Renewal Project Manager

Renewal Project Manager

Position Summary
We're looking for a passionate, organized, and justice-driven Project Manager to lead this ambitious national initiative. This person will coordinate a network of 12 university-community teams across the country-supporting their efforts to investigate, document, and redress the impacts of university-led urban renewal.

The Project Manager will play a central role in shaping both the local and national components of the initiative. This includes facilitating cross-team collaboration, managing digital and public humanities projects, supporting curriculum development, and helping build a vibrant learning community. You'll also be a core team member at the Humanities Action Lab, with the opportunity to be a part of a supportive team that values care, creativity, and collaboration.

Position Details

• Appointment: This is a 1-year, grant-funded renewable position up to 3-years (funded through the Mellon Foundation)
• Location: In person at the University of Minnesota's Institute for Advanced Study in Minneapolis. Some remote work is possible.
• Reports to: Renewal Project coordinating team, supervised by Kevin Murphy at the University of Minnesota
• Salary: $76,125-$76,200 annually, with excellent University of Minnesota benefits
• Travel: Quarterly in-person staff retreats (typically in the NYC area) and occasional site visits

Key Responsibilities
National Coordination & Network Support (35%)

• Support local teams in developing, launching, and evaluating their local redress projects
• Facilitate collaboration, learning, and resource-sharing among all project teams
• Coordinate quarterly virtual workshops and in-person micro-convenings
• Organize a culminating national convening in Year 3
• Oversee documentation of events and final products across all partner sites
• Lead design and implementation of project-wide assessment tools and reporting
• Liaise with the HAL network to integrate Renewal Project partners into broader HAL initiatives

Communications & Public Humanities Design (40%)
This position will support communications for both the Renewal Project and the Humanities Action Lab (HAL), with responsibilities shared across both initiatives.

• Co-develop and manage the Renewal Project website and digital storytelling platform
• Gather and curate content from all partners for digital and multimedia outputs (e.g., shared archive, traveling installation)
• Maintain active communication channels across social media, newsletters, and digital publications for both the Renewal Project and HAL
• Promote local partner work and foster dialogue between local and national conversations
• Oversee creation of partner spotlights and ongoing content updates for HAL and Renewal platforms
• Regularly update websites with new content, events, and resources
• Create compelling content for social media (Facebook, Instagram), moderate audience engagement, and manage digital inboxes
• Create and circulate newsletters (via Mailchimp or other platforms)

Minneapolis-Based Project Development (10%)

• Help build and sustain partnerships between University of Minnesota faculty, students, staff, and local communities
• Support historical research into UMN's role in urban renewal and displacement
• Assist with transitioning the local project from planning to implementation
• Contribute to curricular development, with the opportunity to teach project-based courses

Project Management and Tracking (15%)

• Develop and deploy methods and processes for tracking project deadlines, details, logs, communications, goals, and tasks
• Manage project budgets, grant reporting and project finances, including subawards and contracts
• Help collaborators and contributors as they navigate University and Sponsor requirements
• Work with IAS grants and fiscal management staff to ensure compliance with all University and funder procedures and policies
• Manage financial arrangements for payments, collaborating with IAS staff as needed.

Candidate Profile
We seek a candidate who is not only skilled and experienced, but also deeply committed to public humanities, public memory, and collaborative work. Our ideal Project Director brings:

Required Qualifications

• BA/BS and six (6) years of experience
• Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-partner projects with care and efficiency
• Communications experience including specifically social media, web content, and public outreach
• Knowledge of public history, public humanities, and/or urban planning
• Experience collaborating with and across academic and non-academic stakeholders
• Strong writing and organizational abilities
• Competency with digital platforms and communications tools
• Experience with convening design, facilitation, and event logistics
• Competency with budgeting and administrative coordination
• Expertise in historical methods research
• Subject matter knowledge in areas such as university history, urban renewal, critical university studies, or reparative justice

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing and delivering curriculum and educational programming
• Experience with digital and/or community archive projects
• Graduate-level historical research in critical university studies and/or urban history
• Experience building and maintaining community-driven humanities projects

The Renewal Project is a national coalition working to remember and redress the historical harms caused by university-driven displacement under urban renewal. We bring together university faculty, staff, students, displaced residents, and their descendants to support community-led campaigns for redress.
Through teaching, research, and public humanities, we harness the power of collective memory and action to build strategies for repair-ranging from public commemoration and community healing to reinvestment, police reform, and financial compensation. The Renewal Project is a collaborative initiative directed by the Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Minnesota, the Smart Cities Research Lab at Trinity College, and the Humanities Action Lab (HAL), a coalition of universities, community organizations, and cultural institutions in over 30 cities. Since 2012, HAL has co-produced national, multi-year public memory projects that connect local histories to pressing social justice.

Pay Range: $76,125 - $76,200 annually depending on education/qualifications/experience

Time Appointment Category: 100% Appointment

Position Type: Faculty and P&A Staff

Please visit the Office of Human Resources website for more information regarding benefit eligibility.

The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional training and degree-seeking programs supported by the Regents Tuition Benefit Program
• Low-cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• University HSA contributions
• Disability and employer-paid life insurance
• Employee wellbeing program
• Excellent retirement plans with employer contribution
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) opportunity
• Financial counseling services
• Employee Assistance Program with eight sessions of counseling at no cost
• Employee Transit Pass with free or reduced rates in the Twin Cities metro area

Additional documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My Job Applications" page and uploading documents in the "My Cover Letters and Attachments" section.

Applications must be submitted through the University of Minnesota Jobs site; search for Job ID 369631. Upload a letter of application outlining your interest in and qualifications for the position, a resume, and contact information for three references. If you have questions about the position, feel free to reach out to Jen Hughes, IAS Managing Director, at: jkh@umn.edu.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail employ@umn.edu or call (612) 624-8647.

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.

At the University of Minnesota, we are proud to be recognized by the Star Tribune as a Top Workplace for 2021, as well as by Forbes as Best Employers for Women and one of America's Best Employers (2015, 2018, 2019, 2023), Best Employer for Diversity (2019, 2020), Best Employer for New Grads (2018, 2019), and Best Employer by State (2019, 2022).