Public Strategies (PS) is a nationally respected consulting, project management, and marketing firm based in Oklahoma City. We provide innovative solutions for federal, state, and local clients, including project and program management, training and technical assistance, technology, event management, research and evaluation, video production, and strategic communications. We also deliver research-informed direct services to financially vulnerable Oklahomans, with a focus on strengthening families and improving employment opportunities.

We are a collaborative team of thinkers, creatives, strategists, communicators, builders, researchers, and change agents committed to touching lives, driving change, and doing good well.

The Senior Project Specialist is responsible for leading the planning, development, and implementation of best practices and continuous quality improvement efforts that provide for measuring the efficacy of the employment and workforce development (EWD) systems in responding to the self-sufficiency needs of the families served by Work Ready Oklahoma (WRO) and its partners. A key activity will be leveraging evidence-based insights from a range of sources to influence the execution of EWD activities. This work should support a robust and integrated system of solutions and supports that include engagement with various subject areas including workforce development, employment partnerships and placement, adult education, vocational and skills-based job training, job readiness, executive function, and employment hope. This individual will be responsible for assessing the system for low-income families and other underserved or marginalized populations to access employment services and developing strategies, tactics, and solutions that ensure consistency, replicability, scalability, and customer simplicity/accessibility in coordination with the EWD management team.

This individual is a big picture thinker, researcher, planner, and self-starter with strong project management, document development, project planning, meeting facilitation, and organizational skills. This individual works with strong attention to detail and the ability to collaborate and support the structure required to implement innovative solutions deploying EWD strategies in range of environments and circumstances including TANF, SNAP, Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood, Criminal Justice Involved, and the Long Term Unemployed. The Senior Project Specialist works closely with division leadership to coordinate project resources and activities across departments and teams. The position requires particular flexibility, dependability, confidentiality, and willingness to work on a range of projects and topical areas.

• Support and/or lead the assessment, planning, and implementation of programs and special projects focused on integrating employment services or piloting new concepts.
• Provide support and organizational leadership to projects, including management of priorities, timelines, and deadlines
• Develop and maintain relationships with service center program management and staff, and execute and monitor a feedback loop for continuous quality improvement
• Design and conduct and/or support project and proposal planning efforts to include planning processes, planning meeting preparation and agenda setting, meeting facilitation to achieve meeting outcomes, development of action plans for projects, and drive deliverables or project outcomes to completion
• Gather program and project needs/expectations from a variety of stakeholders and consolidate them into a comprehensive plan to include project rationale, goals and objectives, and supporting workplan.
• Manage coordination of data capture and develop reporting tools to measure impact and outcomes related to agreed upon success metrics and deliverables
• Manage coordination across programs to improve internal processes for messaging, referral and follow-up related to employment services, develop assessments and other implementation tools, and deliver training as needed
• Collaborate and coordinate efforts across division and other company programs to ensure deliverables are produced according to project timelines and quality expectations
• Conduct, analyze, interpret, report, and present varying levels of research to support project deliverables, including translating research to practice, providing guidance on best practices and making programmatic recommendations based on evaluation findings
• Track and manage data and create various tools and reports
• Monitor program progress and deliverables as needed
• Develop and contribute to a broad range of products through high-quality writing and copy editing that reflect creativity, strong attention to detail, and an understanding of a wide range of audiences, including individuals with various literacy levels
• Participate in business development projects, as needed
• Other duties as assigned

• Bachelors Degree and 3+ years of relevant experience or documented expertise in a relevant field, required
• Masters Degree, preferred
• Applicable fields and disciplines include business, social sciences, humanities, public administration, public policy, education, not-for-profit management, and related fields.

• Three years of relevant work experience in project management, project planning, program operations, or strategic planning, research and/or policy, required
• Relevant experience may include social service program delivery, including relationship education; grant writing; program development; curriculum development; dissemination; working for or with government agencies; and, working for a not-for-profit organization
• Excellent program and project planning skills
• Excellent planning meeting facilitation skills
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and analytical skills and ability to effectively to translate research into practice for wide dissemination, required
• Experience working on large scale, multi-dimensional projects involving multiple partner organizations, government contracts and competing priorities, strongly preferred
• Proven grant or proposal writing skills, preferred
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office, including but not limited to Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook; mastery level knowledge and experience, preferred

• Occasional domestic travel, including by air
• Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends, as needed
• Personable, a critical thinker, self-motivated, hard-working, detail-oriented, dependable and flexible

• Maintain a valid Drivers License

Sufficient mobility and strength to move about the facility. Ability to be mobile throughout the community.