Director of Planning & Project Management Office

Towson University•Towson, MD

About The Position

a. Strategy & Planning Lead coordination and facilitation of the Technology Planning and budgeting process. Partner with campus stakeholders to identify emerging needs and translate them into multi-year technology roadmaps aligned with university strategy. Develop and maintain a rolling portfolio view of initiatives that integrates academic, research, administrative, and infrastructure priorities. Facilitate cross-functional planning sessions to ensure transparency, alignment, and shared ownership of technology investments. Monitor and analyze portfolio metrics to identify trends, capacity constraints, cost optimization opportunities, and process improvements. b. Project and Portfolio Management Establish and lead a transparent portfolio governance model that balances strategic impact, risk, and organizational capacity. Define how the scope, goals, and deliverables of OTS initiatives support institutional business objectives. Provide executive-level reporting on portfolio health, timelines, risks, and resource allocation. Establish and monitor service-level targets and cycle-time metrics to improve delivery speed, predictability, and value realization. Ensure effective communication and expectation management with project sponsors, owners, stakeholders, and delivery teams. c. Customer Experience & Continuous Improvement Design and manage an accessible, transparent intake process for IT project and consultative services. Streamline workflows to reduce time-to-initiation and time-to-delivery of technology initiatives. Establish and monitor service performance. Partner with campus stakeholders to gather feedback and continuously improve PMO services and engagement models. Promote a customer-first culture within the PMO and across OTS delivery teams. d. PMO Operations and Leadership Develop and maintain best practices, tools, and methodologies for project planning, execution, change management, communication, and performance tracking. Review budget proposals and recommend adjustments to ensure alignment with portfolio priorities and resource capacity. Collaborate with OTS leadership to ensure appropriate resource planning and workload balancing across teams. Coach, mentor, and develop project managers and team leads to build a culture of accountability, collaboration, and delivery excellence. Identify and resolve issues and conflicts within and between project teams to maintain momentum and alignment. e. Acquisition & Deployment Effectively manage resource allocation to ensure timely completion of deliverables. Negotiate with department leaders to acquire required personnel to support strategic initiatives. Assess and recommend additional staff or funding based on portfolio demand and capacity analysis. Serve as liaison with procurement to ensure technology purchases align with established standards, governance processes, and strategic priorities.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree.
5+ years of related work experience.
Experience in financial, resource, and procurement management within a project-based environment.
Experience leading IT project and portfolio management functions in a complex organization.
Demonstrated success partnering with executive and academic leaders to align technology initiatives with business strategy.
Experience developing and leading portfolio governance and multi-year roadmap planning processes.
Proven ability to improve service delivery models, optimize operational workflows, and implement performance metrics.
Exceptional written, verbal, and facilitation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively at all organizational levels.
Demonstrated ability to build trust, cultivate strong stakeholder relationships, and lead cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

Lead coordination and facilitation of the Technology Planning and budgeting process.
Partner with campus stakeholders to identify emerging needs and translate them into multi-year technology roadmaps aligned with university strategy.
Develop and maintain a rolling portfolio view of initiatives that integrates academic, research, administrative, and infrastructure priorities.
Facilitate cross-functional planning sessions to ensure transparency, alignment, and shared ownership of technology investments.
Monitor and analyze portfolio metrics to identify trends, capacity constraints, cost optimization opportunities, and process improvements.
Establish and lead a transparent portfolio governance model that balances strategic impact, risk, and organizational capacity.
Define how the scope, goals, and deliverables of OTS initiatives support institutional business objectives.
Provide executive-level reporting on portfolio health, timelines, risks, and resource allocation.
Establish and monitor service-level targets and cycle-time metrics to improve delivery speed, predictability, and value realization.
Ensure effective communication and expectation management with project sponsors, owners, stakeholders, and delivery teams.
Design and manage an accessible, transparent intake process for IT project and consultative services.
Streamline workflows to reduce time-to-initiation and time-to-delivery of technology initiatives.
Establish and monitor service performance.
Partner with campus stakeholders to gather feedback and continuously improve PMO services and engagement models.
Promote a customer-first culture within the PMO and across OTS delivery teams.
Develop and maintain best practices, tools, and methodologies for project planning, execution, change management, communication, and performance tracking.
Review budget proposals and recommend adjustments to ensure alignment with portfolio priorities and resource capacity.
Collaborate with OTS leadership to ensure appropriate resource planning and workload balancing across teams.
Coach, mentor, and develop project managers and team leads to build a culture of accountability, collaboration, and delivery excellence.
Identify and resolve issues and conflicts within and between project teams to maintain momentum and alignment.
Effectively manage resource allocation to ensure timely completion of deliverables.
Negotiate with department leaders to acquire required personnel to support strategic initiatives.
Assess and recommend additional staff or funding based on portfolio demand and capacity analysis.
Serve as liaison with procurement to ensure technology purchases align with established standards, governance processes, and strategic priorities.