Senior IT Project Manager DEEP (CEMI)

Cornell University • Ithaca, MI

1d • Remote

About The Position

The Cornell Experience Modernization Initiative (CEMI) is a multi-year program aimed at enhancing administrative systems and processes across Cornell University. The CEMI Donor Engagement and Experience Project (DEEP) is a significant part of this initiative, focusing on modernizing donor and engagement technology across various Cornell campuses and institutions. This role is responsible for providing high-level project management for the DEEP project, working closely with the CEMI Program Management team and other project managers. The Senior IT Project Manager will lead large-scale, complex IT projects, manage the full project lifecycle, and ensure alignment with institutional priorities. This position requires advanced project management expertise, strategic thinking, and the ability to influence diverse stakeholders. The role also involves 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 develop solutions, potentially 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