Strategic Plan Project Manager

UMass Amherst•Amherst, NY

11d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Strategic Plan Project Manager supports implementation of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences’ Strategic Plan by coordinating cross-functional initiatives involving faculty, staff, students, campus partners, and external partners. The position turns strategic priorities and emerging ideas into implementation plans, establishes and monitors timelines and deliverables, coordinates communications and documentation, and ensures participants have the information and resources needed to advance projects. It serves as a central coordinating point between people developing strategic initiatives and the staff and units responsible for executing them. The role works across College functions to organize workflows, identify dependencies, facilitate communication, track progress, and support implementation of College priorities. A significant responsibility is coordinating the operational implementation of the SBS Democracy Project, a signature Strategic Plan initiative spanning research, teaching, public engagement, events, student programming, community partnerships, and related activities across the College and University. The position is full-time, based in Amherst, and offers a hybrid work arrangement. The position is subject to final budgetary and administrative approval.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and three years of experience in project management, program administration, organizational operations, or related areas.
Excellent organizational skills, independent judgment, and attention to detail; ability to prioritize and manage several projects simultaneously.
Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to lead and interact effectively, work productively, and maintain professional and harmonious working relationships with diverse faculty and staff.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate credibly and authoritatively with faculty, staff, administration, and other constituents.
Ability to think creatively, solve problems, elicit cooperation from multiple offices and institutions, and build bridges.
Ability to innovate practices and processes for optimized outcomes.
Ability to read, understand, apply, and explain rules, regulations, and policies and procedures related to the duties.
Ability to understand and follow complex oral and written instructions and create effective and efficient work processes.
Ability to exercise sound judgment.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and Outlook, and ability to quickly learn additional relevant software applications.

Nice To Haves

Experience in higher education, particularly within a complex academic organization.
Experience supporting strategic planning, organizational change, or implementation of institution-wide or cross-functional initiatives.
Experience working with faculty and translating faculty- or leadership-generated concepts into operational plans.
Experience coordinating events, forums, workshops, research initiatives, grant or funding programs, or public-facing programming.
Familiarity with project-management methodologies and tools.

Responsibilities

Manage implementation of projects and initiatives associated with the SBS Strategic Plan by translating priorities into workplans, timelines, milestones, deliverables, and follow-up activities.
Coordinate multiple concurrent projects involving faculty, staff, students, campus partners, and external partners, clarifying responsibilities, deadlines, and next steps.
Monitor project progress against goals and timelines, identify delays, gaps, competing priorities, and implementation challenges, and work with stakeholders on solutions.
Serve as a central coordination point for the SBS Democracy Project and support implementation of its research initiatives, working groups, funding programs, events, public engagement, curricular efforts, partnerships, and related programming.
Connect faculty-led ideas and strategic priorities with administrative and operational functions, helping define scope, responsibilities, sequencing, resource needs, and College partners.
Coordinate with the College’s Communications and Events Team on planning and execution of events, forums, workshops, announcements, web content, promotional activities, and other strategic communications.
Organize strategic planning meetings, implementation discussions, forums, and working groups; prepare timelines and agendas, coordinate participants and materials, document decisions, and ensure follow-up.
Develop and maintain project documentation, implementation calendars, project trackers, decision logs, status reports, and other systems for monitoring initiative progress.
Facilitate communication across departments and functional areas so stakeholders receive timely and accurate information about expectations, responsibilities, deadlines, decisions, and changes.
Track Strategic Plan milestones, deliverables, and measures of progress and assist College leadership with implementation updates, reports, presentations, and planning discussions.
Coordinate processes for internal funding opportunities and other strategic initiatives, including timelines, communications, submissions, reviews, award documentation, and follow-up.
Support the development and implementation of new strategic initiatives as priorities evolve, establishing project structures and coordinating work with relevant College and University partners.
Identify opportunities to improve project management practices, workflows, documentation, and coordination, and develop tools and processes that support effective implementation.
Perform related duties as assigned or required to meet department, executive area/division, and university goals and objectives.