Senior Technology Project Manager

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

13h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Technical Project Manager is responsible for leading the planning and execution of complex, large-scale network infrastructure projects across the university environment which includes multiple academic campuses, medical centers, and regional research and education networks. This role ensures the successful delivery of networking technologies such as wired and wireless infrastructure, data center connectivity, wide-area networking, and partner network integrations. The position works closely with network engineering, operations, security, facilities, and external vendors to deliver reliable, scalable, and secure network services that support teaching, research, healthcare delivery, and regional collaboration. The Senior Technical Project Manager serves as the primary point of coordination for project sponsors and stakeholders - aligning technical execution with institutional priorities, timelines, budgets, and compliance requirements. In addition to project execution, this role also ensures continuity between project delivery and operational service readiness by integrating change management practices, communication planning, and quality control measures throughout the project lifecycle. This role operates in a highly complex, mission-critical environment with dependencies across healthcare, academic, and research systems where downtime and errors can have significant operational and patient care impacts. Advanced communication and coordination across multiple specialized technical teams including network engineering, implementation, operations, and security. Consistent communication, coordination, and alignment with stakeholders, administrative units (finance, facilities, etc.), and partner organizations - including UW Medicine, academic campus units, and external network partners (Washington K-20 Education Network, Pacific Northwest Gigapop, C3 Network, etc.) Managing projects with incomplete or evolving requirements, competing priorities, constrained maintenance windows, and many interdependent tasks. Requires strong knowledge of wired and wireless networking technologies including emerging trends. Navigating regulatory, security, and compliance requirements, especially in medical and research environments. Vendor and service provider coordination with long lead times, contract constraints, and supply chain risks. Translating highly technical networking concepts into clear plans and communications for both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Managing risk in high-availability environments where changes must be carefully planned, tested, and validated. Balancing project execution with service delivery coordination, including scheduling, change control, and operational handoffs. Enforcing quality standards by driving post implementation reviews, verifying completion criteria, and ensuring documentation and closure standards are met. Requires independent judgment in prioritization, decision-making, and conflict resolution in a high-visibility environment. The Senior Technical Project Manager role is a key contributor to UWIT’s Infrastructure division, supporting a large-scale network environment serving campuses, medical centers, and partner networks. Effective performance ensures that critical network infrastructure is delivered reliably, supporting the University’s mission of education, research, and healthcare. The role directly impacts service availability, operational stability, and customer trust by ensuring projects are properly planned, executed, and transitioned into support. By improving coordination, visibility, and accountability across the delivery lifecycle, this position reduces operational risk, increases throughput, and enhances the overall effectiveness of IT service delivery.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
Minimum of 5+ years of experience managing complex IT infrastructure or networking projects in a large enterprise environment.
Demonstrated experience delivering complex network-related projects (e.g., LAN/WAN, wireless, data center, or telecommunications).
Strong understanding of networking fundamentals including TCP/IP, routing and switching, wireless networking, and network security principles.
Experience coordinating cross-functional teams and managing dependencies across multiple organizations.
Proven ability to manage budgets, schedules, risks, and resources for large-scale technical projects.
Experience with change control practices, maintenance window planning, and stakeholder communications.
Strong communication skills with the ability to translate technical concepts for diverse audiences, including executive leadership.
Comprehensive experience with project management methodologies and tools (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid approaches).
Ability to work independently in high-visibility environment, prioritize competing demands, and maintain delivery discipline.
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

Nice To Haves

Project Management Professional (PMP) or similar certification.
Networking certifications such as CCNA, CCNP, or equivalent.
Experience supporting network services in higher education, healthcare, or research environments.
Knowledge of IT service management frameworks (e.g., ITIL).
Experience coordinating with regional or national research and education networks.
Strong customer service orientation and experience working with diverse stakeholder groups.

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end delivery of complex network infrastructure projects, including scope definition, scheduling, budgeting, resource planning, risk management, and execution. Ensure alignment with technical standards, project goals, and institutional priorities.
Engage with project sponsors, university departments, UW Medicine stakeholders, regional network partners, and vendors to align expectations, manage dependencies, and ensure successful outcomes.
Work closely with engineering and implementation teams to ensure solutions are feasible, properly designed, and executed according to networking standards and best practices. Validate readiness, testing, and deployment activities. Work with team and service managers to coordinate staffing resources, assign roles and responsibilities, and manage cross-team execution to meet schedule and budget commitments.
Develop cost estimates, manage budgets, track expenditures, and coordinate procurement activities. Work with vendors and service providers to manage deliverables, timelines, and contracts.
Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks. Ensure projects meet operational readiness requirements including change control, maintenance windows, validation, documentation, and support handoffs.
Provide clear, concise updates to leadership and stakeholders, including project status, risks, financials, and key decisions required.
Provide day-to-day leadership for project and service delivery activities, including coordination of cross-team efforts, readiness validation, and quality assurance. Support consistent execution by monitoring progress, reinforcing processes and standards, and escalating systemic issues. Influence teams without direct authority to ensure alignment and successful outcomes.