Program Manager

Voted one of Chicago's Best Places to Work by the Chicago Tribune for the eighth year in a row, Clarity Partners is hiring 

Clarity Partners is seeking a Program Manager local to Chicago, IL, to lead and oversee a large-scale facilities and technology deployment program. This role will manage a team of Project Coordinators and external vendors responsible for the installation of RFID readers and related infrastructure. The Program Manager will ensure that all projects are executed efficiently, safely, and within scope, schedule, and budget. The ideal candidate has strong experience managing complex, multi-site technology or facilities programs, with exceptional communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.

This position reports in a hybrid setting and requires occasional travel to client sites throughout the district.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the planning, execution, and completion of RFID installation and related infrastructure projects across multiple client sites.
• Manage a team of Project Coordinators, providing guidance, oversight, and support to ensure consistent project execution and reporting.
• Develop and maintain the master program schedule, tracking milestones, dependencies, risks, and deliverables across all active projects.
• Serve as the primary liaison between district leadership, IT, facilities management, contractors, and other key stakeholders.
• Ensure adherence to project timelines, budgets, quality standards, and safety requirements.
• Oversee vendor management activities, including performance evaluation, issue escalation, and contract compliance.
• Lead regular program meetings and reporting sessions, providing clear status updates, risk assessments, and mitigation strategies.
• Establish and maintain strong communication channels between internal teams, vendors, and district representatives to ensure alignment and timely issue resolution.
• Monitor program performance metrics and deliverables, identifying opportunities for process improvement and operational efficiency.
• Support testing, validation, and acceptance of installed systems, ensuring technical and functional requirements are met.
• Manage documentation, reporting, and program dashboards to support transparency and informed decision-making by district leadership.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement across the program team.

Requirements

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Project Management, Business Administration, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field; PMP or related certification preferred.
• 7+ years of experience managing large-scale, multi-site projects or programs, preferably within education, public sector, facilities, or IT infrastructure environments.
• Proven success leading project teams and coordinating multiple concurrent workstreams under tight deadlines.
• Strong understanding of project management methodologies (Waterfall, Agile, or hybrid approaches).
• Experience managing vendors and contractors, including performance tracking, issue escalation, and compliance management.
• Exceptional organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate complex issues into actionable solutions.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to present to executive leadership and collaborate across technical and non-technical teams.
• Proficiency in project and portfolio management tools (e.g., MS Project, Smartsheet, Asana, or equivalent).
• Working knowledge of technology infrastructure or asset management systems (e.g., RFID, networking, security, or data systems) preferred.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and maintain composure in fast-paced environments.
• Hybrid role; must be available for on-site visits across client locations as needed.

Clarity is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. For the Program Manager role, the base salary pay range is $100,000 - $120,000. The range represents a good faith estimate that Clarity reasonably expects to pay for this job at the time of posting. Compensation will depend upon an individual's skills, experience, qualifications, location, and other relevant factors. The salary pay range is subject to change and may be modified at any time.