Project Specialist

Job Description

At UL Research Institutes, we know why we come to work.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Project Specialist at UL Research Institutes, based in our Skokie, Illinois, office. The Project Specialist plans, executes, and brings projects to closure of small to medium size projects on behalf of Materials Discovery Research Institute. The Project Specialist oversees the entire project lifecycle, ensuring that projects are completed on time, within budget, and according to the specified scope and quality requirements. The Project Specialist manages resources, coordinates teams, and mitigates risks to deliver successful project outcomes.

UL Research Institutes:

At UL Research Institutes (ULRI), we expand the boundaries of safety science to create a more secure and sustainable world. For more than a century, we have studied the unintended consequences of innovation, designed solutions to mitigate risk and shared our findings with academia, scientists, manufacturers, and policymakers across industries. We identify critical safety and sustainability issues, asking the tough questions because we believe a safer world begins with knowledge.

Build a safer, more secure, and sustainable future with us. Join us and work with our Materials Discovery Research Institute teams who conduct the research required to produce that knowledge and put into practice.

The Materials Discovery Research Institute (MDRI) works to develop and deploy new materials with the potential to address current global safety challenges. Pursuing materials that will help produce transformational safety breakthroughs, MDRI harnesses the power of advanced computing and high-throughput experimental methods to create innovative materials that will produce resilience for a sustainable future and protect individual and societal health.

We focus on today's critical challenges, working to create new and better materials that will support renewable energy and environmental sustainability. Among our top priorities is research into materials capable of carbon capture and energy storage, with an eye toward reducing the adverse impacts of humanity's reliance upon fossil fuel resources and enabling a transition to renewable energy sources.

Above all, our research builds on our commitment to a safer, more sustainable future.

What you'll learn and achieve:

As the Project Specialist, you will play a key role in the rapid growth of UL as you:

• Define project objectives, scope, deliverables, and success criteria and develop comprehensive project plans, including schedules, budgets, and resource allocation, Identifying project dependencies, risks, and mitigation strategies.

• Collaborate with stakeholders to gather project requirements and establish clear communication channels.

• Coordinate and lead cross-functional project teams, assign tasks and responsibilities, and monitor project progress, ensuring adherence to timelines, budgets, and quality standards. Foster effective teamwork and collaboration among team members.

• Conduct regular project status meetings, providing updates to stakeholders and addressing any issues or concerns.

• Manage changes to project scope, schedule, and resources, following appropriate change control processes and proactively identify and resolve project issues and conflicts.

• Escalate critical risks and issues to appropriate stakeholders and senior management.

• Ensure project compliance with organizational policies, regulations, and industry standards.

• Establish and maintain strong relationships with project stakeholders, ensuring effective communication and collaboration and provide regular project status reports and updates to stakeholders, including progress, milestones, and key decisions.

• Manage stakeholder expectations and address concerns or feedback.

• Facilitate effective communication among project team members, ensuring alignment and clarity.

• Conduct project reviews and lessons learned sessions to identify areas for improvement.

• Document project outcomes, successes, and challenges for future reference.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

What you'll experience working at UL Research Institutes: For the organizations across the UL enterprise, corporate and social responsibility isn't new. We have pursued our mission of working for a safer, more secure, and sustainable world for nearly 130 years, embedding conscientious stewardship into everything we do.

• People: Our people make us special. You'll work with a diverse team of experts respected for their independence and transparency and build a network, because our approach is collaborative. We collaborate across disciplines, organizations, and geographies to build the global scientific response that today's global challenges require.

• Interesting work: Every day is different for us here. We see what's on the horizon and use our expertise to build the foundations of a safer future. You'll have the opportunity to push the boundaries of human understanding as part of a team working to advance the public good.

• Grow and achieve: We learn, work, and grow together through targeted development, reward, and recognition programs.

• Values. Four core values guide our work: collaboration, respect, integrity, and beneficence. By living our values, we inspire the trust essential to fulfilling our mission and foster the partnerships that enable us to pursue a beneficent future in which we all can thrive.

• Total Rewards: All employees at UL Research Institutes are eligible for bonus compensation. We offer comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans and a generous 401k matching structure of up to 5% of eligible pay. Moreover, we invest an additional 4% into your

• retirement saving fund after your first year of continuous employment. Depending on your role, you may be able to discuss flexible working arrangements with your manager. We also provide employees with paid time off, including vacation, holiday, sick, and volunteer days.

What makes you a great fit:

While no one candidate will embody every quality, the successful candidate will bring many of the following professional competencies and personal attributes:

• Strong leadership skills to guide and motivate team members towards project goals.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Relevant technical knowledge.

• Highly organized and skilled in managing multiple tasks, priorities, and deadlines.

• Strong problem-solving skills to analyze complex situations.

• Skilled negotiators to manage stakeholder expectations, resolve conflicts.

• Solid understanding of budgeting principles, cost estimation, and financial management.

• Adaptable and flexible, capable of adjusting plans, reallocating resources, and managing uncertainties while maintaining project objectives.

Professional education and experience requirements for the role include:

• Bachelor's degree in a project management, business administration, or a related discipline.

• Minimum 4 years of experience in project management.

• Project Management certifications a plus. Certified associate in project management (CAPM), PRINCE2, Agile certifications (e.g., Certified ScrumMaster), and Six Sigma certifications.

• Proficiency with MS project or related PM software packages.

About UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement

UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement are nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing safety science research through the discovery and application of scientific knowledge. We conduct rigorous independent research and analyze safety data, convene experts worldwide to address risks, share knowledge through safety education and public outreach initiatives, and develop standards to guide safe commercialization of evolving technologies. We foster communities of safety, from grassroots initiatives for neighborhoods to summits of world leaders. Our organization employs collaborative and scientific approaches with partners and stakeholders to drive innovation and progress toward improving safety, security, and sustainability, ultimately enhancing societal well-being.

Our wholly owned subsidiary, UL Solutions, advances our shared public safety mission. We fund our work through grants, the licensing of standards documents and the business activities of UL Solutions, which conducts testing, verification and certification, and provides training and advisory services, along with data-driven reporting and decision-making tools for customers around the world.

To learn more, visit our websites UL.org and ULSE.org.

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