Director, PMO and Portfolio Management

Director, PMO and Portfolio ManagementThis position has been thoughtfully updated to reflect our evolving goals and the future direction of the department. As our project portfolio, governance needs and the strategic initiatives have matured, so has our vision for this position. We are now seeking a leader who can help shape the next chapter of project and portfolio management across the university.The Director, PMO and Portfolio Management at Marquette University provides strategic and operational leadership for project management, portfolio management, and business analysis capabilities across IT Services and, over time, the broader institution. In close partnership with the CIO, this role evaluates current project delivery practices, identifies organizational needs and opportunities, and helps evolve PMO processes, tools, and governance to support both traditional and more agile, fit-for-purpose delivery approaches. The individual leads enterprise portfolio intake, prioritization, and execution; develops practical forms, templates, metrics, and reporting; and builds a collaborative, continuous improvement-minded team that can successfully deliver value across a complex university environment. This leader also strengthens stakeholder and business relationship management, helping teams align delivery practices with institutional priorities, resource capacity, and desired outcomes.Be The Difference Begins with Great People. Are you looking for a new opportunity where you can make the difference in the lives of students and faculty? We're always looking for highly talented individuals to join our team – people who think big, care deeply, and believe in being the difference in their work and community. We prioritize student success, access to education, and service in our work to educate well-rounded servant leaders who transform their fields, our society and the world. Our Catholic, Jesuit approach emphasizes student engagement with the world around them and formation of the heart and mind. We believe in our mission: The search for truth, the discovery and sharing of knowledge, the fostering of personal and professional excellence, the promotion of a life of faith, and the development of leadership expressed in service to others. Marquette University offers a rich and competitive Total Rewards package including medical, dental, vision, 403(b) with up to 8% university match, generous time off package, and tuition benefits for employees, spouses, and dependents with no payback requirement! For more information, please view the Total Rewards Guide. This is your next opportunity to join an organization that invests in their employees' career journey by diversifying their skills, deepening their expert knowledge, encouraging a healthy work-life balance, focusing on personal wellbeing, providing leadership training, and sustaining a culture of respect and inclusion.Duties and Responsibilities - PMO Leadership, Delivery Practices, and Governance: Evaluate current project management practices, tools, and organizational needs to identify opportunities for continued alignment, maturity, and effectiveness across the university. In partnership with stakeholders, build on existing strengths to advance standardized yet flexible methodologies that support waterfall, agile, and hybrid delivery approaches based on the nature of the work. Develop and maintain practical templates, playbooks, reporting tools, governance routines, and change management approaches that improve consistency, transparency, adoption, and speed to value. Ensure effective project oversight through status reporting, risk and dependency management, escalation support, and governance forums for high-priority initiatives.Stakeholder Engagement, Business Relationship Management, and Demand Alignment: Engage campus leaders and functional units to assess needs, shape demand, clarify business outcomes, and align proposed initiatives with institutional and IT strategic priorities. Build strong business relationship management practices within the role and across the team to strengthen trust, communication, and shared ownership of results. Guide stakeholders through intake, governance, and delivery processes, and facilitate decision-making forums that support prioritization, sequencing, and transparent oversight of university IT initiatives. Establish and use metrics to measure delivery performance, stakeholder value, and achievement of objectives.IT Strategy and Portfolio Leadership: Partner with the CIO to translate the Strategic Plan into actionable initiatives, roadmaps, and integrated portfolios of work for IT Services and enterprise priorities. Lead portfolio planning, intake, and prioritization to ensure initiatives are aligned with strategic goals, organizational readiness, resource capacity, financial constraints, and desired outcomes. Establish prioritization criteria and decision-support information that enable leadership to sequence investments and balance demand across the portfolio. Provide leadership to move priority work from concept to approved execution.People Leadership and Team Development: Provide strategic leadership and direction to the project management and business analysis teams, ensuring alignment with IT Services and the university's goals and objectives. Lead and develop talent through effective workforce planning, hiring, coaching, mentoring, and performance management. Build a strong collaborative workforce with a continuous improvement mindset, high accountability, strong communication practices, and a shared focus on delivering measurable value. Develop team members' project delivery, facilitation, stakeholder engagement, and business relationship management capabilities.Continuous Improvement and Capability Development: Drive continuous improvement of portfolio management and project delivery capabilities across the PMO and supported teams. Develop and implement training, coaching, templates, forms, and standard work that help employees deliver projects effectively while adopting a continuous improvement mindset. Advance organizational maturity in governance, intake, prioritization, metrics, reporting, and delivery practices to strengthen transparency, consistency, collaboration, and data-informed decision-making. Lead change enablement efforts through training, communication, coaching, and adoption support to help teams and stakeholders successfully implement new processes, tools, and ways of working.Financial Alignment and Investment Oversight: Assist in planning and managing technology minor capital and other project-related budgets for both IT Services and the various units on campus. Provide project- and portfolio-level financial oversight, ensuring investments align with strategic priorities, governance decisions, delivery capacity, and expected value. Partner with finance, IT leadership, and campus stakeholders to support capital planning, budgeting, forecasting, prioritization, and transparency of project investments and outcomes.Vendor and Contract Alignment: Provide guidance and oversight for project-related contracts and vendor engagements, ensuring alignment with project objectives, governance standards, financial expectations, and university procurement practices. Support the evaluation, negotiation, development, and execution of formal technology project agreements, including bid documentation, RFPs, and vendor contracts. Work with vendors to drive value, accountability, and measurable outcomes in support of institutional priorities.Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities - Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration or related field. Progressive experience leading and delivering complex IT initiatives, including responsibility for project delivery, portfolio management, governance, and cross-functional execution. Demonstrated ability to assess, design, and mature project management and portfolio management practices, including intake, prioritization, governance, reporting, and execution disciplines. Strong knowledge of project delivery methodologies, and the ability to apply fit-for-purpose practices across different types of work. Experience developing and implementing practical tools, templates, forms, metrics, and training to improve project delivery consistency and outcomes. Experience with project and portfolio-level financial planning, forecasting, budgeting, and investment alignment. Strong leadership, communication, facilitation, stakeholder engagement, and business relationship management skills. Experience leading organizational change, including communication, training, stakeholder engagement, and adoption of new processes or ways of working. Knowledge of change management principles and the ability to apply them in support of project delivery, process improvement, and organizational adoption. Demonstrated ability to build collaborative teams, coach employees, and foster a continuous improvement mindset. Experience working with vendors and contracts to drive value, accountability, and business outcomes.Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities - Master's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration or related field. Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent. Experience supporting or leading enterprise IT governance, strategic planning, and portfolio management in higher education or a similarly complex environment. Experience leading or scaling a PMO, delivery transformation effort, or continuous improvement function. Experience training or coaching project managers, analysts, or cross-functional teams in agile, hybrid, or continuous improvement practices. Advanced experience with portfolio metrics, benefits realization, and executive reporting. Experience applying formal change management frameworks or practices in support of enterprise initiatives.