Project Manager - Tribal Operations

Job Summary: The Project Manager supports enterprise initiatives by leading projects, improving processes, and driving operational consistency across the SMSC. This role sits within the Marketing & Communications department and partners with internal departments and external stakeholders to ensure projects move efficiently from intake through execution. This person is highly organized, strategic, and process-driven, with the ability to manage multiple complex initiatives simultaneously. They establish clear roles, timelines, and accountability while ensuring teams remain aligned to business goals, deliverables, and deadlines. They work closely with teams across Tribal Operations, Gaming, Shared Services, and external partners, and may collaborate with IT, construction, and other enterprise project leads depending on initiative scope.

Primary Job Duties:

Core Project Management

• Lead cross-functional project teams with clear roles, goals, and deliverables.
• Develop and manage detailed project plans, timelines, and resource allocation.
• Identify and manage project milestones risks, issues, and dependencies.
• Ensure on-time, on-budget, and within-scope delivery of enterprise-level projects.
• Develop program-level dashboards and progress reporting.

Workflow & Operations

• Manage and improve project intake, prioritization, and resource planning processes.
• Build and maintain operational systems that improve visibility, efficiency, and team coordination.
• Develop dashboards, timelines, reports, and project tracking tools for leadership.
• Standardize project documentation and workflow procedures across the department.
• Ensure projects move consistently through established lifecycle stages.

Stakeholder Engagement & Communication

• Serve as the primary communication liaison for project status, risks, and progress updates.
• Provide clear, timely communication to leadership, internal teams, and external partners.
• Facilitate collaboration among business units to ensure alignment on project priorities.
• Support implementation of change management strategies when projects impact multiple departments.

Tool Ownership & Optimization

• Serve as system administrator and subject matter expert for project management platforms including Asana, RoboHead, and Monday.com.
• Create team standards for system use and adoption.
• Train users and improve platform effectiveness.
• Evaluate opportunities for process automation and reporting enhancements.

Process Improvement

• Review workflows regularly to identify inefficiencies and opportunities.
• Lead project debriefs and post-project evaluations.
• Recommend operational improvements that increase team capacity and project quality.
• Support development of scalable project management standards.

Job Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree in business, project management, or related field.

• 5–7 years of experience in project management, marketing operations, communications operations, or related business functions.
• Experience managing multiple complex projects in a fast-paced organization.
• Strong knowledge of project management systems such as Asana, RoboHead, or similar platforms.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven ability to build processes and improve workflow efficiency.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to influence and collaborate across departments.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Outlook.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading process improvement initiatives.
• Familiarity with PMO governance models.
• Experience supporting organizational change initiatives.
• Project management certification such as PMP or similar.

Outstanding Benefits & Awesome Perks: Enjoy competitive weekly pay, outstanding benefits and advancement opportunities. Generous benefits include medical, dental, life and disability insurance, onsite medical clinics and pharmacy, 401(k) retirement plan, paid time off, wellness programs and more. Plus, take advantage of perks like discounts on childcare, fuel, bus passes and fitness membership, free uniforms, free uniform cleaning and tuition reimbursement.

Who We Are: The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community contributes both time and financial resources across the region, state, and country. The SMSC has donated more than $400 million to organizations and causes, provided $500 million in economic development loans to other tribes, and contributed millions more to support regional governments and infrastructure. The SMSC's Native Green initiative annually diverts hundreds of tons of waste from landfills, has implemented compostable containers throughout our properties, and restored hundreds of acres of prairie land. Team members are eligible to participate in SMSC Gives, a community outreach initiative that organizes various opportunities in the local community. To empower its team members to take part in the Dakota tradition of giving, the SMSC provides paid hours to team members to volunteer at events. Learn more at shakopeedakota.org