Senior IT Project Manager

University of Chicago•Chicago, IL

17h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior IT Project Manager serves as a strategic and tactical leader as well as subject matter expert, independently collaborating with stakeholders across the institution to define project scope, establish measurable objectives, and drive deliverables that directly align with university-wide priorities. This role involves designing and implementing robust project plans, detailing timelines, optimizing resource allocation, and developing accurate budgets. The Senior IT Project Manager will direct cross-functional teams in the delivery of complex application and database development initiatives, as well as process optimization projects, driving innovation and best practices. They will orchestrate and manage project activities, leveraging superior coordination skills to guarantee all milestones and deadlines are consistently achieved or exceeded. Proactive monitoring of project progress through key performance indicators, adeptly navigating ambiguity and uncertainty, and swiftly resolving challenges are key aspects of this role. The position also involves identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks through enterprise-level strategies, ensuring sustained success and transformation across the university. Serving as the primary liaison between project teams, stakeholders, and executive leadership, facilitating seamless communication and collaboration is crucial. The role includes leading requirement gathering and regular status meetings, providing transparent updates, and translating business needs into actionable project plans. Conducting thorough analyses of existing IT processes to identify improvement opportunities, leveraging specialized expertise to design optimized solutions, and embedding best practices are also responsibilities. Establishing and implementing a comprehensive PMO project framework by defining standardized project management methodologies, intake, prioritization, and governance processes, complemented with robust templates, tools, and guidelines for project documentation and reporting is expected. The Senior IT Project Manager will lead and/or serve as a stakeholder in driving large scale, transformational projects that have broad Division and institution-wide impact in a rapidly evolving environment. Fostering organizational excellence and continuous improvement by mentoring and training project managers and staff on PMO standards, delivering transparent and insightful reports to leadership, and meticulously tracking key performance indicators are also part of the role. The position may directly supervise project teams and/or technical staff, providing leadership, mentorship, and professional development, while fostering a collaborative environment. Delivering insightful progress and summary reports to leadership by tracking key performance indicators for projects and PMO effectiveness, and championing complex problem-solving and post-project reviews to capture lessons learned, proactively enhance PMO maturity, and develop innovative solutions are key functions. The role serves as project lead to coordinate complex information technology changes and ensures the success of enterprise-level application rollouts. It involves working with University units and the client community to develop detailed business requirements, building project plans, including budgets and human resource plans, and providing expertise on managing projects. Maintaining the project web presence, project archives, and project documentation are also required.

Requirements

College or university degree in related field.
7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.
Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification - Project Management Institute.

Nice To Haves

7+ years of relevant software development experience, full cycle strongly preferred, including design, coding, testing, and support.
Familiarity with Microsoft C# programming using MSSQL as database backend.
Knowledge of web applications, REST API, and service-based architectures.
Knowledge of application lifecycle management tools such as Azure DevOps.
Experience with version control leveraging git.
Familiarity with CI/CD and Agile methodologies.
Ability to work productively with business analysts, program managers, and business stakeholders to drive best practices, ensuring accountability for deliverables and outcomes.
Strong debugging and trouble-shooting skills.
Ability to take a broad plan and break it into incremental tasks, estimate the effort needed to complete them, and ensure the completion of each task, meeting the required level of quality.
Ability to prioritize and manage workload to meet critical project milestones and deadlines.
Ability to plan and persuade others to adopt new structures or systems in order to meet objectives.
Ability to take and provide constructive and helpful input and feedback on technical issues.
In-depth knowledge in all technical areas of major projects and core products.
Ability to work in a collaborative team to ensure accountability for deliverables and outcomes.
Understands and can maintain confidentiality related to sensitive matters such as personally identifiable, FERPA (Student), and HIPPA (Healthcare) related information.
Cover Letter

Responsibilities

Serve as a strategic and tactical leader as well as subject matter expert, independently collaborating with stakeholders across the institution to define project scope, establish measurable objectives, and drive deliverables that directly align with university-wide priorities.
Design and implement robust, comprehensive project plans, detailing timelines, optimizing resource allocation, and developing accurate budgets to ensure successful project execution.
Direct cross-functional teams in the delivery of complex application and database development initiatives, as well as process optimization projects, driving innovation and best practices.
Orchestrate and manage project activities, leveraging superior coordination skills to guarantee all milestones and deadlines are consistently achieved or exceeded.
Proactively monitor project progress through key performance indicators, adeptly navigating ambiguity, uncertainty, and situations lacking clear-cut answers; swiftly resolve challenges and adapt plans to ensure continued project alignment and momentum.
Identify, assess, and mitigate risks through enterprise-level strategies, ensuring sustained success and transformation across the university.
Serve as the primary liaison between project teams, stakeholders, and executive leadership, facilitating seamless communication and collaboration to align objectives and deliverables.
Lead requirement gathering and regular status meetings, providing transparent updates and translating business needs into actionable project plans to ensure strategic project success.
Conduct thorough analyses of existing IT processes to identify improvement opportunities.
Leverage specialized expertise to conduct rigorous process analyses, design optimized solutions, and embed best practices that elevate cross-functional effectiveness and efficiency.
Establish and implement a comprehensive PMO project framework by defining standardized project management methodologies, intake, prioritization, and governance processes, complemented with robust templates, tools, and guidelines for project documentation and reporting.
Lead and/or serve as a stakeholder in driving large scale, transformational projects that have broad Division and institution-wide impact in a rapidly evolving environment.
Foster organizational excellence and continuous improvement by mentoring and training project managers and staff on PMO standards, delivering transparent and insightful reports to leadership, and meticulously tracking key performance indicators.
May directly supervise project teams and/or technical staff, providing leadership, mentorship, and professional development, while fostering a collaborative environment to ensure successful execution of university-wide initiatives.
Deliver insightful progress and summary reports to leadership by tracking key performance indicators for projects and PMO effectiveness.
Champion complex problem-solving and post-project reviews to capture lessons learned, proactively enhance PMO maturity, and develop innovative solutions that ensure sustained enterprise-wide impact.
Serves as project lead to coordinate complex information technology changes and ensures the success of enterprise-level application rollouts.
Works with University units and the client community to develop detailed business requirements.
Uses specialized depth and breadth of expertise in a specific career track to build project plans, including budgets and human resource plans.
Provides expertise on managing projects.
Maintains project web presence, project archives and project documentation.
Performs other related work as needed.