Project Management Office Executive Consultant

IWU is seeking a “director level” Project Management Office Executive Consultant (Independent Contractor - 1099 / Contract-to-Hire) to lead the Project Management Office and helps advance large-scale technology reorganization project.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

• IWU has launched an organization-wide re-platforming, multi-site data center build-out, unified AI-first operating applications, integration hub, and process refactoring across multiple sites, and dozens of concurrent workstreams. We are seeking a leader to stand up the “Expectation Performance Management Office (EPMO)” , remodel how IWU plans and delivers technology change, and implement the Atlassian/Jira stack that will run portfolio, program, and project execution for years to come.
• This is not a slide-deck PMO role. You will design the operating model, capture as-is processes, lead to-be process design, deploy Jira (Software, Advanced Roadmaps, and aligned products), integrate IT operations workflows, train leaders and teams, and drive adoption until Jira is the system of record for how IWU executes.
• You will be an executive level leader with broad influence across IT and the business: you will partner with the CIO, workstream leads (Infrastructure, AI, Data, Integration, IAM, and others), and business executive stakeholders to prioritize work, manage dependencies, and make trade-offs visible – while building and leading the EPMO function over time.

EPMO Operating Model and Process Remodel

• Stand up the Expectation Performance Management Office (EPMO) – charter, roles, RACI, cadence, and escalation paths aligned to best practice operating models.
• Drive new process implementation – master plan, specifications, requirements, and project artifacts that connect process to the technology roadmap in a highly AI enabled environment where project lifecycles move faster.
• Implement a prioritization matrix and portfolio governance – scoring criteria, funding alignment, capacity constraints, and executive decision forums that stick.
• Align EPMO with best practices – stage gates, change control integration, benefits tracking, and audit-ready documentation.
• Prepare the EPMO for expansion beyond IT Projects to enterprise activities (EG construction projects, general business process change)

Atlassian / Jira Stack Implementation

• Lead the Jira engagement end-to-end – licensing, environment strategy, and implementation roadmap (build, IT operations integration, training, production cutover).
• Configure the Jira stack – Atlassian Guard, Jira Primum with Advanced Roadmaps (or Jira Plan), Jira Product Discovery, Jira Service Management, and Confluence.
• Refine project hierarchy, workflows, fields, boards, and permissions – portfolio → program → project → epic/story structure that matches how IWU actually delivers.
• Integrate cross-workstream visibility – dependencies, milestones, RAID logs, resource capacity, and executive dashboards that replace spreadsheet portfolio tracking.
• Lead training and socialization – role-based enablement for PMs, PCs, scrum masters, product owners, sponsors, and executives until Jira is in daily use in production.

Program and Portfolio Delivery

• Serve as portfolio orchestrator – timeline integrity, dependency management, risk/issue escalation, and status reporting the CIO and executive team can act on.
• Partner with workstream leads on planning standards – WBS conventions, estimation approaches, definition of done, and release planning that scale across Infrastructure, Software, Data, and Security domains.
• Establish program rhythms – PI/quarterly planning, steering committees, vendor checkpoints, and change-control gates tied to real decisions.

Leadership and Organizational Change

• Build and lead the EPMO organization – project managers, Jira administrators, and process analysts as the program matures.
• Coach leaders who are new to structured portfolio delivery – expectation management is in the name; you make commitments visible and hold the organization to realistic plans.
• Champion a culture where plans are living documents – re-baseline when evidence changes, don't hide slippage behind status-green theater.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

Required

• According to Indiana Wesleyan University policy, all employees and contract-to-hire contractors must possess a strong Christian commitment and adhere to the standards outlined in the IWU Community Lifestyle Statement ..
• 15+ years of progressive experience in project, program, and portfolio management, with 5+ years leading PMO or EPMO functions at director level or above.
• Multiple demonstrated PMO remodels or stand-ups – you have personally led operating-model redesign, not just inherited an existing PMO and tweaked templates.
• Deep, hands-on Atlassian stack experience – Jira Software, Advanced Roadmaps/Jira Plan, Confluence, and Jira admin/configuration at enterprise scale; you can speak credibly with admins and executives alike.
• Strong process design skills – as-is/to-be mapping, value stream thinking, BPMN or equivalent, and connecting process change to tooling configuration.
• Experience running large, multi-workstream technology programs – $100M+ portfolio scale, 20+ concurrent projects, or equivalent complexity in higher education, enterprise IT, or regulated industries.
• Executive communication and people leadership – portfolio dashboards, decision memos, facilitation of prioritization conversations with C-level and VP stakeholders, and building teams that deliver.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field – or equivalent demonstrated experience .

