Strategic Portfolio Manager

Howard Hughes Medical Institute•Headquarters, KY

1d•$104,237 - $169,385•Hybrid

About The Position

This role sits at the center of how HHMI turns priorities into progress. As a Strategic Portfolio Manager, you will lead complex, cross-Institute initiatives that matter. Some will focus on AI and emerging capabilities. Others will involve enterprise systems, operational redesign, or Institute-wide alignment and engagement efforts. You might be leading implementation of a new AI pilot one month and an Institute-wide communications initiative the next. All of them require sound judgment, practical structure, and the ability to move meaningful work forward in complex, evolving environments. The goal of this role is straightforward: partner with senior leaders to translate the Institute’s highest priorities into executable plans and sustained results. This role reports to the Senior Manager, Strategic Projects within the Office of the President and operates with high visibility across the organization. This role will follow a hybrid model Why This Role Matters: HHMI supports scientists who are tackling some of humanity's most complex challenges. The more effectively the Institute operates, the more impact that science can have. Almost nothing at HHMI happens in isolation. Our work is interconnected across programs, systems, and teams. Decisions in one area influence others. Meaningful progress depends on transparency, collaboration, and shared clarity about priorities and execution. This role strengthens that connective tissue. By aligning and driving disciplined execution of high-priority initiatives, the Strategic Portfolio Manager enables teams to work together effectively and deliver measurable progress. Equally important, this role ensures leadership has clear visibility into how priorities are advancing, where risks exist, and how interdependent efforts connect. Who Thrives in This Role: This role is well-suited for someone energized by ambiguity. You are comfortable stepping into work that is still taking shape and helping clarify priorities, align on objectives, and define a practical path forward. You’re energized by shifting between supporting the design of a new science program one quarter and an employee engagement strategy the next. You engage leadership early and thoughtfully. You know how to frame decisions, surface tradeoffs, and gather input in ways that sharpen direction and build alignment. You understand that momentum depends on both clarity and buy-in. You flex your approach based on what the work requires. Sometimes that means detailed planning and disciplined execution. Other times it means adjusting strategy, introducing new tactics, or resetting expectations to keep progress moving. You led meaningful, cross-functional efforts spanning people, process, and technology. You are comfortable managing scope, risk, and competing priorities in complex environments. You know how to align teams that don’t share reporting lines. You are also intentional about using modern tools, including AI, to improve how work gets done. Above all, you are motivated by helping an organization execute its most important priorities with clarity and follow-through.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
Five or more years of experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives from planning through implementation and stabilization in matrixed or similarly complex organizations.
Proven experience leading or playing a significant role in enterprise-wide system implementations or comparable large-scale transformation efforts spanning people, process, and technology.
Experience supporting strategy execution, operational transformation, process redesign, or organizational change initiatives.
Strategic Strong knowledge of Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid project management methodologies.
Demonstrated systems thinking and ability to manage cross-functional interdependencies.
Strong financial and business acumen, including the ability to manage scope, tradeoffs, and resource constraints.
Ability to design clear, audience-appropriate executive and portfolio reporting.
High comfort operating in ambiguous environments and shaping emerging concepts into executable plans.
Excellent written, visual, and verbal communication skills, including creation of clear, executive-ready presentations and materials.
Strong facilitation, stakeholder engagement, and influence skills.
Comfort with and curiosity about generative AI tools and their practical application to project planning, analysis, and communication.
Experience implementing and scaling digital planning and project management tools such as Asana or comparable platforms.
Ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining accountability and follow-through.

Nice To Haves

Experience implementing ERP systems such as Workday, SAP, Oracle, or similar enterprise platforms is a plus.
Experience working in higher education, research, or mission-driven institutions is a plus.

Responsibilities

Strategic Project Leadership Lead end-to-end execution of complex, cross-functional initiatives from concept through implementation and stabilization.
Translate broad strategic objectives into clear scope, timelines, deliverables, and measurable success criteria.
Develop and manage detailed project plans aligned with cost, scope, schedule, and quality expectations.
Identify and manage risks, dependencies, and tradeoffs, proactively developing mitigation strategies.
Apply systems thinking to anticipate cross-functional impacts and align teams to maximize organizational impact.
Drive disciplined scope management while maintaining flexibility in dynamic environments.
Stakeholder Engagement and Influence Build coalitions and create shared accountability across teams that don’t share reporting lines, navigating organizational complexity to drive coordinated action.
Facilitate workshops, working sessions, and decision forums that move initiatives forward.
Provide clear, concise, and audience-appropriate communication, including executive-ready materials and presentations.
Progress Visibility and Reporting Design and maintain reporting cadences that give leadership clear visibility into initiative status, risks, outcomes, and interdependencies.
Tailor reporting to different audiences – from executive dashboards to working-team updates – ensuring the right level of detail.
Proactively surface risks and blockers rather than waiting for scheduled check-ins.
Change and Adoption Develop and implement stakeholder engagement and change adoption strategies.
Partner with leaders and teams to prepare for and sustain change.
Promote transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement across initiatives.
Innovation in Delivery Leverage AI-assisted project management tools and digital capabilities to enhance planning, analysis, and communication.
Experiment with modern, adaptive approaches to improve speed, clarity, and collaboration across teams.