Project Manager, Leadership and Instructional Foundations for Texas (Project Manager III

Agency Information

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) oversees primary and secondary public education in Texas and is committed to improving outcomes for all public school students by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems across the state.

• We are Determined:
  We are committed and intentional in pursuing our primary purpose of improving outcomes for students.
• We are People-Centered:
  We strive to attract, develop, and retain committed talent that reflects the diversity of Texas, with each individual contributing to our shared vision for students.
• We are Learners:
  We seek evidence, reflect on outcomes, and continuously improve in pursuit of excellence for students.
• We are Servant Leaders:
  We are public servants committed to improving opportunities for students and supporting those who serve them.

Leadership and Instructional Foundations for Texas (LIFT) is a three-year program designed to support Texas school systems in building the instructional and systems-level capacity needed to deliver high-quality learning experiences for all students. LIFT brings together the highest leverage components of Strong Foundations, Texas Instructional Leadership, and Texas Lesson Study, providing comprehensive support for districts to adopt High Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) and implement Bluebonnet Learning over multiple years.

The LIFT Operations team provides leadership and direction in the planning, execution, monitoring, and continuous improvement of LIFT initiatives. The team develops and implements project management and operational tools, including project plans, workplans, processes, dashboards, budget trackers, and invoice management systems to support effective project execution and decision-making. Through collaboration with internal content and program teams, external vendors, and agency stakeholders, the team ensures LIFT initiatives are strategically planned, effectively coordinated, and continuously improved to deliver high-quality supports.

The LIFT Operations team is seeking a Project Manager who is responsible for managing the day-to-day operational, administrative, and project management functions of assigned work streams, grants, contracts, and strategic initiatives. The Project Manager will develop and maintain project plans, coordinate timelines and deliverables, manage budgets and vendor relationships, monitor project progress and performance metrics, and identify opportunities to improve processes and operational efficiencies.

The Project Manager will work across teams to ensure alignment, mitigate risks, support implementation, and ensure projects are completed on time, within scope, and within budget while supporting continuous improvement of operational systems and processes.

This position reports to the Deputy Director, Leadership and Instructional Foundations for Texas Operations and Supports within the LIFT team.

Flexible work location within the state of Texas may be considered for qualified candidates.

Applicants who are strongly being considered for employment must submit to a national criminal history background check.

Job duties are not limited to the essential functions mentioned below. You may perform other functions as assigned.

1. Budget and Contract Management: create and manage budget and tracking systems; facilitate the development of budget assumptions, monitor budget spenddown, and coordinate budget revisions or amendments based on contract monitoring; oversee financial and contract management, including participating in budget forecasting, monitoring vendor invoicing for alignment with contract deliverables, reviewing and approving invoices for services rendered, deliverables, and travel expenses, and identifying opportunities to improve operational and financial efficiency while ensuring compliance with contractual requirements.

2. Grant Management: coordinate and manage project management processes that support the full lifecycle of LIFT grants, including planning, timeline management, stakeholder coordination, approvals, implementation, compliance monitoring, and continuous process improvement in support of Grant Leads and agency requirements.

3. Operational Support for Strategic Initiatives: provide responsive, high-quality operational support to meet the evolving needs of high-priority initiatives/projects by coordinating day-to-day execution, monitoring task completion, and ensuring follow-through on deliverables for the LIFT Team; establish and maintain systems for tracking actions, organizing resources, and supporting efficient workflows; support to identify and address operational gaps in real time, implement solutions to improve efficiency, and ensure teams are equipped with the tools, structures, and resources needed to execute effectively and achieve desired outcomes.

4. Performance Management and Continuous Improvement: establish structures and processes to ensure effective project management, contract…