About ECOnorthwest

ECOnorthwest is a public policy consulting firm headquartered in Portland, Oregon, with offices in Seattle, Bend, Eugene, Denver, and Los Angeles. For 50 years, policymakers and business leaders have trusted ECOnorthwest to inform the complex issues that shape communities. ECOnorthwest has worked with a diverse range of over 2,000 public, private, non-profit, and foundation clients in the United States and around the world to craft effective and feasible solutions. To answer the complex questions of our time, we integrate economic analysis with complementary disciplines to provide a more complete understanding of how policy choices affect peoples’ lives.

Overall purpose of the position

Senior Project Managers are experienced professionals who are leaders within the firm. They have the networks, skills, and expertise to consistently lead some or all of their project work independently but are paired with a Project Director on each project for as-needed advising. They evidence professional judgement regarding when they need input from more-senior staff. They may serve as the primary or only point of contact with a client on some projects. They are developing their own networks and may independently bring in some new project work to the firm.

They may be responsible for implementing and managing project work, including delegation to a team that includes Project Managers or Associates who lead day-to-day project management efforts. They lead or manage marketing efforts. They represent the firm and its work externally to clients, professional associations, and others. They may manage and/or direct multiple projects and proposal efforts simultaneously, balancing time and resources across projects. This position is expected to maintain a billable hours ratio of 65% after 5 months.

Essential functions of the position

• Ensures that project teams successfully deliver project work, and that the following project management tasks are satisfactorily completed (either by doing or delegating), with input from more-senior staff on an as-needed basis:
• • Internal and external project kickoffs and check-in meetings.
  • Development of scopes of work and project budgets.
  • Identification of resources and staff needed to complete projects. 
  • Effective communication with internal and subconsultant team members about their specific roles, expectations, and budget for projects.
  • Project budget management and reporting of potential problems to the Project Director or cluster lead. 
  • Appropriate use of sources of information to collect, record, analyze, and evaluate facts.
  • Quality control and quality assurance activities on project analysis that other team members have completed, seeking input from Project Directors or cluster leads when needed; ensures that all work products are accurate, relevant, and meet the client’s needs, consistent with ECOnorthwest’s values about diversity, inclusion, and equity statement; and statement of research integrity.
  • Synthesize and characterize findings and analysis as appropriate to the project needs.
  • Facilitate client and stakeholder meetings and present findings and conclusions in public meetings. 

• Provides feedback on staff performance on project work.
• Mentors and supports project teams as they collaborate to execute project work.
• Actively works to develop a diverse professional network and seeks opportunities for business development; may bring in some independent project work without the support of more senior staff.

Required competencies

Technical Competencies

• Has identified areas of substantial experience and subject matter expertise with land use planning, such as comprehensive planning, long-range planning, housing planning and strategies, or area planning .
• Familiarity with state or regional land use system requirements, such as the Oregon land use system, Washington State’s Growth Management Act, or similar state requirements.
• Understands and can communicate the strategic and political implications and consequences of work.
• Ability to communicate complex technical findings in written deliverables and presentations.
• Ability to lead and provide quality control for a team’s analysis and research.
• Knowledge of and ability to apply the key analytic and research frameworks used at ECOnorthwest (engagement methods; datasets and their application; analysis using database, spreadsheet, and/or statistical software; economic and planning theories and principles; other quantitative and qualitative research methods). Understanding of when to apply these principles and tools given project and client needs. 
• Understanding of and ability to communicate the implications of data limitations, including how they may over- or under-represent some populations.
• Ability to incorporate existing knowledge into project work and learn and adapt new principles.
• Ability to analyze and define technical and/or analytic problems, evaluate alternatives to support staff with solutions.

Project and Team Management Skills

• Know when to bring in more senior staff to assist with problem solving, quality control, political, or strategic aspects of project work.
• Ability to communicate tactfully and candidly, inform senior staff and/or clients of pertinent issues, define clear roles and manage difficult situations within a team, be an excellent listener. 
• Ability to effectively lead a diverse staff team, working with the project team to set achievable objectives, maintain a positive outlook, make decisions, reinforce a culture of inclusivity, and provide and receive constructive and regular feedback. 
• Ability to analyze and define a problem, evaluate alternatives, find a solution, and understand how to communicate tradeoffs.
• Ability to share information, coach team members, delegate responsibility, promote supportive team interactions. 
• Understand client needs, set realistic expectations, manage difficult situations within a project, reach agreement with client from outset of project.
• Understand how to obtain and ensure quality results for client satisfaction, ability to take corrective actions and perform verification of project standards.
• Anticipate project and team needs and proactively addresses sensitive issues with emphasis on collegiality, sound judgement, and initiative.
• Ability to identify and resolve project- and team-based problems through helping a team pivot direction to meet project needs, work through uncertainty, and stay focused on the needed deliverables.
• Ability to present at and facilitate effective team and client meetings.
• Ability to develop a professional network that leads to new project work.

Personal Aptitudes/Interpersonal Skills 

• Models the firm’s mission and operating values in all interactions, internal and external
• Proactively contributes to a collegial and inclusive work environment
• Intellectual curiosity and the desire to seek out new ideas and new solutions 
• Political acumen, including the ability to read stakeholder dynamics, anticipate sensitivities, and tailor communication to the political and policy context.
• Open-minded approach; listens to understand 
• Takes responsibility for own work and the work of junior staff
• Reliability, timeliness, and efficient management of time and workload 
• Enables effective and inclusive teamwork across diverse team participants
• Ability to provide and receive constructive and regular feedback 

Desired competencies

• Experience working in or on projects for one or more communities in Oregon.
• Experience with market analysis, real estate finance, or pro forma models.
• Understanding and familiarity with zoning code and other development regulations.
• Ability to communicate effectively in Spanish.

Qualifications

• Degree in planning, public administration, real estate, political science, or a related field (Master’s generally preferred). 
• Minimum of seven years of relevant professional experience (Master’s may substitute for 2 years of experience) in consulting or a related field, including specifically: experience managing the production of project deliverables, and experience with scope development, project budgeting, and contracting procedures.
• Demonstrated excellence in written and oral presentation.
• Experience interpreting qualitative and quantitative research findings.

Physical Requirements: 

• Ability to work for long periods at a computer.

ECOnorthwest is committed to the work of improving its diversity and inclusiveness as a workplace. Our best work draws on teams within and beyond ECOnorthwest who have diverse backgrounds and experiences that reflect the multifaceted communities we work in. Thus, we encourage applicants who would expand the diversity of lived experiences within our team and who share our values and commitments to advancing equity through research and data justice.