Senior IT Project Manager DEEP (CEMI)

Cornell University • Ithaca, NY

4d • Remote

About The Position

The Cornell Experience Modernization Initiative (CEMI) is a multi-year program focused on enhancing administrative systems and processes across Cornell University. The CEMI Donor Engagement and Experience Project (DEEP) is a significant part of this initiative, aiming to modernize and unify donor and engagement technology for various Cornell campuses and institutions. This role is responsible for providing high-level project management for the DEEP project, ensuring seamless integration with program objectives and collaborating with other project managers and leads. Senior IT Project Managers lead large-scale, complex technology projects that support the institution's missions, requiring coordination across diverse groups and teams. This position demands advanced project management expertise, strategic thinking, and the ability to influence decision-making. The role also involves serving as a trusted advisor to leadership, mentoring project staff, and contributing to organizational project management standards.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, business, project management, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 5-7 years of project management experience, preferably managing IT, software development, or web/technology projects.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple concurrent projects of varying size, complexity, and scope.
• Strong understanding of project management methodologies (e.g., Waterfall, Agile, Scrum, hybrid approaches).
• Experience with requirements gathering, scope definition, scheduling, resource coordination, and risk management.
• Proven success leading cross-functional technical teams in complex organizational environments.
• Advanced skills in communication, negotiation, facilitation, and consensus-building.
• Proven ability to build relationships, facilitate collaboration, manage stakeholder expectations, and lead teams without formal authority.
• Ability to work effectively in decentralized, matrixed, or higher-education environments.
• Strong analytical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills, with sound judgment and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, manage priorities, and adapt to shifting organizational needs.
• Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools (e.g., Jira, Asana, MS Project, Smartsheet, Trello, Confluence, SharePoint, Teams).
• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in a related field.
• Project Management Professional (PMP), PMI-ACP, Certified Scrum Master (CSM), or equivalent certification.
• Experience managing large-scale IT projects in a higher-education, non-profit, medical or public-sector environment.
• Experience with enterprise systems, custom software development, integrations, cloud migrations, or infrastructure modernization.
• Knowledge of higher-education governance, accessibility standards, research computing needs, and security/compliance frameworks.
• Experience with vendor management, RFP processes, and contract oversight.

Responsibilities

• Lead large, complex, and high-visibility IT projects from initiation through implementation and closeout.
• Develop and manage detailed project plans, schedules, milestones, and resource allocations.
• Drive execution and maintain accountability for project outcomes, ensuring delivery on time, within scope, and within budget.
• Resolve project issues and remove barriers through collaboration, negotiation, and strategic decision-making.
• Identify leadership role gaps and work with project and program leadership teams to develop solutions, including assuming sub-program leadership responsibilities or guiding multi-project initiatives.
• Engage and coordinate with faculty, staff, administrators, and external partners across diverse institutional units.
• Facilitate governance processes, including steering committee updates, decision-making sessions, and executive briefings.
• Build consensus among stakeholders with differing priorities and expectations.
• Foster strong relationships and maintain alignment between technical teams and institutional leadership.
• Lead definition and management of project scope, ensuring proper documentation and evaluation of change requests.
• Develop and monitor project budgets, forecasts, and financial reports.
• Proactively identify and manage dependencies, constraints, and cross-functional impacts.
• Ensure project controls, methodologies, and documentation standards are upheld.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate risks and issues throughout the project lifecycle.
• Implement robust risk-management strategies to minimize project disruption.
• Oversee project quality assurance to ensure technical and functional deliverables meet institutional requirements.
• Coordinate and support user acceptance testing, validation, and compliance reviews.
• Develop communication strategies and project documentation, including status updates, dashboards, presentations, and executive summaries.
• Lead project meetings, facilitate discussions, and ensure transparency in decision-making and progress reporting.
• Communicate complex technical information clearly to non-technical audiences.
• Coordinate and motivate cross-functional teams, including developers, analysts, engineers, and administrative staff.
• Mentor, coach, and provide guidance to project managers, project coordinators, and junior team members.
• Support continuous improvement of project management practices and contribute to PMO or organizational standards.
• Lead vendor selection, contract negotiations, and procurement activities when applicable.
• Manage vendor performance, ensuring deliverables and timelines meet contractual expectations.
• Oversee project closure, post-implementation evaluations, and lessons-learned documentation.
• Ensure solutions transition smoothly to ongoing operational support teams.
• Recommend process enhancements based on project outcomes.
• Provide structured feedback and participate in efforts to refine project management methodologies across the organization.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health care options
• Generous retirement contributions
• Access to wellness programs
• Employee discounts with local and national retail brands
• Health and personal leave
• Three weeks of vacation
• 13 holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1.
• Two additional floating holidays
• Tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program
• Tuition aid for external education
• Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program

What This Job Offers

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