Junior Project Manager

Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois • Springfield, IL

22h • $86,257 - $134,561

About The Position

It is inspiring to work in an organization where individuals are deeply committed to the mission and values that drive our success. We are dedicated to delivering expert pension service to Illinois public educators as they earn their promised retirement security. Under the direction of the PMO Manager, the Junior Project Manager supports the planning, coordination, and execution of organizational projects within the pension system. This entry-level project management role blends responsibilities from traditional project management, business analysis, and product ownership to provide exposure across the full project lifecycle. The Junior Project Manager is responsible for assisting with project planning, requirements gathering, backlog refinement, stakeholder communication, documentation, and supporting change management activities. The Junior Project Manager collaborates with cross-functional teams, facilitates small-scale meetings, captures business needs, documents user stories and requirements, assists in managing project schedules, and ensures alignment between technical teams and stakeholders. This role will also support Agile ceremonies, participate in quality assurance activities, and help monitor project progress, risks, and issues.

Requirements

• Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to convey ideas clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail in documentation.
• Foundational understanding of project management principles (Waterfall and Agile).
• Ability to analyze business processes and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Ability to work collaboratively in cross-functional teams.
• Problem-solving mindset with the ability to research issues and propose options.
• Basic understanding of software development lifecycle (SDLC) and Agile frameworks.
• Comfortable facilitating small meetings or breakout discussions.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Information Systems, Project Management, or related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 1–3 years of experience in project coordination, business analysis, product support, or related technical/business role.
• Exposure to Agile or Waterfall project methodologies.
• Experience documenting business requirements, user stories, or process flows.
• Experience working with project or task management tools (e.g., Azure DevOps, Jira, Trello, MS Project).
• Strong communication, analytical, and organizational skills.

Nice To Haves

• Exposure to technical concepts, business requirements gathering, and backlog management preferred.

Responsibilities

• Assist with planning, coordinating, and monitoring project activities, schedules, milestones, risks, budgets, and deliverables to support successful execution.
• Maintain and update project documentation, prepare status reports and presentations, and help facilitate project meetings and Agile ceremonies.
• Support requirements gathering by collaborating with stakeholders, documenting business processes, and creating user stories, acceptance criteria, and process maps.
• Participate in refining requirements, supporting test planning and UAT, and validating new or updated functionality.
• Assist with product backlog refinement, prioritization, and evaluating business value to ensure alignment with project and product goals.
• Provide end-user support, gather feedback, document issues, and assist in incident triage and resolution.
• Support communication and organizational change management activities, including preparing training materials, documenting impacts, and sharing updates with stakeholders.
• Conduct basic research and data analysis to aid decision-making and scope definition, while building foundational understanding of system functionality and integrations.
• Use project management and Agile tools (e.g., Azure DevOps, Jira, MS Project) to support planning, tracking, and documentation activities.

Benefits

• full and part-time employees are eligible for the State of Illinois comprehensive benefits program which includes medical, dental and vision coverage.
• All employees participate in the TRS retirement pension plan and have the option to contribute to additional State of Illinois deferred compensation plans.
• The TRS pension plan is a reciprocal system to other state and local pension plans (SERS, SURS, IMRF, etc.)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees