Creative Team Project Manager

About hand2mind:

We bring learning to life! Trusted by teachers for more than 55+ years, hand2mind creates engaging, classroom-tested materials that empower children to learn by doing. We are a 150-person strong, family-owned company that's been voted one of the Chicago Tribune's Top Workplaces four times in a row (2020 - 2025). In addition to building high-quality, hands-on learning materials for the classroom like VersaTiles® and Cuisenaire® Rods, we also develop educational toys for the home that make learning math, reading, social-emotional learning, and STEM fun and interactive. As a company, we are committed to our employee's personal and professional development. That's why we offer a competitive benefits package, a supportive culture, and training and development opportunities by Harvard and UCLA professors. We are looking for professionals who are truly just kids at heart! We hope you'll come join our award-winning team today!

Position Description:

The Creative Team Project Manageris responsible for tracking the status of new products and removing roadblocks (50% of time) as well as the traffic coordination and administration of projects within the creative team (50% of time). This position involves running status meetings; reporting on project status and roadblocks; project scheduling; overseeing the routing of proofs and samples between members of the Product Development, Creative and Quality teams; administering project management software; and working with marketing to ensure new products are represented accurately in the catalog and on web. The Project Manager works collaboratively to ensure projects are delivered on schedule and to keep the flow of information open, honest, and transparent.

Scope of Responsibilities:

The individual in this role will:

• Define chronology for each step of a project's workflow to meet established deadlines
• Maintain an accurate project tracker with the most up-to-date information for creative team and new product development
• Execute established production schedules and manage daily creative projects while remaining actively informed on workloads and team bandwidth
• Institute and deliver a product status report on a regular basis
• Identify potential issues and address potential risks
• Ensure the flow of communication remains clear and accurate for all necessary parties
• Track Creative budget to ensure all invoices are paid out and coded appropriately
• Manage or support product reprints as needed throughout the year
• Engage marketing and e-commerce teams to ensure products are represented accurately in catalog and on web
• Work with purchasing, planning and compliance to ensure new products are being configured as efficiently as possible
• Route new product proofs, preproduction samples and preshipment samples between Product Managers, Creative team, and Quality. Act as the final checker to ensure all information on the product is accurate.
• Performs other duties as needed to meet department and company goals
• Other duties for this role will be assigned as necessary/appropriate

Requirements/Preferences:

• Bachelor's Degree
• 7+ years of project management experience or related field
• Experience leading project teams and ability to handle complex projects
• Excellent communication skills
• Strong interpersonal and excellent communication skills; able to work with all levels of the organization
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite

Ideal attributes:

• Works well with a team, shares knowledge
• Good communication skills
• Excellent problem-solving skills
• Great analytical ability
• Ability to work independently and prioritize projects appropriately
• Works well under tight deadlines

We are a drug-free workplace and an EEO employer.

Please note: This role will be filled by our internal recruitment team, so no assistance is needed from any outside staffing agency at this time.

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