Temporary - Project Manager (Historic Preservation & Tourism/Parks and Recreation Department)

The City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) provides, protects and preserves a park system that promotes quality recreational, cultural and outdoor experiences for the Austin community. Working with the City of Austin provides a number of health and welfare benefits, such as medical, paid leave time, a great retirement plan, training opportunities and more! Click HERE for more information.

The purpose of this Temporary – Project Manager position is to support the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department’s Historic Preservation and Tourism Program by conducting and transcribing oral histories regarding the Montopolis Negro School.
 

• The Montopolis Negro School operated from 1935 to 1962 at 500 Montopolis Dr. after the original 1890s school at a nearby location was destroyed by flood. It is among the last surviving rural schools that Travis County operated for African American children during the Jim Crow era of racial segregation. After the Austin School District integrated in 1962, the building served as the Montopolis Church of Christ until the 1980s.
• The individual in this position will research approximately 15-25 interview candidates, who include former students, their family members, and descendants. They will be responsible for conducting interviews, managing archives, ensuring the ethical handling of sensitive information, transcribing interviews, and making oral history content accessible to a broad audience. The audio and transcription of the interview will be donated to the Austin History Center.

Duties, Functions and Responsibilities

Essential duties and functions, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include the following. Other related duties may be assigned.
 

1. Manages the design, development, and implementation of projects to include, but not limited to, gathering and defining the project requirements; obtains staffing requirements; and forms projected teams.
2. Manages the selection process and administers consultant services, including negotiating contract terms and fees by negotiating the contract, approving the consultant’s product, approving payment to consultant, initiating poor performance remedies, etc.
3. Develops short- and long-range plans for future to ongoing projects, including estimating timelines for start-up and completion of projects.
4. Manages, monitors, and reviews contracts and contractors to ensure compliance with contractual obligations, including administering change orders and estimates.
5. Coordinates and prepares reports and correspondence in response to requests for information from City Manager’s Office, Mayor, and City Council Offices; prepares City Council agenda material such as ordinance memorandums and presentations.
6. Prepares and delivers presentations to the City Manager, management team, and department directors.
7. Suggests and implements management solutions to address new or ongoing challenges faced by the City organization.
8. Manages the performance of professional staff in work involving organizational structure review and operations research and related work reviewing departments, divisions, and programs.
9. Assists in planning, directing, and coordinating, through subordinate level staff, the department work plan; meets with management staff to identify and resolve problems; assigns projects and programmatic areas of responsibility; and reviews and evaluates work methods and procedures.
10. Provides technical advice and assistance to City management, field personnel, contractors, etc.

- Supervisor and/or Leadership Exercised:

• May provide leadership and/or supervision to assigned employees or project management.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Must possess required knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience and be able to explain and demonstrate, with or without reasonable accommodations, that the essential functions of the job can be performed.
 

• Knowledge of laws, rules, regulations, and codes associate project assignment.
• Knowledge of project accounting and methodologies and the principles, methods, and practices of project management.
• Knowledge of design principles, practices, procedures, and estimating techniques.
• Knowledge of budget policies and principles.
• Knowledge of contract policies and procedures.
• Skill in adapting, interpreting, and applying guidelines and standards.
• Skill in establishing and maintaining positive relationships with internal and external customers.
• Skill in using available applicable software packages.
• Skill in evaluating contract agreements.
• Skill in negotiating with various audiences to accomplish objectives.
• Skill in written and oral communications including public presentations.
• Skill in completing projects within the required scheduling.
• Ability to make prompt decisions and develop new and relative ideas for providing a quality product and quality customer service with little or no supervision.
• Ability to perform all facets of projects with little or no supervision.
• Ability to plan, execute, and control a project (establishing realistic estimates and reporting metrics).
• Ability to assess and analyze project risks and exposures, identify options and alternatives, make decisions, and implement corrective actions.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, tact, and diplomacy in all public contacts.
• Ability to resolve conflicts and difficult situations.
• Ability to communicate in oral or written format to a variety of audiences.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and/or Equivalent Experience:

• Graduation with a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in a related field or major coursework in project management, plus six (6) years of progressively responsible work experience in managing projects.

Licenses or Certifications:

• None.

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred Education:

• Major course work in history, anthropology, library science, communications, or a related field.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience with oral history work and methodology, including interview techniques, conducting interviews, transcribing, managing collections, and ethical practices.
• Experience working with historical archives or public history projects.
• Experience working with historically underserved communities, including knowledge of diversity and inclusion issues with the ability to engage with diverse populations and communities.
• Experience with archival and preservation standards for both physical and digital media.

Other:

• Ability to travel to more than one work location.