Project Manager: Human Development Overlay District

The Environmental Simulation Center (ESC), a non-profit Planning and Urban Design organization specializing in the development and application of information technology and decision support systems in real-world planning, urban design, and community development projects has received a three year grant from the Ford Foundation. The grant underwrites a pilot program to deploy the Human Development Overlay District (HDOD), an innovative application of Information Technology (IT) to community and human development in rapidly changing communities.

The ESC is seeking to retain a project manager for the Ford Foundation project, to be based in New York City. The full time position will be for the duration of the Ford Foundation grant with further employment contingent on the viability of the HDOD concept and further support for its continued development and deployment in other communities.

Qualifications
The project manager may have his or her roots in “people” (e.g. caseworkers, small business providers, etc.) and/or “place” (e.g. planners, architects, etc.,) professions, or experience in community development, including the non-profit sector and public communications. Because the HDOD concept is enabled by Information Technology, the project manager should be technology-savvy, and have expertise in applying IT to complex problems.

The applicant should have a minimum of 10 years experience in managing projects of this size and complexity. Finally, the applicant should demonstrate a history of entrepreneurship, such as creating a business or institution, securing work and grants, leveraging and identifying opportunities, and developing business.

Roles and Responsibilities
Michael Kwartler, the ESC’s President, will be the principal in charge of the project. The project manager will handle the day-to-day management of the project, collaborate on its development with the project consultants and technical advisory team, and implement the HDOD in the pilot communities.

1. Management of HDOD project development.

a. Is the primary contact person for the pilot communities.

b. Develops and oversees project schedules, staffing, and budget.

c. Negotiates and formalizes any partner or vendor relationships and/or sub-consultants for HDOD tool development.

d. Coordinates activities of pilot sites and development team, including face-to-face and online conferencing.

e. Prepares annual project report for the funders.

f. Develops long-term strategies and business plans to secure funding of the further development of HDOD and its expansion to other communities.

2. Implementation of the HDOD.

a. Assists pilot sites with HDOD implementation.

b. Tracks progress of pilot communities and assesses their performance.

c. Assists in pilot program setup and evaluation.

d. Evaluates performance of the project development and technical advisory team.

e. Develops long-term strategy(s) to make the project concept self-sustaining in the pilot communities.

3. Assists in design of the IT Tools.

a. Coordinates and conducts pilot site interviews and helps develop needs assessments and use cases.

b. Participates in the development of communication, organizational and methodological tools with the pilot communities.

c. Participates in the development of functional and technical specifications of the HDOD decision-support and information tools.

d. Investigates, negotiates and formalizes data sharing protocols and privacy agreements from public, institutional, and/or private agencies.

The ESC is an equal opportunity employer, and does not unlawfully discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation. The salary is negotiable and commensurate with experience. We provide benefits for our employees.

Please send a cover letter and resume to: patnode@simcenter.org

or mail to:
Environmental Simulation Center, Ltd.
261 West 35th Street; Suite 1408
New York, NY 10001