Project Manager, Strategic Operations, College of Engineering

Penn State University•University Park, IL

23h•$65,508 - $94,980•Hybrid

About The Position

The College of Engineering is seeking a Project Manager, Strategic Operations to lead projects and initiatives that improve operational effectiveness, business processes, service delivery, and organizational performance across the College. This position serves as a key partner to College leadership, academic departments, research units, administrative offices, and University stakeholders, leading projects that advance strategic priorities and strengthen organizational effectiveness. The Project Manager is responsible for managing projects through the full project lifecycle, including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closeout. The role leads cross-functional efforts focused on process improvement, operational transformation, business analysis, organizational effectiveness, and technology-enabled solutions. Working across organizational boundaries, the position aligns stakeholders, resources, schedules, risks, and deliverables to achieve project objectives while supporting the College's strategic goals.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree
1+ years of relevant experience
Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading projects involving multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
Knowledge of project management methodologies, tools, and best practices.
Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, and presentation skills.
Ability to build relationships and influence outcomes across diverse stakeholder groups.
Experience translating complex information into clear recommendations and actionable plans.
Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail and meeting deadlines.

Responsibilities

Plan, manage, and execute projects that improve operations, processes, and organizational performance.
Partner with College leadership, academic departments, research centers, institutes, and administrative units to identify opportunities to improve operational effectiveness and service delivery.
Facilitate stakeholder discussions, process reviews, workshops, and planning sessions to gather requirements, evaluate current-state operations, and develop future-state solutions.
Develop and maintain project plans, schedules, milestones, risk assessments, communication plans, status reports, and project documentation.
Analyze business processes, workflows, financial data, transactional activity, staffing models, and operational practices to identify opportunities for improvement and organizational efficiencies.
Lead process redesign, operational improvement, and organizational change initiatives that support the College's strategic priorities.
Monitor project performance, manage project scope, risks, issues, dependencies, and change requests, and recommend corrective actions when needed.
Prepare presentations, reports, dashboards, and executive briefings that communicate project status, findings, risks, opportunities, and recommendations.
Support decision-making by translating complex analyses into actionable recommendations for College leadership.
Leverage data, emerging technologies, and AI-enabled tools to improve analysis, project execution, stakeholder engagement, and operational outcomes.
Contribute to the continuous improvement of project management practices, tools, templates, and methodologies across the College.