The Smart Cities Council is seeking a Global Program Director for its acclaimed Readiness Program.
Introduction to the Smart Cities Council
Join the Smart Cities Council, where you can manage programs where digital technology and intelligent design are harnessed to create smart, sustainable cities with high-quality living and high-quality jobs. As a trusted, neutral advisor, the Smart Cities Council, a network of leading companies advised by top universities, laboratories and standards bodies – makes a difference every day.
In 2017, the Council’s Readiness Program educated city leaders in metropolitan regions with over 69 million residents in the US, 33 million residents in India and almost one million residents in Australia. Our 2018 goal is to expand our reach globally.
The Smart Cities Council is headquartered in Reston, VA with regional councils in Australia New Zealand, Europe, India and North America. It also plans to expand into Africa and Latin America in the near term. The Council works virtually across multiple time zones and locations, encouraging a strong team culture using Agile and Scrum methodologies to prioritize and complete projects.
General Description
The Readiness Program Director will report to the Global Managing Director and will be directly responsible for the business development and execution of the North American Readiness Program where the Council, through it’s Readiness Challenge Grant conducts an extensive qualification, selection and education process for cities.
The RP Director will work with global thought leaders assisting cities to become smart, sustainable cities with high-quality living and high-quality jobs. The RP Director will also act as a resource for regional councils in adapting the Readiness Program to each region.
The RP Director will be expected to deliver 10-15 Readiness Workshops in North American. This will include working with cities and stakeholders, coordinating with the Council’s partners and subject matter experts who speak at the workshops – with a goal of delivering the Council’s unique Readiness Workshops, which include a high degree of expertise and interactivity.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications –
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field along with 10+ years of progressively responsible relevant work experience in business development, program management, or a combination of education and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
- Strong execution skills with demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a team
- Experience working virtually and using digital tools to manage projects and teams.
- Must be able to travel in North America at least once a month with flexibility to travel internationally with adequate notice.
- Ability and aptitude to pursue several tasks in parallel; prioritize; handle tight deadlines; and expand the scope of work and responsibilities as needed.
- Credible and reliable personality coupled with professional presence.
- Sharp intellect, ability to think creatively, develop ideas and add value; possessing the drive to push initiatives through.
- Ethical, reputable, self-motivated, presentable.
- Excellent speaking, writing, quantitative, and analytical skills, with excellent command of written and spoken English.
Desirable Qualifications
- While most work is virtual, preference would be given to candidates in the Washington DC Metro area.
- Understanding of Agile and Scrum methodologies for managing deliverables
- Has experience with the development of education material, including the creation of learning outcomes based on industry needs, drafting of content, and reviewing and continually improving curricula
- Has excellent group facilitation and presentation skills, can moderate large groups and manage challenging workshop agenda timelines
- Fluent in spoken and written Spanish.
Responsibilities
As Readiness Program Director, you will
- Guide and manage the Council, its partners, cities and outside consultants towards the common goal of making North America cities smart and sustainable. Your primary deliverable will be Readiness Workshops that engage chosen cities and stakeholders in a highly interactive, deep dive into how technology can deliver the results sought. These workshops range from one to three days and are located throughout North America.
- In partnership with regional councils, localize the Readiness Program to their region.
- Represent the program externally on key topics of expertise, at conferences or meetings, in writing, and with media. Liaise directly with selected partners to develop alliances that help the program deliver integrated services.
- Facilitate effective annual project planning by fostering collaboration and integration of core solutions.
Management style and personal attributes
There are key personal attributes we seek:
- Sense of urgency about the Council’s mission to make cities workable, livable and sustainable.
- Patience, resiliency, and tenacity.
- Style that is open, inviting, collaborative, and results-oriented.
- Superb cross-cultural interpersonal skills with an impressive history of forging strong relationships with multiple stakeholders, strong listening skills, and an ability to relate well to people at all levels.
- Stamina for the task at hand, including the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and under deadline pressure and personal grace in dealing with a broad spectrum of personalities.
Salary: This is a full time employment position and Smart Cities Council offers competitive compensation, based on qualifications and experience, with opportunities for career development. The Smart Cities Council is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination with regard to race, sex, color, age, religion, creed, class, sexual orientation, national origin, and disability.
Responding to this opportunity: We do not accept phone calls about open positions. If you are interested in this position, please contact hr@smartcitiescouncil.com and send (i) cover letter expressing why your experience is relevant to the Council’s mission with specific mention of your experience managing a virtual cross cultural team successfully, (ii) CV, (iii) a writing sample of at least 300 words and, (iv) alternatively a video of you speaking at an event or workshop or a presentation (preferably PPT) that you developed and presented to a public audience.
