Description :
Title: Project Manager/Innovation
Department: Online Newspapers Status: Full Time
Supervisor: Director/Innovation Start Date: ASAP
Job Description:
Overview: The project manager will coordinate, track, research and assist with the implementation and execution of rapid-development innovation projects and new business efforts emerging in Scripps newspaper markets. The project manager will help to develop, design, launch and adjust these startup businesses and will help to gauge and measure the progress of projects that are under way. The project manager will work closely with individual newspapers and/or startup managers as well as with leaders in operations, technology, marketing, advertising, research and finance. The position reports to the Director of Innovation, will be based in Knoxville and will require some travel to Scripps' newspaper territories (approximately 10-25%).
Role & Responsibilities: The project manager will be charged with helping to develop, investigate and launch early-stage opportunities, providing assistance in testing the business models and helping to build all functions from web design and usability to advertising, marketing and finance. The project manager will also be responsible for providing consistent communication and updates to the Director of Innovation, project teams and resources.
More detailed responsibilities will include:
* Coordinating innovation projects from idea through project launch.
* Helping to define feature/function requirements and working with appropriate teams to set priorities for each project.
* Helping early stage projects to develop their core functions.
* Managing rapid-development schedules for multiple projects of varying scale.
* Ensuring on-schedule development and on-budget deployment of projects.
* Keeping site teams and director informed of project status and recommendations for resolving conflicts.
* Acting as a hub of communication at several levels to ensure all stakeholders are fully informed and engaged.
* Sharing best practices across the project teams and the company.
* Understanding market trends and developments that can be leveraged.
* Navigating the organization and drawing upon resources from across Scripps in a targeted manner.
Position Requirements: The ideal candidate for this position should have strategic vision and superb interpersonal skills. The candidate should be entrepreneurial in attitude and comfortable in a conceptual mode to help explore, assist with and implement new business models and opportunities. At the same time, the candidate should be able to focus squarely on operations and the day-to-day execution of strategy, tasks and priorities. Additionally, the individual should be organized in administrative matters and adept at providing regular updates. Finally, he/she should have a comfort level with uncertainty as the role is new and much of the organization and processes are still being developed.
More detailed requirements include:
* Extensive understanding of Internet trends and technologies.
* Ability to manage multiple projects/initiatives simultaneously.
* Ability to work with and coordinate various technical resources, vendors, service providers and team operators.
* Knowledge of advertising sales and marketing strategies.
* Some familiarity with business pro formas and business plans.
* Proven ability to work in an environment where disparate resources are pulled together in an ad hoc manner to accomplish the task at hand.
At a personal level, we are seeking an individual who is highly energetic, solution driven and flexible in his/her interpersonal style. Outstanding communications skills in both written and verbal expression are required. The individual should be a self-starter, persistent and driven to succeed.
Education: College degree preferred.
Experience: Experience managing projects, new products or innovations.
Equipment: Expertise with productivity software (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Project).
Working familiarity - in a project management, not programming, sense - with the characteristics of common Internet technologies, including:
* Formatting languages, e.g. HTML, XHTML and XML.
* Presentation logic, e.g. CSS, XSL.
* Scripting and programming environments, e.g. JavaScript, Perl, Cold Fusion, Java/JSP.
* Database environments and programming interfaces, e.g. Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server.
Skills/Abilities:
Superior communications skills - verbal, written and presentation - strategic thinking, breakthrough thinking and creative problem solving skills, showing an ability to overcome obstacles; patience and ability to excel under pressure, handling multiple requests often with tight and inflexible deadlines; leadership, teamwork and the ability to develop others.
The E.W. Scripps Company, a diversified media concern with interests in newspaper publishing, broadcast television, national television networks, interactive media and television retailing, is an equal opportunity employer and a drug-free workplace.