All Things Urban

The Department of Urban Studies & Planning (DUSP), a department within the School of Architecture + Planning at MIT, was founded in 1933. The Planetizen Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs once again ranked DUSP #1 in the U.S. and Canada

The MIT Community Innovators Lab (CoLab) is a center for planning and development within the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning. CoLab supports the development and use of knowledge from excluded communities to deepen civic engagement, improve community practice, inform policy, mobilize community assets, and generate shared wealth. CoLab believes that community knowledge can drive powerful innovation and can help make markets an arena for supporting social justice. CoLab builds strategic partnerships and works to implement strategies that enable communities to harness their existing assets and capture the value they create to promote inclusive economic development that is environmentally sustainable, socially just, and deeply democratic. CoLab brings multi-disciplinary expertise from the urban planning discipline, municipal government, business, community media, civil rights advocacy, and community and labor organizing.

CoLab’s Just Urban Economy (JUE) Program works on issues of economic democracy and urban sustainability with communities seeking to develop the capacity to study themselves, frame their problems and solutions, and imagine a future for themselves. It collaborates with institutional leaders who do not coordinate with one another, but need each other to transform the economy at scale. And JUE also works with local groups to put ideas into practice, document lessons learned from their efforts, and share those lessons with others working in similar ways. The JUE team currently consists of 4 staff and 2 full- or part-time consultants, all located in the Bronx, NY. The Team regularly works with MIT and other graduate and undergraduate students, engaging them in community-based work closely supervised by CoLab staff.

CoLab seeks a creative and results-driven Program Implementation Manager to help its JUE program be more efficient and impactful in its effort to shift economic development paradigms in the United States. JUE’s Program Implementation Manager will be responsible for integrating the JUE team’s short-term planning activities with key operational processes that ensure effective delivery of results and long-term sustainability for the program. The Program Implementation Manager will work with CoLab’s Student Engagement Manager to ensure seamless incorporation of student engagement programs with ongoing JUE work. This position will be based in New York City. Periodic travel is required. This is a temporary position paid through June 30, 2020 but will be considered for renewal pending long-term funding.

Short-term planning (20%)

• Work with JUE Director to develop and maintain systems for program planning and accountability with all JUE staff
• In partnership with team members, co-develop goals, milestones, and metrics for JUE’s projects
• Manage, and keep current, all of JUE’s project management platforms
• Prepare and facilitate JUE staff meetings to ensure strong coordination and systems of accountability among different JUE projects

JUE Operations (40%)

• Manage JUE’s budget planning process (e.g., work with team members to submit budgets into a master program budget template, support staff in setting realistic and bold budget projections for their projects.)
• Support JUE Director in developing and maintaining an effective management structure for JUE and its projects
• Manage and maintain JUE’s digital folder structure
• Ensure seamless integration of student engagement, training and support with JUE operations.

Direct Support to Director (30%)

• Support Director with incoming inquiries and determining effective course of action
• Support JUE Director in prioritizing appointments (calendar) and workflow management
• Act as an effective sounding board to JUE Director for new ideas and initiatives
• Draft proposals and other correspondence for the JUE Director as needed

Ideal Candidate:

• Has a minimum of three years’ relevant experience
• Has a Masters degree, or an equivalent combination of education and experience, in urban planning, labor studies, or related fields
• Is familiar with principles and practices of economic democracy or community wealth building
• Has experience managing, delegating to and coaching staff and students
• Has excellent team-building, coordination and oral and written communication skills
• Has strong project management expertise, including strong attention to detail and timely execution of tasks
• Is well versed in project management and customer relationship management systems
• Is people-oriented
• Has demonstrated commitment to social justice/anti-oppression work

People of color, people with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We are committed to a diverse workplace, and to supporting our staff with ongoing career development opportunity.

$60,000 - 70,000

We’re not fully sure whether this role is open to international candidates. If you would need visa sponsorship or work authorisation, we recommend checking directly with the employer before applying.