Who We Are

Ardent offers a small company feel, with big company results. We’re a custom training provider that helps organizations thrive through their people — by unlocking their potential and improving business performance.

Our three decades of success is due to Ardent’s tenacious team who embody client services in all we do. We’re always on the lookout for innovative, curious, and passionate people who can help us continue to support our clients and achieve our goals.

And we’re growing! Currently, we’re looking for a Project Manager (based in the Orange County area) who will be a key member of our team. Our ideal candidate will bring excellent project management experience to their accounts, and is a top knotch communicator both internally and with our clients and vendors. Their goal is to maximize client project success and account satisfaction by developing strong relationships with key stakeholders across accounts.  

We’re excited to connect with candidates who align with our values and the qualifications outlined below. Be sure to learn more about our Benefits & Perks, Core Values, and Holistic Approach to Learning here: https://www.ardentlearning.com/careers.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Leads the full lifecycle of client engagements and oversees design, development, and production of projects to ensure client specifications and deadlines are met

• Ensure timely and efficient milestone handoffs internally and externally throughout project

• Provide proactive status updates to team members, management and clients. Hold internal and external status meetings. Document and communicate decisions and actions from each status meeting

• Adhere to Ardent’s project management standards and best practices, embracing flexibility where possible

• Develop, maintain, and monitor progress reports, project plans, timelines and budgets with focus on attention to detail and client satisfaction — speaking up when deliverables are not in alignment with Ardent standards

•  Develop detailed project plan(s) to monitor and track progress 

• Manages people and vendor resources required for client engagements – reworking plans and prioritizing needs effectively with Resource Manager

• Provide project support to participating internal and external talent

• Develop purchase orders, track projects from purchase order through invoicing

• Obtain client feedback and work through edits and revisions

• Escalate any project changes that may affect scope, time, cost and or quality

• Perform risk management to minimize project risks

• Stay in tune with client needs, strengthening Ardent’s position as learning consultants

• Travel locally to and from the client location weekly

• Other duties as assigned

What You’ll Bring

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent years of experience required

• 5+ years’ experience as a client facing Project Manager; experience in the learning industry is a plus

• Experience with Smartsheet, Microsoft Project or other project management tools

• Competency in Microsoft applications including Word, Excel, and Outlook

• Proven ability to manage budgets

• Willingness to support clients across multiple timezones (EST, CST, PST)

• High competence in project and client services management; able to embrace the flexibility and ambiguity needed in our client services environment

• Effective client communications, including being confident having difficult conversations

• Work creatively to manage project scope and changes by problem solving, identifying risks / issues and negotiating win-win solutions

• Demonstrated ability to launch new client engagements and projects

• Reporting on project success criteria / metrics, milestones, risks and issues – internally and with the client

• Proven track record for successful delivery of projects and working cross-functionally across internal and external teams

• Ability to be flexible in diving into project detail when necessary, while keeping the overall picture in mind

• Demonstrated ability to be responsive with both verbal and written communication, while maintaining a strong sense of urgency

What We Offer

• Unlimited PTO. We trust our employees and want them to establish an ideal work-life balance.
• Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance. We offer excellent benefits for the health of our team and their families.
• 401K Plan. We support our employees in setting up a comfortable future.
• Cell Phone Reimbursement. We got you covered.
• Company Paid Community Service Time. We encourage employees to give back to their communities.
• Company Paid Parental & Adoption Leave. We value the importance of parents bonding with a new child.
• Company Paid Short & Long Term Disability. We help employees plan for the unexpected.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Come as you are. Ardent is an equal opportunity employer. We embrace diversity and are committed to building an inclusive environment for all employees.

Compensation

The salary range for this particular role is $85,000.00 to $100,000.00, which will ultimately take into account candidates’ level of experience, education, and geographic location. There is not a variable compensation element associated with this role.