The Director of Project Management serves as a strategic leader and operational backbone of the Marketing and Communications (MarCom) team. This individual is responsible for ensuring the successful, on-time, and high-quality delivery of marketing materials and cross-functional projects that advance the mission of JUF. In this role, you’ll do more than manage timelines—you’ll provide strategic insight, drive prioritization, improve workflows, and foster alignment across internal teams and organizational stakeholders.

Working closely with MarCom leadership, account leads, creative staff, and internal clients, you will help translate organizational priorities into actionable project plans, ensuring that the team delivers impactful, mission-aligned communications efficiently and effectively.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Team Operations

• Serve as a senior voice on the MarCom team, aligning project planning with organizational strategy and communications priorities.
• Partner with senior leadership to evaluate project impact, capacity, and alignment with department goals.
• Lead the development of scalable processes and systems to improve team efficiency, accountability, and quality of work.
• Provide mentorship and oversight to team members managing individual projects, promoting a culture of proactive problem-solving and ownership.
• Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess project efficiency and outcomes, and present insights and recommendations to leadership.

Project Management & Execution

• Intake, assess, and prioritize marketing and communications requests based on strategic importance, organizational need, and available resources.
• Develop detailed scopes of work, define deliverables, allocate team resources, and set timelines that meet organizational and audience needs.
• Coordinate closely with writers, designers, and account leads to create and manage comprehensive project plans.
• Lead regular check-ins and agile-style sessions to keep projects on track, address bottlenecks, and recalibrate as needed.
• Provide transparency and regular communication around project status, milestones, and challenges to stakeholders at all levels.

Systems & Reporting

• Build and maintain integrated calendars and dashboards to track progress across multiple campaigns and initiatives.
• Own department-wide reporting for project updates, campaign overviews, and year-end summaries.
• Continuously assess and improve project management tools, platforms, and processes.
• Ensure MarCom efforts are well-coordinated with organizational timelines, particularly for campaign-related and seasonal initiatives.

Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, Advertising, or a related field.
• 10–15 years of experience in project management, marketing/advertising, or communications, preferably in complex or matrixed organizations.
• Ability to parse talent levels & manage projects accordingly.
• Strong leadership experience with a demonstrated ability to guide teams, resolve conflict, and drive cross-functional collaboration.
• Proven experience implementing project management systems and methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, Hybrid, etc.); PMP or similar certification preferred.
• Skilled in Microsoft Office 365 and our project management tools (e.g., Hive, etc.).
• Excellent communication, time management, and organizational skills.
• Adaptable, strategic thinker with a strong ability to manage ambiguity and navigate shifting priorities.
• Empathetic and collaborative leadership style, with a commitment to building trusting relationships and supporting team success.

What you’ll love about us:

At JUF, you can be part of one of the largest non-profit social welfare institutions in Illinois. We provide food, refuge, healthcare, education, emergency assistance, and essential services to 500,000 Chicagoans of all faiths and millions of Jews around the world. We offer medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) with base contribution and match, additional health and wellness benefits, financial benefits, professional training, tuition reimbursement, paid family leave, and much more. We have a flexible schedule with core hours and the ability to work from home / remote a few days per week (for most positions) on a hybrid basis.