Junior Project Manager

Oakland, CA

Kiva Confections (www.kivaconfections.com) is the premier cannabis-infused edibles company in California, the largest cannabis market in the world. Kiva's line includes Kiva Chocolate Bars, Terra Bites, Petra Mints, and Camino Gummies. Our products are crafted from premium ingredients and skillfully combined with California cannabis. Since our beginning in 2010, our goal is to create confections that redefine what a cannabis confection ought to be. By applying art and science to ensure a deliciously consistent experience every time, we continue to deliver on that mission today.

We have aggressive growth plans as the legal market, and consumer adoption continues to expand. Key growth initiatives include bold platform innovation, best in class marketing, geographic expansion, strategic partnerships, and more. We are resourced for this explosive growth and looking for great people to help take us to the next level.

Job Summary

Kiva is seeking a Junior Project Manager to join our growing team to help lead the execution of a three-year product pipeline. Innovation is the lifeblood of Kiva. Our pipeline is focused on innovating to meet the needs of the new and existing cannabis users, whether it's being one of the first brands to test for potency, being the first in the edibles category to introduce discreet portable packaging, or using unique blends of terpenes to deliver targeted effects. In order to meet our goals of being the worldwide leader in edibles, we’ll need to accelerate the pace at which we introduce product innovation to the market.

The Junior Project Manager will work closely with all functions in the organization including marketing, R&D, operations, procurement, sales, legal, and quality to lead the team through the commercialization of our innovation and renovation projects. Following a standardized process for launching products, timeline creation and management, and problem-solving are critical components of this role.

This is the job for you if...

You’ve been told (more than once) that you’re scrappy, a roll-up-the-sleeves, get stuff done type of person that is organized, honest and thoughtful
You are an A+ project manager with impeccable attention to details
Your friends describe you as trustworthy, loyal and dependable.
You’ve been called an overachiever.
You don’t leave things to chance and rely on your ability to “wing it.” Rather you’re calculated, prepared and take measured risks.
You are passionate, yet diplomatic, you can get your point across even when it’s a tough one in a way that can be heard
Thrive in a fast-paced start-up environment
You strive to be the best at what you do and who you are
You like to play on a winning team.)

As Kiva's Junior Project Manager, you will...

Lead and manage project team’s overall activities, projects, and deliverables.
Develop, track and manage detailed project implementation plans and timelines in Asana, and ensure that all project deliverables and project owners are correctly assigned and tracked in the system. Collaborate with the project teams to ensure that all deadlines are met and that roadblocks are promptly identified and tackled.
Manage week-to-week execution of associated tasks and projects in Asana, develop weekly project status reports for leadership, disseminate project-specific information in a timely matter and identify potential timeline issues plus implications.
Promptly escalate issues, risks and dependencies – proactively identifying potential gaps and critical path analysis, and collaborate cross-functionally to execute on mitigation plans.
Assist the team with researching issues, troubleshooting problems, documenting discussions, and ensuring that all decisions are disseminated in a timely manner to key stakeholders
Lead or co-lead our weekly innovation/renovation meetings and participate in all key cross-functional project meetings.
Ensure that we develop and adhare to all gate documents and get appropriate leadership approvals on key gate documents and decisions.
Continually refine and support effective project management workflow standards including procedures and templates that promote efficiency, productivity, and quality. Work with cross-functional teams to optimize the current Kiva Stage-Gate process, ensuring that all key steps, timelines and assignments are captured and followed across teams.
Identify ways to optimize use of Asana for project management at Kiva. Refine project templates, identify new ways to use Asana to enhance productivity, communication, and effectiveness.
Build and maintain relationships within Operations, and partner with Product, R&D, Brand, Creative, Sales, Sourcing, Finance and Packaging Engineering on the product development process
Create and maintain comprehensive project tracking documentation including detailed weekly meeting notes, project status reports, gate-documents and updates on key process improvement initiatives.
Be a champion for change management at Kiva, be a leader for the adoption of Asana or other PM tools, new processes, and more efficient ways of getting projects completed.
Occasionally work with external partners, including co-manufacturing partners, packaging vendors, and equipment manufacturers
Drive post launch / ad hoc analysis for all product launches, SKU transitions and identify key areas of improvement for future launches.

What we're looking for...

B.A. or B.S. required
4+ years of experience in project management, with a focus on commercializing manufactured goods
CPG and/or cannabis experience preferred, but not required
CPM or PMP certification preferred, but not required
Working knowledge of Asana and/or similar tool required
Organized, methodical, strong steering, analytical and problem-solving skills
Ability to think strategically along with a willingness to get your hands dirty is critical
Ability to be flexible and adaptable to changing priorities and environments
Ability to use instinct and experience to help teams navigate through project challenges and communication to bring projects to completion in a timely, collaborative and effective manner
Genuine intellectual curiosity, strong interpersonal skills, and ability to form strong working relationships within a team
High capacity for execution, you can get a lot done in a short period of time.

Kiva Confections provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

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