Senior Project Specialist

CSU Careers•Fresno, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Under the general direction of the Chief Information Officer, the Senior Project Specialist is responsible for the end-to-end planning, coordination, and delivery of enterprise technology and digital modernization projects. This position serves as the primary driver of execution — ensuring that initiatives are scoped, resourced, scheduled, and completed on time, within budget, and in alignment with organizational priorities. The Senior Project Specialist leads cross-functional project teams across the full project lifecycle, from charter and requirements through implementation, testing, and closeout. The incumbent translates strategic direction into actionable work plans, manages day-to-day project activities, removes blockers, tracks milestones, and holds teams accountable for delivering measurable results. This role requires a hands-on, detail-oriented project leader who excels at driving progress, managing competing priorities, and communicating clearly with both technical staff and executive stakeholders.

Requirements

Knowledge of principles and practices of project management, including scope, schedule, budget, risk, and resource management across the full project lifecycle.
Knowledge of project management methodologies and frameworks (e.g., Waterfall, Agile, Hybrid) and when to apply each.
Knowledge of enterprise technology environments, including IT systems, infrastructure, and digital tools commonly used in organizational settings.
Knowledge of organizational planning processes, governance structures, and decision-making frameworks.
Knowledge of current trends, best practices, and emerging developments in information technology and project delivery.
Knowledge of change management principles and techniques for driving adoption of new systems and processes.
Ability to plan, organize, and manage multiple concurrent projects with competing priorities, deadlines, and resource constraints.
Ability to develop and maintain detailed project plans, schedules, budgets, risk registers, and status reports.
Ability to facilitate project meetings, working sessions, and stakeholder reviews with clarity and purpose.
Ability to communicate effectively in writing and verbally with technical staff, department leads, and executive leadership.
Ability to hold project teams accountable for deliverables and drive results in a matrixed, cross-functional environment.
Ability to identify and escalate risks, issues, and blockers proactively and propose practical solutions.
Ability to build collaborative working relationships across departments, divisions, and external vendors.
Ability to adapt quickly to shifting priorities, ambiguity, and evolving organizational needs.
Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Business Administration, Computer Science, or a related field.
Minimum 4 years of hands-on project management experience, with a proven track record of delivering complex technology or digital initiatives or related experience.
Direct experience managing project schedules, resource plans, and risk registers.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree
Project Management Professional (PMP) certification
Agile/Scrum certification (CSM, SAFe, or equivalent)

Responsibilities

End-to-end planning, coordination, and delivery of enterprise technology and digital modernization projects.
Scoping, resourcing, scheduling, and timely completion of initiatives within budget and aligned with organizational priorities.
Leading cross-functional project teams through the full project lifecycle (charter, requirements, implementation, testing, closeout).
Translating strategic direction into actionable work plans.
Managing day-to-day project activities.
Removing blockers and tracking milestones.
Holding teams accountable for delivering measurable results.
Communicating clearly with technical staff and executive stakeholders.
Managing competing priorities.