Department

F&A ITS - Project Management Office

About the Department

ITS collaborates with campus partners to support the mission of the University of Chicago through the consistent delivery of high-quality solutions and services.   We provide secure, stable, and reliable infrastructure and applications to support the mission of the University.   We support and enable faculty research and teaching with the effective use of technology.   We simplify the technology experience for faculty, students, alumni, and staff, and we ensure technology is mobile-friendly and accessible.   We identify, manage, and mitigate the technology risks of the University.

Job Summary

The Senior Project Manager in the IT Services Project Management and Business Analysis Office (PMBAO), provides leadership and staffing for analytical initiatives and technology projects, including major application and/or infrastructure systems implementations. This position requires in-depth knowledge and a proven background in business analysis, requirements gathering, project planning, project execution management, and project resource management. This person will have a strong knowledge of software development and packaged software implementation lifecycles and have experience leading multiple software and/or hardware implementations. This position requires strong leadership skills for gathering and clarifying business requirements, translating those requirements into plans of action, and ensuring proper governance of University’s technology assets and financial resources. Uses deep knowledge of IT processes, leadership skills, and breadth of experience to manage budgets, resources and schedules. Coordinates work of IT staff and resolve complex issues to ensure project goals and requirements are met.

Responsibilities

Leads and manages a broad range of employees and contractors and acts as a primary project contact for key stakeholders in the business. These projects may take the form of programs depending on the size, scope and duration.Estimate projects; comfortable working with business resources, IT professionals, third party professionals, and other resources to create a time and financial estimate. Capable of leading an initial discovery project phase in order to drive answers to the questions required to create an estimate.Plans projects, secures resources and integrates them into detailed project schedule reflecting tasks and estimates. Leverages the estimates with the skills required on a project to generate a detailed work plan encompassing all phases and resources needed to deliver a project across the organization. Adheres to an appropriate SDLC, such as Waterfall, Agile, or Hybrid, and lays out the phases and resources to deliver the expected benefits.Monitors and Communicates project progress. Follows ITS PMO processes and methodologies to keep the projects on task and ensure the project is progressing as planned. Reports and communicates status at the appropriate level of detail to the team, IT management and business stakeholders. Monitors project vs the plan, identifying course corrections that may be required and keeps project management deliverables, such as workplans and estimates, up to date as these changes occur.Tracks and manages the budget, understanding policy on CapEx vs. OpEx costs, and tracks actuals and forecasted expenditures along these dimensions.Executes and manages cross-functional work streams across multiple departments and suppliers, from discovery and planning through design, build and implementation.Documents and produces project lifecycle documentation, including project schedules, status reports, and all other documentation defining project requirements.Monitors the quality of all aspects of the project which includes scope, risk, schedule, budget, delivery and all associated communication.Uses project experience, technical knowledge and team collaboration to identify, assess, and mitigate project issues and risks.  Adjusts resources and plans accordingly to meet project objectives.Establishes strong relationships with IT, business partners, and suppliers, and translates their day-to-day project needs clearly to drive high-quality deliverables.Contributes to and helps manage internal continuous process improvement initiatives, especially those involving project management tools, standardization and solutions.Pursues opportunities to both lead by example and foster the talents of high-performance team members.Provides organizational change management and prepares and drives business readiness and training efforts.Leads and directs high-priority, complex projects, which require considerable resources and high levels of systems integration.Manages an average of 3 projects concurrently, two of which are considered large/complex. Supports internal department activities; mentors new or junior employees, improves methodologies or processes, and supports and prepares for Governance activities. Serves as a professional source of advice and assistance on managing projects; trains or reminds other project leaders of the most important elements of project management and assists them in addressing those elements.Serves as project lead to coordinate complex information technology changes and ensures the success of enterprise-level application rollouts. Works with University units and the client community to develop detailed business requirements.Uses specialized depth and breadth of expertise in a specific career track to build project plans, including budgets and human resource plans. Provides expertise on managing projects. Maintains project web presence, project archives and project documentation.Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification - Project Management Institute

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Preferred Qualifications 

Education:

Master’s degree.

Experience:

Background working in higher education. Background in proposal creation, planning and estimation, and execution of projects.

Preferred Competencies 

Presentation, training, and client-facing skills.Excellent communication skills.Effective negotiation and conflict management/risk mitigation skills.Work well under pressure.

Working Conditions 

Standard office environment.Sit for short or extended time periods.Extensively use computer.Travel across campus for meetings.

Application Documents 

Resume/CV (required) Cover Letter (required)

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Information Technology

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

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FLSA Status

Exempt

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Pay Range

$135,000.00 - $145,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement
 

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

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