Project Manager, 530A Initiatives

 

Project Manager, 530A Initiatives

Job Description

About NYC Kids RISE

Over the last decade, NYC Kids RISE has been working alongside partners in government, philanthropy, business and communities to build a first-of-its-kind universal decentralized community wealth building platform for New York City neighborhoods.  The platform expands access to mainstream financial products; builds individual, family, and collective financial assets; provides financial education for families and students; and brings schools and communities together to support all their children’s futures. As a unique vehicle for building both financial and social capital, the platform serves as a model for generational wealth building and fostering neighborhoods of economic opportunity — locally and nationally.

Today when a child starts kindergarten in New York City Public Schools, they receive an NYC Scholarship Account invested in a 529 Account with an initial investment for their educational futures. More than 380,000 children have NYC Scholarship Accounts and have accumulated more than $85M to date.  ~1000 elementary schools are leveraging the Program as a tool for college & career readiness, strengthening school & community ties, and financial education & empowerment in a variety of different ways. Philanthropy, businesses, government, civic associations, houses of worship, and New Yorkers are plugging into the platform to share their social and financial capital and demonstrate to children what is possible by directing money into sets of students’ accounts through Community Scholarships, by integrating the Program into their own operations and activities, and by spreading the word and reinforcing expectations about what is possible for children.  This past June, the City announced an historic investment, increasing the initial seed scholarship for kindergartners from $100 to $1,000. At its core, the Program is providing a way for our city to invest in all our children across the five boroughs.  The Program is on pace to reach nearly all ~1 million NYC public school students by 2034.

With growing national, state, and local bipartisan recognition of the power of early wealth building and our infrastructure in place, there is a window of tremendous opportunity to realize a bold vision for New York City kids.

Learn more about NYC Kids RISE at nyckidsrise.org and here.

530A Accounts

530A accounts are lifelong investment accounts designed to build assets for children, so young adults start their financial lives with investable capital. While any eligible child under 18 can have a 530A account opened in their name, opening one for a child born in the United States in 2025-2028 provides the opportunity to receive a $1,000 deposit from the federal government. In New York City, approximately 90,000 children are born each year. With the initial $1,000 federal investment for each baby, this could translate into $324 million in assets over four years for NYC children.

NYC Kids RISE is spearheading a campaign alongside partners to ensure that families who qualify for the $1,000 are able to claim it. The campaign draws on learnings from census engagement, earned income tax credit campaigns, public benefits campaigns, and our own work supporting families to both activate and view their NYC Scholarship Accounts and open their own college and career accounts. Our goal is to raise broad awareness among eligible families and support them in claiming the federal money for their children as the start of their child’s Capital Stack of assets.

The campaign expects to combine a focused public engagement and multimedia campaign, digital targeting, branding and materials development, 1:1 support for families, partnerships and community organizing, and grants to community organizations to work directly with families in their communities. The campaign will also include investments in technology and data and significant integration with tax-time, financial empowerment, healthcare, and other efforts that already reach expecting and new parents.

The Opportunity

NYC Kids RISE seeks a resourceful, highly organized, and collaborative Project Manager to support the implementation of NYC Kids RISE’s citywide campaign  to help families of eligible babies claim the $1,000 federal investment, within the broader 530A Initiatives portfolio.

Reporting to the Senior Campaign Director, 530A Initiatives, the Project Manager will translate campaign priorities into actionable work plans and coordinate internal colleagues and external partners to deliver projects on time and in alignment with campaign goals. Working in close partnership with the Senior Director and the broader team, this person will provide the day to day project management of a citywide campaign that will be the critical infrastructure to support alignment and success. Workstreams will include brand development, technology, performance management, policy, fundraising, stakeholder feedback, the development of materials among others. 

The Project Manager will establish and maintain the practical systems that keep campaign design and implementation moving, including shared workplans, clear roles and approval processes, coordinated meeting routines, and accessible project updates. They will manage up and across teams, coordinate external partners, anticipate dependencies and competing demands, and help resolve barriers to delivery. Success will require building trust and supporting accountability among colleagues and partners without direct supervisory authority.

This is an opportunity for someone who enjoys making complex work manageable, anticipates what teams and partners need to move forward, excellent communication kills,and follows through on both the details and the larger goals. The ideal candidate will be passionate about partnering with communities to build wealth and opportunity and comfortable working in an evolving environment.

Key Responsibilities

Project Planning and Implementation

• Work with the Senior Campaign Director and project contributors to define project goals, deliverables, measures of successful completion, responsibilities, approval processes, and timelines.
• Develop and maintain integrated project plans and a campaign calendar, identifying dependencies, competing deadlines, and resource needs across campaign activities.
• Manage assigned projects from planning through completion, including the campaign microsite launch and updates, technology and data implementation projects, partner onboarding processes, materials development and distribution, and other implementation priorities, in partnership with the colleagues responsible for each function.
• Facilitate cross-team alignment by establishing clear review schedules, tracking action items, securing timely inputs, and keeping projects moving toward agreed goals. 
• Anticipate bottlenecks and competing priorities, propose practical solutions or alternative approaches, and elevate decisions that require leadership input.
• Adjust plans as circumstances change, ensuring affected colleagues and partners understand revised responsibilities, timelines, and implications for related work.

