Associate Director, IT Portfolio Manager

Baxter • Deerfield, IL

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

This is where your work makes a difference. At Baxter, we believe every person—regardless of who they are or where they are from—deserves a chance to live a healthy life. It was our founding belief in 1931 and continues to be our guiding principle. We are redefining healthcare delivery to make a greater impact today, tomorrow, and beyond. Our Baxter colleagues are united by our Mission to Save and Sustain Lives. Together, our community is driven by a culture of courage, trust, and collaboration. Every individual is empowered to take ownership and make a meaningful impact. We strive for efficient and effective operations, and we hold each other accountable for delivering exceptional results. Here, you will find more than just a job—you will find purpose and pride. Your role at Baxter As the Associate Director, IT Portfolio Manager, you will serve as the primary technology portfolio leader for Baxter's Supply Chain organization, partnering closely with senior business and IT leaders to drive prioritization, governance, planning, and execution across a complex portfolio of strategic initiatives. You will be responsible for ensuring technology investments align to business priorities, deliver measurable value, and are appropriately funded, resourced, and governed throughout their lifecycle. In this highly visible leadership role, you will provide end-to-end accountability from project intake through value realization while leading a team of Project Managers and Program Managers. Acting as both a strategic advisor and hands-on coach, you will help shape investment decisions, facilitate executive prioritization discussions, and ensure successful delivery of projects that support critical business objectives. You will also partner closely with Finance, executive stakeholders, and the PMO Center of Excellence to optimize portfolio performance, improve governance, and drive consistent project management practices across the organization. This role is ideal for a leader who enjoys balancing strategy, execution, financial management, and people leadership in a fast-paced environment. This is a hybrid position based in Deerfield, IL.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in IT portfolio management, program management, and project management leadership.
• Experience partnering with senior business and IT leaders to facilitate prioritization, investment decisions, and strategic planning activities.
• Strong financial management capabilities, including budgeting, forecasting, investment governance, and portfolio performance management.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams of Project Managers and Program Managers in a complex, matrixed environment.
• Experience delivering technology initiatives that support manufacturing, supply chain, distribution, or other operational business functions.
• Strong communication, executive presentation, and stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence at all levels of the organization.
• Experience using employer-sanctioned AI tools and data-driven decision making to improve productivity, portfolio performance, and delivery outcomes.
• Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary partner to business and IT leaders for project intake, portfolio governance, prioritization, and delivery.
• Lead the evaluation and business case development of new initiatives, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives, resource capacity, and funding constraints.
• Facilitate portfolio planning and prioritization discussions, balancing business value, risk, capacity, and investment requirements.
• Own portfolio-level financial performance, including budgeting, forecasting, investment planning, spend tracking, and variance management.
• Provide end-to-end accountability for project and program delivery, ensuring initiatives meet scope, timeline, budget, and value objectives.
• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Project Managers and Program Managers while driving accountability and continuous improvement.
• Prepare executive-level portfolio reporting and present portfolio health, performance, risks, and investment recommendations to senior leaders.
• Partner with Finance, business stakeholders, and the PMO Center of Excellence to strengthen governance, improve processes, and drive successful value realization.

Benefits

• medical and dental coverage that start on day one
• insurance coverage for basic life, accident, short-term and long-term disability, and business travel accident insurance
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), with the ability to purchase company stock at a discount
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan (RSP), with options for employee contributions and company matching
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• educational assistance programs
• paid holidays
• paid time off ranging from 20 to 35 days based on length of service
• family and medical leaves of absence
• paid parental leave
• commuting benefits
• Employee Discount Program
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• childcare benefits

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager