Job Details
Grinnell College is seeking a collaborative and experienced Senior Project Manager to join the Information Technology Services Project Management Office (PMO). This highly visible position will lead complex, institution-wide technology modernization and business transformation initiatives that advance Grinnell College's strategic priorities. This opportunity allows you to partner with senior leaders, faculty and administrative offices to drive organizational change and deliver meaningful…
outcomes for students, faculty and staff. The Senior Project Manager serves as a trusted partner and strategic advisor to project sponsors, campus leaders, and stakeholders across the institution, providing leadership in project planning, coordination, communication, governance, and execution. The position will initially play a significant role in supporting the College's upcoming Higher Learning Commission accreditation review, providing an opportunity to develop a deep understanding of Grinnell's culture, governance, and institutional priorities while leading important campus-wide initiatives. Other projects may include ERP modernization, software implementations and integrations, business process improvement, and digital experience improvements for students, faculty and staff. The Senior Project Manager will regularly engage with executive sponsors and institutional leaders to navigate complex organizational challenges, align initiatives with strategic priorities, and support informed decision-making. As a senior member of the PMO, this role will also contribute to portfolio management, governance processes, project management consultation, and the continued evolution of project management practices across the College. The successful candidate will be energized by building relationships, navigating complex organizations, and driving meaningful organizational outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
Lead Complex Projects and Key Institutional Priorities
- Lead enterprise-wide initiatives involving organizational change, process improvement, technology modernization, and cross-functional collaboration in support of the academic mission and strategic priorities
- Partner with project sponsors and ITS leadership regarding project priorities, resource allocation, risk mitigation and implementation approaches
- Establish trust and alignment across diverse stakeholder groups to advance initiatives.
- Apply project management best practices to develop project plans and schedules, and coordinate with specialists on communication, training and change management plans
- Ensure projects are completed successfully and institutional outcomes are achieved
Support Cross-Functional Projects and Institutional Coordination
- Build productive partnerships across academic and administrative divisions while fostering collaboration, accountability, and shared ownership of outcomes
- Facilitate meetings with project teams, vendors, consultants, and stakeholders; monitor progress, identify and resolve risks and issues, and communicate status, tradeoffs, and recommendations to stakeholders and leadership
- Participate in working groups and non-PMO led projects as requested to advance institutional objectives
PMO Operations, Governance, and Portfolio Management
- Support PMO operations, governance, and portfolio management, including regular status reporting, and consistent use of PMO methodologies, standards, and practices
- Maintain project metrics, dashboards, and schedules
- Contribute to strategic portfolio planning and prioritization discussions that help the College maximize institutional value and organizational capacity
- Prepare reports, presentations, and recommendations for leadership, governance groups, and stakeholders
Provide Project Management Consultation and Training
- Serve as a mentor and thought partner for colleagues seeking to strengthen project and change management capabilities
- Consult with faculty and staff on project management approaches, resources, tools, and best practices
- Develop and deliver training, resources, templates, and guidance to advance project management maturity across the institution
Contribute to Continuous Improvement and Professional Development
- Participate in professional development to maintain project management expertise and certification requirements
- Contribute to the ongoing evolution of project and portfolio management practices in the PMO and at the College
- Perform other duties as assigned
ABOUT GRINNELL COLLEGE
At Grinnell College, meaningful work is grounded in collaboration, innovation, and a commitment to advancing student success. Senior Project Managers lead initiatives that influence the experiences of students, faculty, and staff while helping advance systems and technology at a nationally recognized liberal arts institution. In addition to meaningful and impactful work, we offer a generous benefits package that includes comprehensive healthcare, retirement benefits, paid leave, professional development opportunities, and educational benefits. We believe our people are our greatest asset, and we strive to create an environment where employees can thrive both personally and professionally. Grinnell College values diversity, equity, inclusion, intellectual freedom, and social responsibility. We seek candidates who share these commitments and are ready to collaborate across the College to strengthen belonging, advance our mission, and contribute to the communities we serve.
Organization
Founded in 1846, Grinnell College is a highly selective residential liberal arts college that enrolls 1,500 students from every state and about 50 countries around the world. The College's primary mission is to provide students with a broad, deep, and life-enhancing education, preparing its students for professional success, personal growth, and social responsibility. The College's graduates are equipped to pursue successful careers, satisfying personal lives, effective community service, and intellectually stimulating and physically active leisure.
The Grinnell liberal arts education is an exceptional, rigorous, comprehensive, and opportunity-rich experience that has, at its heart, meaningful one-on-one interactions between students and faculty. Capitalizing on a student/faculty ratio of 9:1; the College's curricular and research programs incorporate active learning and collaborative work between students and faculty and a strong, growing commitment to undergraduate research.
The College recently completed a comprehensive strategic plan, and two of the six strategies focus on diversity and achievement. Recent efforts have nearly doubled the number of tenure track faculty of color and the number of entering students of color. Grinnell College has been named one of the 20 best liberal arts colleges in the country for the past 15 years by U.S. News & World Report. Additionally, Grinnell ranks in the top 1 percent of colleges and universities for Ph.D.s per graduate, and the College holds the largest endowment of any U.S. liberal arts college.
Because Grinnell College is small, it encourages a sense of closeness among students, faculty, and staff, alongside a recognition and respect for individual differences. Grinnell stands out among other selective national liberal arts colleges for the degree of participation expected of students in shaping their own educations. Grinnell's individually advised curriculum requires each student to devise an individual academic plan in consultation with faculty advisers. The process challenges students to define their academic goals and to take an active role in exploring all Grinnell has to offer. The comprehensive academic plan, submitted when declaring a major, must show a balanced selection of courses across disciplines. With 26 majors and 10 interdisciplinary concentrations to choose from, students have many opportunities to conduct original research and undertake advanced study in a wide variety of areas.
Faculty members at Grinnell College are committed to working closely with students as instructors and advisers. Grinnell's professors view classroom teaching as their top priority. They are respected scholars and practitioners, active in producing original, significant work. Ninety-six percent of Grinnell's faculty members hold the highest degrees available in their areas of study. Faculty members also play a leading role in decision-making about curriculum and policy affecting academic matters. Courses offered at Grinnell are determined by the people who teach them. Interaction thrives between academic departments, fostering an atmosphere of intellectual discovery and excitement on campus, which is shared by faculty and students.
A year after commencement, almost a third of Grinnell graduates are attending graduate school, about one half are employed, and the remaining 20 percent are involved in volunteer work, traveling, service projects, and more. The College is proud of its graduates and their important work in education, business, technology, law, science, medicine, and the arts. No matter what they do, most graduates report that they continue to be influenced by their years at Grinnell, where they learned to translate their ideals into action.
The Grinnell College campus offers state-of-the-art facilities on a park-like 120-acre campus. The new $42 million Rosenfield Center sits at the heart of campus and serves as the College's centerpiece, a hub of activity, and a meeting place for all Grinnellians, offering centralized dining, several lounges, student organization offices, a student art gallery, and more. A renovation and expansion of the Noyce Science Center, currently underway, will add 120,000 square feet to this facility, including teaching and research laboratories, classroom and office space, a science library, a computer laboratory, and study areas. The new $21 million Athletic and Fitness Center encompasses a performance gym, a state-of-the-art fitness facility, a practice gymnasium, and more. The Bucksbaum Center for the Arts, renovated and expanded in 1999, offers a recital hall, an art gallery, theatres, a scene shop, and studio space. The Grinnell College Libraries — consisting of Burling Library, Windsor Science Library, and the Listening Room and AV collections— hold more than a million books and government documents, more than 16,000 serials, roughly 30,000 audiovisual units, and almost 8,000 e-books. The campus-wide network of computers features the latest in technology. Every residence hall room has access to the Internet, as do all campus computer labs, and wireless access is widespread.
About Grinnell: Founded by abolitionists in 1854, Grinnell is a culturally vibrant community with a number of historic neighborhoods. Grinnell's architecture is especially noteworthy, highlighted by buildings designed by Walter Burley Griffin, Louis Sullivan, and Cesar Pelli. Anticipating its future, Grinnell is investing in its central business district, its parks, and its amenities, including a new transportation museum.
With a population of about 9,000 people, Grinnell is small enough to be friendly and accessible, but large enough to have a variety of restaurants, shops, churches, health care facilities, and recreational programs and activities. Many Grinnell students participate in community projects, ranging from volunteer service to local politics.
Grinnell's Iowa setting also provides many students with material for research and creative projects in the natural and social sciences and the arts. The College's Center for Prairie Studies encourages curricular development and public events engaging with the natural, historical, and cultural environment of the region.
As a residential college, Grinnell has a busy intellectual and social life on campus with lectures, symposia, performances, and readings, as well as films, parties, and other events. More cultural outlets are available in Des Moines, Iowa City (home of the University of Iowa), and Ames (home of Iowa State University).
Grinnell College offers a competitive and comprehensive benefit package, including health, dental, life, and long-term disability insurance. A TIAA-CREF retirement plan is also available. Generous holiday leave and four weeks of paid vacation are part of the benefit package as well. Educational benefits include free courses at Grinnell for employees and their spouses, tuition remission for dependent children, and exchange programs with 22 other colleges. The College also offers a relocation allowance to employees who must relocate to Grinnell. All employees and their families receive free admission to most College events.
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