Project Manager

Project Manager - Advanced Professional

The Office of Physical Plant (OPP) seeks a talented and motivated Project Manager - Advanced Professional to join our Project Management Office (PMO). This position will report to the PMO Supervisor, and the focus of this position is to provide effective project management on various large initiatives across OPP. The selected candidate will be responsible for all projects being delivered on time, within budget, and with a high-quality outcome to OPP business operations. This individual needs to be an ambitious and dedicated professional who will continue to build upon our values and reputation as a trusted partner for our business areas.

The Project Manager is a professional practitioner of project management responsible for leading and delivering complex projects through the application of established project management methodologies, governance frameworks, and industry best practices; is accountable for managing the full project lifecycle, including project initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and project closeout; serves as the central point of accountability for project performance and works across organizational boundaries to align stakeholders, resources, schedules, budgets, risks, and deliverables to achieve project objectives.

This position also collaborates with leadership to ensure that the project management provided across the organization meets exceptional standards. This position fosters a positive culture committed to inclusion, diversity, and investment in staff by understanding the talent needs of the business areas, providing training and opportunities for professional development, and fostering a connection to the University and Office of the Physical Plant mission and goals.

This is a full-time position and may be eligible for a hybrid work arrangement. The PMO is supportive of flexible work arrangements when aligned with the ability to meet the needs of the unit and the essential duties of the position. Questions related to flexible work hours should be directed to the hiring manager during the interview process.

The successful candidate will:

• Lead projects through the full project management lifecycle, applying established project management methodologies, standards, and governance practices
• Develop and maintain comprehensive project management plans, including scope, schedule, budget, quality, communications, procurement, resource, stakeholder engagement, and risk management plans
• Facilitate project steering committees, executive reviews, and stakeholder decision-making processes
• Partner with executive sponsors, stakeholders, functional leaders, and project teams to define project objectives, business requirements, success criteria, and expected outcomes
• Direct project planning activities including project charters, business cases, work breakdown structures, schedules, resource plans, cost estimates, and project baselines
• Monitor and control project performance through the use of project management tools, metrics, dashboards, and reporting mechanisms
• Manage project scope, schedule, cost, quality, risks, issues, assumptions, dependencies, and change requests to ensure project objectives are achieved
• Identify, assess, escalate, and mitigate project risks and issues; develop contingency and recovery plans when necessary
• Coordinate cross-functional project teams and facilitate collaboration among stakeholders who may not have direct reporting relationships to the Project Manager
• Lead project meetings, status reviews, risk assessments, lessons learned sessions, and project closeout activities
• Facilitate vendor evaluations, feasibility studies, requests for proposals, and contract-related project activities as applicable
• Ensure project compliance with institutional policies, governance requirements, regulatory obligations, and industry standards
• Produce and maintain project documentation, including project charters, schedules, status reports, financial reports, risk registers, issue logs, change requests, stakeholder analyses, and project closeout reports
• Advise leadership on project management practices, portfolio priorities, project health, and organizational project management maturity
• Contribute to the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of project management standards, methodologies, tools, templates, and processes
• May provide mentoring, coaching, and professional development guidance

Education and experience:

• Industry-recognized project management certification (e.g., PMI PMP, CAPM, PRINCE2, Agile certifications) is preferred
• A strong commitment to customer service, substantial technical aptitude, excellent problem-solving analysis and critical thinking skills, quality verbal and written communication and presentation skills, the ability to learn new things quickly and independently, and high performance in a team environment and a proven ability to work successfully in a diverse work environment are required.

Minimum Education, Work Experience & Required Certifications

Bachelor's Degree; 3+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience accepted; Required Certifications: None

Salary & Benefits

The salary range for this position, including all possible grades, is $81,312.00 - $122,016.00. Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being. In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans and substantial paid time off which includes holidays, vacation and sick time. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children. For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page.