IT Project Manager

At Awana, we believe true change happens in the communities when children and youth are transformed by the gospel  and engaged in Biblical discipleship in the presence of a caring adult. We believe that kids can come to know, love and serve Jesus, following Him for a lifetime. This is why, for 75 years, Awana has been working with leaders in local churches in the US and around the world, providing solutions that equip these women and men to make disciples in children and youth. 

Today, God is using Awana to reach over 9 million kids in 140 countries around the world. With over 500,000 equipped leaders in 91,000 clubs/churches, Awana is able to play a vital role in global evangelism and discipleship of children and youth. If you are passionate about being integral to reaching kids with the gospel, join us, and become a part of our global cause. 

Summary

This position is a key driver in advancing the ministry of Awana by leading transformative IT projects that strengthen and expand the impact of the gospel worldwide. By managing technology initiatives from conception to completion, this role ensures the successful implementation of systems that enhance ministry effectiveness, equip leaders, and empower churches to reach more children with the message of Jesus. As a vital part of the Technology Department, the IT Project Manager helps shape Awana’s digital future—bringing innovation, efficiency, and strategic solutions that support the mission. Through close collaboration with internal teams, ministry partners, and external vendors, this role plays a crucial part in leveraging technology as a tool for discipleship, ensuring Awana’s reach continues to grow and thrive in a rapidly changing world.

This position is primarily remote with occasional travel required based on strategic organizational meetings. Primary travel locations would be our offices in St. Charles, IL or Nashville, TN.

Hiring Range for this position is: $80,000 to $95,000 annually.

Who We Are Looking For: 

• Team player who supports, upholds and demonstrates the Awana values in internal and external communications and relationships.
• Collaborative partner who has a natural ability to create genuine relationships with our internal team and external partners.
• Logical problem solver who proactively communicates workflow and/or deadline status to the team.
• Self-motivated, goal oriented professional with a passion for helping fuel exponential ministry growth.
• Flexible team member who is open to taking on new responsibilities and easily adapts to shifting priorities and needs.
• Champion of children to belong, believe and become resilient disciples.

Key Responsibilities:

Project Management & Oversight

• Lead and manage IT projects, ensuring on-time, within-budget delivery.
• Maintain project plans, status reports, and other necessary documentation.

Stakeholder & Requirements Coordination

• Work closely with stakeholders to identify business needs, document and clarify business requirements, and work with the Technology Product Owner to translate these items into technical specifications.
• Act as a bridge between business units, IT/Technology team, and external vendors.

Risk & Process Enhancement

• Identify potential project risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Continuously evaluate and improve project management processes and methodologies.

User Enablement & Technical Support

• Develop training materials and conduct sessions to ensure users effectively adopt new systems and technologies.
• Assist with IT tickets related to projects they are associated with, ensuring timely resolution and support for project-related technical issues.
• As needed, help with testing technology platform changes to ensure proper functionality, user experience and quality.

What You Need:

• 5+ years of experience in IT project management.
• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business, or related field.
• PMP, CAPM, or similar certification is a plus.
• Intermediate Microsoft Office and Google Suite skills.
• Strong knowledge of project management methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, etc.).
• Proficiency in project management tools (JIRA, Trello, Microsoft Project, etc.).
• Experience gathering and documenting business requirements.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to train and support end-users on new technologies.
• Occasional local and out-of-town, overnight travel may be required.
• General understanding of the Bible and the Christian Church in its various expressions required.
• Experience with Awana Club, curriculum, resources, & solutions is a plus! 
• Eligibility to work in the United States is required; this position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship.

Spiritual Life

Must be a born-again Christian. Must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Must be in agreement with the Awana Doctrinal Statement.  Must be in fellowship with the body of Christ through a local church. Regularly engages in reading the Holy Bible as a guide and standard for living. 

Physical Demands/Working Conditions 

While performing the duties of this job, the team member is regularly required to communicate. The team member is also required to regularly utilize computer equipment (e.g., screens and keyboards) to perform work. Awana recommends maintaining ergonomic posture, utilizing properly positioned computer equipment to minimize strain, and taking regular breaks to stretch and move around. Specific vision abilities required by this job included close vision. Local and out-of-town, overnight travel may be required. 

What We Offer: 

As a ministry that equips leaders to reach kids with the gospel and engage them in lifelong discipleship, we value our team that makes this happen and are excited to offer: 

• Mission-driven work that changes the lives of children and youth around the world. 
• Intentional connection, flexibility, family, and community engagement are part of our culture.
• Remote-first work environment, allowing you to do the majority of your work from where it is you call "home”. We also have two office locations designed for collaborative work and connection with colleagues in St. Charles, Illinois, and Nashville, Tennessee, that can be used at your convenience.
• Benefits package, including a variety of programs you can choose from to meet you and your family’s needs. Some of these include medical, dental & vision health insurance, paid family leave, 401(k) & Roth 401(k) retirement savings plans with employer match, generous paid vacation & holidays, adoption assistance, an employee wellness program, and more! 

This Job Description reflects the current assignment of essential functions and is not meant to be all-inclusive. Responsibilities may be assigned or reassigned to this job at any time based on the needs of the organization and may be modified to reasonably accommodate an individual with a disability or for other reasons. Please note, this opportunity is contingent upon favorable completion of a reference check, background check, and I-9 completion.