Project Management Professional seeking Career Change

[jdlobb]

Currently looking to change careers, and hoping I can find something outdoors or overloading related, or at least adjacent.

I have over 13 years of project management experience in Finance and Technology, most recently managing firm-wide regulatory reporting changes and issue management.

I have a bachelors degree in International Business (B.S) and a masters degree in Non-Profit Management (M.S.), and have been a PMI-certified Project Management Professional (PMP) for over a decade.

In addition to my professional qualifications as a project manager, I also bring with me 10 years of experience as a firefighter. In the last 2 years I also went back to school and got licensed as a Paramedic (NREMT-P), primarily for volunteer work and my own desire to improve and learn more, while getting back to my emergency services roots I cam from so many years ago. From here, I intend to continue getting training and experience in remote emergency medicine.

I suppose I'm more interested in changing industries, rather than changing careers. I would love to bring my years of project management and change management to a firm involved in the outdoors lifestyle or vehicle-based expeditions for humanitarian or scientific purposes.

Currently based out of Dallas, TX, but actively seeking to relocate elsewhere.

Please DM me if you are interested, or have any directional advice on companies that may be a fit, I can share a resume or my LinkedIn profile.

I am prepared to step into a less-senior role than I currently hold, in order to transition out of finance.

Thank you,
Jon

 

[Aldis1ne]

You’re describing a profile that’s actually quite rare: senior-level project and change management combined with real-world emergency services and field operations experience. That combination is highly relevant to organizations that operate in remote, high-risk, or logistically complex environments.
A few industries and org types that may be worth targeting:
Humanitarian & disaster response organizations (international NGOs, disaster logistics firms, medical response NGOs)

• Remote medical and expedition support companies (wilderness medicine providers, expedition safety contractors)
• Scientific field research operators (polar, marine, desert, or climate research programs that run vehicle-based or remote operations)
• Defense, aerospace, and space-adjacent contractors supporting field operations, training, or mobility programs
• Overland vehicle manufacturers / expedition outfitters with global programs, training arms, or humanitarian partnerships
• Energy, infrastructure, and environmental services companies with remote or austere field deployments

Your willingness to step into a less-senior role to make the industry shift is also a smart and realistic signal . it shows intention, not entitlement.
One suggestion: when networking, consider framing yourself as “Project & Operations Enablement for Remote / Field-Based Programs” rather than purely project management. That language resonates strongly in expedition, humanitarian, and research circles.
If you haven’t already, you may also want to explore:
Field operations manager / program manager roles

• Deployment readiness or logistics coordination roles
• Safety, training, or emergency preparedness program leadership
• Operations PM roles within NGOs or expedition firms.You’re clearly bringing more than a resume you’re bringing judgment, calm under pressure, and systems thinking from both boardrooms and firegrounds.Hope the right people see this. Wishing you luck on the transition it sounds like a move toward who you are, not away from it.I hope I didn’t say a lot Goodluck

 

[AbleGuy]

To fill in the gaps before you find something more full-time, you could start your own nonprofit consulting business, doing grant research and grant writing, staff training, board, training and consulting, media campaign development, and strategic planning advice for nonprofits in the fields at your interested in.

And the networking this could create would also help to open doors for you.

I have done this kind of work for many years, to fill in the time gaps and fight the boredom created by my early retirement. It has been extremely satisfying to work with a big variety of good hearted people and organizations who are engaged in projects targeting community improvement and assistance.

Check out the Chronicle of Philanthropy for ideas and job postings.