Strongly Preferred

• Higher-education, non-profit, or other mission-driven institutional experience.
• Experience with Scaled Agile (SAFe) , PMI Portfolio Management, and hybrid agile/waterfall governance in organizations that cannot go pure agile.
• Familiarity with IWU's re-platforming context – data center builds, AI platform, ERP/student systems, integration hub – or comparable multi-year transformation portfolios.
• Jira Align or equivalent enterprise agile planning tool experience for portfolio-level alignment.
• Background leading process discovery across multiple business units or sites – performing “as-is process mapping" before “to-be design”.
• PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP, or SAFe Program Consultant (SPC) – or equivalent demonstrated credentials.
• Experience standing up expectation/performance management frameworks – KPI trees, benefits realization, or outcome-based portfolio scoring.

How You Work

• You implement transformative, excellent, best practice operating models.
• You configure Jira to match how work actually flows, not how a vendor demo looked – and you resist the urge to over-engineer workflows on day one. AI and Enterprise Vibe Coding is changing the SDLC, time to delivery, delivery lifecycles, and project management practice.
• You write things down . A prioritization decision without a recorded rationale becomes a re-litigation exercise every steering meeting.
• You make trade-offs visible – expectation management means telling executives what the portfolio can and cannot absorb, not just “we will make it work."
• You build adoption through coaching and rhythm, not mandate – secuity, training and socialization are part of delivery, not an afterthought.
• You build teams that outlast you. Training well, holding the standard, and developing future PMO leaders is part of the job, not a side activity.

WHY THIS ROLE?

• Greenfield EPMO – where you will completely refactor the existing PMO – you are creating the function and tooling foundation for a once-in-a-generation re-platforming.
• Jira end-to-end ownership . From engagement through production, you own the stack – not a shared admin who reports to someone else.
• Process + tooling together . IWU's roadmap explicitly sequences EPMO process before Jira build; you are the leader who connects them.
• Executive seat at the table . Portfolio prioritization for multi-site, AI-first, and enterprise application re-platforming is high-stake, senior executive and board level visible work.
• Real organization to lead . This is a people-leadership role with the autonomy to shape the EPMO – structure, standards, and culture.
• Mission and meaning . IWU is a century‑old Chris‑centered university serving roughly 15,000 learners. The identity services you build protect the systems and data that prepare them to change the world.

PROJECT REMUNERATION:

Estimated annual project remuneration is $210,000 ‑ $230,000 for this independent contractor (1099) / Contract‑to‑Hire role.

Contractor Insurance/Bond Requirements

• General Liability: $1m per occurrence / $2m aggregate
• Cyber Liability: $2m per occurrence
• Workers’ Compensation / Employers’ Liability: $500,000; not applicable for approved sole operators
• Professional Liability / Errors & Omissions: $1m per occurrence / $3m aggregate
• Automotive Liability: Not required
• Umbrella/Excess Liability: Not required
• Bonds: None required

Equipment & Travel Expenses

• IWU will provide required equipment and software. Personal devices and software are generally not permitted for assigned work unless approved by IWU.
• IWU will pay for required and approved travel and other expenses.
• Specific policies, rules, and details will be included in the executed contract.

Engagement Process

1. Easy‑Apply on LinkedIn
2. LinkedIn Survey
3. Phone Screen
4. Video Interviews
5. On-Site Interview/Tour
6. Contract Engagement Begins

Compliance & Disclaimers

IWU is an equal opportunity employer committed to compliance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or other federal, state, or local laws or executive orders except as claimed in a filed religious exemption.