Provide guidance and/or instruction to junior staff members.
• Direct and manage project development from beginning to end.
• Develop full-scale project plans and associated communications documents.
• Delegate tasks and responsibilities to appropriate personnel.
• Identify and resolve issues and conflicts within the project team.
• Identify and manage project dependencies and critical path.
• Develop and deliver progress reports, proposals, requirements documentation, and presentations.
• Proactively manage changes in project scope, identify potential crises, and devise contingency plans.
• Coach, mentor, motivate and supervise project team members and contractors, and influence them to take positive action and accountability for their assigned work.
• Build, develop, and grow any business relationships vital to the success of the project.

The ideal candidate should have the following experience and qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with a major in business or information technology or better.
  
• A minimum of 7 years of information services experience.
  
• Previous employment by a national or regional systems integrator.
  
• 3-5 years direct work experience in a project management capacity, including all aspects of process development and execution.
  
• Non-profit experience while it will provide a candidate with a significant advantage is not a requirement for this position.
  
• Proven experience in overseeing the design, development, and implementation of software and hardware solutions, systems, or products.
  
• Working technical knowledge of financial and CRM application software configuration.
  
• Extensive practical knowledge in importing data for use in report software, spreadsheets, graphs, and flow charts.
  
• Proven experience in the operation and analysis of database, hardware, software, and standards, as well as data retrieval methodologies and applications.
  
• Strong familiarity with project management software, such as MS-Project.
  
• Technically competent with various software programs, such as MS-Office applications and Visio Excellent analytical, mathematical, and creative problem-solving skills.
  
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
  
• Excellent listening and interpersonal skills.
  
• Logical and efficient.
  
• Keen attention to detail.
  
• Ability to conduct research into systems issues and products as required.
  
• Ability to communicate ideas in both technical and user-friendly language.
  
• Highly self motivated and directed.
  
• Ability to effectively prioritize, motivate team members and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment.
  
• Strong customer service orientation.
  
• Experience working in a team-oriented, collaborative environment.
  

The National Audubon Society's mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the Earth's biological diversity.

Audubon promotes a diverse workplace and is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of the National Audubon Society to employ the man or woman best qualified for the job regardless of race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability (handicap) or marital status.