Senior IT Project Manager DEEP

Role Description

The DEEP Senior IT Project Manager is responsible for providing high level of project management within the Cornell Enterprise Modernization Initiative (CEMI), focusing on the CEMI Donor Engagement and Experience Project (DEEP). This role involves:

• Leading large-scale, complex, and strategically important technology projects.
• Managing initiatives with broad campus impact, requiring coordination across decentralized units and diverse stakeholder groups.
• Providing leadership throughout the full project lifecycle—initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and closing projects.
• Ensuring alignment with institutional priorities, standards, and policies.
• Serving as trusted advisors to leadership and mentoring project staff.

Key Responsibilities

• Project Leadership & Delivery:
  • Lead large, complex, and high-visibility IT projects from initiation through implementation and closeout.
  • Develop and manage detailed project plans, schedules, milestones, and resource allocations.
  • Drive execution and maintain accountability for project outcomes.
  • Resolve project issues and remove barriers through collaboration, negotiation, and strategic decision-making.
  • Identify leadership role gaps and develop solutions with project and program leadership teams.
• Stakeholder & Governance Management:
  • Engage and coordinate with faculty, staff, administrators, and external partners.
  • Facilitate governance processes, including steering committee updates and executive briefings.
  • Build consensus among stakeholders with differing priorities.
  • Foster strong relationships between technical teams and institutional leadership.
• Scope, Schedule & Budget Management:
  • Lead definition and management of project scope.
  • Develop and monitor project budgets, forecasts, and financial reports.
  • Proactively identify and manage dependencies and constraints.
  • Ensure project controls and documentation standards are upheld.
• Risk, Issue & Quality Management:
  • Identify, assess, and mitigate risks and issues throughout the project lifecycle.
  • Implement robust risk-management strategies.
  • Oversee project quality assurance to ensure deliverables meet institutional requirements.
  • Coordinate user acceptance testing and compliance reviews.
• Communication & Reporting:
  • Develop communication strategies and project documentation.
  • Lead project meetings and facilitate discussions.
  • Communicate complex technical information clearly to non-technical audiences.
• Team Leadership & Collaboration:
  • Coordinate and motivate cross-functional teams.
  • Mentor and provide guidance to project managers and junior team members.
  • Support continuous improvement of project management practices.
• Vendor & Contract Management:
  • Lead vendor selection, contract negotiations, and procurement activities.
  • Manage vendor performance to meet contractual expectations.
• Project Closeout & Organizational Transition:
  • Oversee project closure and post-implementation evaluations.
  • Ensure solutions transition smoothly to operational support teams.
  • Recommend process enhancements based on project outcomes.
• Continuous Service Improvement (CSI):
  • Provide structured feedback to refine project management methodologies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, business, project management, or a related field.
• 5-7 years of project management experience, preferably managing IT, software development, or web/technology projects.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple concurrent projects of varying size and complexity.
• Strong understanding of project management methodologies (e.g., Waterfall, Agile, Scrum).
• Experience with requirements gathering, scope definition, scheduling, resource coordination, and risk management.
• Proven success leading cross-functional technical teams.
• Advanced skills in communication, negotiation, facilitation, and consensus-building.
• Ability to work effectively in decentralized, matrixed, or higher-education environments.
• Strong analytical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools (e.g., Jira, Asana, MS Project).
• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive working relationships.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in a related field (preferred).
• Project Management Professional (PMP), PMI-ACP, Certified Scrum Master (CSM), or equivalent certification (preferred).
• Experience managing large-scale IT projects in a higher-education or public-sector environment (preferred).
• Knowledge of higher-education governance, accessibility standards, and security/compliance frameworks (preferred).

Benefits

• Comprehensive health care options.
• Generous retirement contributions.
• Access to wellness programs.
• Employee discounts with local and national retail brands.
• Three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays.
• Tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program.
• Tuition aid for external education.
• Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program.