Internal Coordination and Partner Follow-Through

• Coordinate day-to-day work across community engagement, communications, data and reporting, technology, operations, and external partners to support aligned campaign execution.
• Establish meeting routines and shared channels for updates between meetings, tailoring coordination approaches to the needs of different teams and partners.
• Organize and facilitate project meetings, preparing agendas and materials, documenting decisions, and following up on action items, owners, and deadlines.
• Gather and synthesize input, identify misalignment, and clarify responsibilities and approvals before gaps affect delivery.
• Serve as a consistent coordination contact for assigned partners and projects, helping clarify commitments, answer operational questions, while escalating strategic partner management or contract adjustments to leadership.
• Coordinate onboarding timelines, training logistics, materials, and implementation follow-through in partnership with the Senior Campaign Director responsible for partner capacity building and community engagement, who leads partner training and capacity building.

Campaign Systems and Operations

• Design, test, and refine practical workflows for recurring campaign activities, including partner onboarding, materials requests and distribution, approvals, and reporting.
• Create reusable project templates, checklists, and shared resources that support consistent execution and reduce duplication.
• Establish clear practices for using project management tools and shared workspaces, providing guidance so colleagues and partners can access current information and contribute updates.
• Identify opportunities to simplify or automate routine tasks, working with relevant colleagues to implement improvements.
• Coordinate production and review schedules for campaign materials and digital resources, including translation, approvals, printing, and distribution, and track related vendor and consultant deliverables.
• Support grants, contracting, and purchasing workflows by gathering required information, tracking approvals and deadlines, and coordinating with finance and operations colleagues.
• Coordinate logistics for partner convenings, campaign launches, and other assigned activities, including materials, scheduling, and follow-up.

Progress Tracking and Continuous Improvement

• Prepare concise project status updates highlighting completed milestones, upcoming deliverables, implementation risks, and decisions needed, tailoring the format and detail to different stakeholders.
• Work with data and reporting colleagues to coordinate reporting schedules and required inputs, helping leadership connect implementation progress with campaign goals.
• Identify patterns across projects, including recurring delays, conflicting demands, and opportunities to coordinate efforts, and recommend adjustments.
• Gather feedback and facilitate project debriefs, translating lessons into updated workflows, templates, and implementation practices.
• Maintain strict adherence to NYC Kids RISE data security and privacy policies, handle confidential information appropriately, and raise potential concerns through established channels.
• Participate in NYC Kids RISE’s work to advance racial equity and anti-oppression, seeking feedback and identifying ways project processes, materials, and partner coordination can better support equitable access.

Qualifications

Required

• 3–5 years of relevant experience in project management, program implementation, campaign operations, or a related field.
• Demonstrated ability to manage projects involving multiple workstreams, internal teams, and external partners, with responsibility for timelines, deliverables, and follow-through.
• Demonstrated ability to drive project momentum, including coordinating cross-functional reviews and approvals, tracking deliverables, and resolving scheduling conflicts across teams with autonomy. 
• Demonstrated ability to create and improve practical systems and workflows that support coordination, transparency, and timely delivery.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, including the ability to maintain accurate project plans and manage simultaneous, evolving projects.
• Systems thinking, with the ability to connect detailed tasks to campaign goals and identify dependencies across projects.
• Strong interpersonal skills and sound judgment, including the ability to have direct and empathetic conversations and build productive relationships across roles and institutions.
• Clear written, verbal, and facilitation skills, including the ability to synthesize input, document decisions, and communicate useful updates to different audiences.
• Resourcefulness and demonstrated problem-solving skills, including the ability to anticipate needs, propose practical solutions, incorporate feedback, and recognize when to elevate an issue.
• Proficiency with project management software, spreadsheets, and shared collaboration tools, including the ability to help others use these systems effectively.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, take initiative, and adapt as priorities and implementation approaches evolve.
• Commitment to NYC Kids RISE’s mission and to advancing racial equity and opportunity for New York City children and families.

Preferred

• Experience supporting campaigns or programs involving community engagement, public benefits access, financial empowerment, early childhood, or economic mobility.
• Experience coordinating work with New York City community-based organizations, government agencies, healthcare institutions, or other partners serving families.
• Experience coordinating digital projects, materials production and distribution, vendor deliverables, partner onboarding, or grants and contracting workflows.
• Familiarity with CRM systems or other tools used to support outreach, partner coordination, and reporting.

Salary and Benefits

The salary for this position is $95,000 annually. NYC Kids RISE offers a comprehensive benefits package, including 30 days of paid time off (15 vacation days for new employees, increasing with tenure; five personal days; and two annual one-week office closures, in early July and late December), plus sick time and holidays.

Benefits also include medical, dental, vision, life, and short- and long-term disability insurance; a healthcare FSA with an employer contribution; a dependent-care FSA; and a 401(k) with a 4% employer match after one year of service.

Location and Work Schedule

NYC Kids RISE maintains a hybrid work environment. The Project Manager is expected to spend more than 50% of working time in-office and/or at meetings, partner sites, and events across New York City. Some evening and weekend availability is required.

How to Apply

Please submit a resume and brief cover letter through the NYC Kids RISE Careers page.

NYC Kids RISE is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in employment on the basis of gender, religion, race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, marital status, caregiver status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, unemployment status, or any other characteristic protected by law.