Project and Production Manager

Summary

Trail Life USA is a not-for-profit, church-based organization focused on mentoring and discipleship for boys through outdoor adventure and character development. The Project and Production Manager owns Growth Division project planning, production schedules, vendor coordination, budgets, workflows, and delivery accountability across internal departments and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Plan and Define Project Scope - Work arrives either as a Growth priority approved by the Chief Growth Officer or as a production request from another department. This position converts each one into a defined project — scope, deliverables, milestones, dependencies, resources, and a clear definition of completion — documented and confirmed with the requesting party before work begins. Projects are scheduled against the actual availability of designers, writers, vendors, and reviewers. When requests compete for the same people or the same weeks, this position presents the trade-off and a recommendation to the Chief Growth Officer, who sets the priority
• Build and Manage Production Schedules - Production runs backward from a delivery date. This position builds the production calendar, setting the dates by which copy, design, approvals, proofs, files, and purchase orders must be complete for that delivery date to hold. It manages proof and approval cycles, confirms specifications before work is released to a vendor, tracks items through production, and verifies that what arrives matches what was ordered
• Coordinate Internal Teams and Requesting Departments - Deliverables depend on contributors across Marketing and Communications, E-Commerce, Sales and Events, and Member Development, as well as staff outside the Growth Division. This position assigns and tracks that internal work, and serves as the point of intake for the organization: departments requesting production support submit through this position, receive a committed schedule in return, and are kept current on status, on what is waiting for their own approvals, and on any change to the delivery date
• Manage Outside Vendors and Production Partners - This position requests and compares quotes, confirms lead times, issues production specifications, tracks orders, and holds printers, manufacturers, fulfillment partners, contractors, and agencies to agreed timelines, quantities, and quality standards. Where a department maintains its own vendor or agency relationship, this position coordinates with that department's existing contact rather than taking over the relationship, confirming specifications and dependencies so the deliverable holds its place on the calendar
• Monitor Progress, Hold Deadlines, and Resolve Obstacles - This position tracks every active project and follows up with owners whose commitments are approaching or past due, reporting status, risks, and issues to the Chief Growth Officer and stakeholders as they emerge rather than at the deadline. Delays, missing approvals, vendor problems, and unclear ownership are identified early and acted on, with escalation arriving alongside a proposed path forward. Deliverables added after approval are documented, costed in time and dollars, and either approved as a change or declined. Holding a deadline sometimes means telling a colleague or a senior leader that a commitment has slipped, what caused it, and what happens next — directly, and in a manner consistent with Trail Life's value of speaking the truth in love
• Track Costs and Vendor Spend - This position maintains visibility on project costs and vendor spend against approved budgets and flags variances as they develop. Budget approval and vendor selection remain with the Chief Growth Officer
• Maintain Workflows, Documentation, and Project Review - This position builds and maintains the intake forms, templates, boards, and workflows the division's project work runs on, and keeps records current: specifications, quotes and orders, approval records, meeting notes, and timelines. At the close of each significant project, it reviews what was delivered against what was planned — timeline accuracy, cost against estimate, vendor performance, final quality — and applies those findings to future estimates, templates, and vendor decisions

Skills

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university is preferred. Equivalent relevant professional experience may be considered
• Experience in project management, production management, business operations, or a related field
• Experience coordinating projects involving multiple departments, stakeholders, or outside vendors
• Membership in Trail Life USA, subscription to and constant adherence to the Trail Life USA Statements of Faith and Values, agreement and adherence to the Trail Life Code of Conduct, and agreement and adherence to the Employee Handbook
• Experience managing production work with outside printers, manufacturers, fulfillment partners, or agencies
• Proficiency with Podio / HubSpot for project and workflow management (comparable platforms considered)
• PMP, CAPM, or similar certification is beneficial but not required

Qualifications

Must Haves

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university is preferred. Equivalent relevant professional experience may be considered
• Experience in project management, production management, business operations, or a related field
• Experience coordinating projects involving multiple departments, stakeholders, or outside vendors
• Membership in Trail Life USA, subscription to and constant adherence to the Trail Life USA Statements of Faith and Values, agreement and adherence to the Trail Life Code of Conduct, and agreement and adherence to the Employee Handbook

Nice to Haves

• Experience managing production work with outside printers, manufacturers, fulfillment partners, or agencies
• Proficiency with Podio / HubSpot for project and workflow management (comparable platforms considered)
• PMP, CAPM, or similar certification is beneficial but not required

Benefits

• Flexible work arrangements based at the Trail Life USA Home Office in Belton, South Carolina, conducted remotely, or a combination of both (hybrid), as agreed upon through a Letter of Employment or mutual agreement that may change the location.