Senior Project Manager

The Office of Strategic Consulting is a dynamic, full-service internal consulting and project management office dedicated to enhancing UW-Madison's organizational effectiveness and enabling the university to excel in its teaching, research, and outreach mission. We partner with academic and administrative units across campus to tackle organizational challenges and advance strategic priorities. Our staff bring extensive professional expertise to every project while helping our campus clients gain the knowledge and skills needed to strengthen their own organizations. We are proud of our inclusive culture that values diversity in all its forms, prioritizes employee health and wellbeing, and thrives on collaboration.

The Senior Project Manager is an essential member of our results-driven Strategic Initiatives team and reports to the director, strategic initiatives. Our team provides critical support for high-profile, large-scale, and complex projects across UW-Madison - through every stage of the project lifecycle. We are committed to delivering projects on time, within budget, and according to scope while adapting to the unique needs of our campus clients and facilitating successful change management.

The Senior Project Manager coordinates project team activities and stakeholder interactions, identifies necessary resources, and develops schedules to ensure timely project completion. Responsibilities include assembling project teams, identifying key stakeholders, leading stakeholder management, producing project artifacts, and managing project risks, action items, issues, and key decisions throughout the project lifecycle. Additionally, the role involves providing status reports and assisting in developing the project strategy and roadmap. Functionally responsive to client needs, the Senior Project Manager collaborates effectively with clients to deliver projects successfully, promoting transparency, guiding stakeholder engagement, and ensuring successful project delivery.

• 25% Creates a project plan, monitors progress and performance against the project plan, and identifies, resolves, or escalates risks and issues
• 5% Manages the activities of outside contractors to ensure they are integrated into the project and that the organization receives satisfactory standards of service
• 20% Facilitates the estimation of project costs, resources, and time required to complete the assigned phase of a project and monitors activities, negotiates for resources, and assigns tasks to ensure these targets are met. Follows established change control processes if targets can no longer be met
• 20% Prepares regular reports to communicate the status of the project within and beyond the project team
• 25% Sets priorities, allocates tasks, and collaborates with project staff to meet project targets and milestones
• 5% Provides project management mentorship and knowledge sharing

• Models effective project leadership behaviors and attitude
• Effectively champions the goals of the Office of Strategic Consulting
• Effectively influences without authority

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

Required
Bachelor's Degree

Preferred
Master's Degree

REQUIRED:
- Five years of experience in recognized formal project management frameworks, demonstrating:
- Advanced knowledge of project management tools, processes, techniques, and best practices.
- Ability to apply project management frameworks to meet complex project requirements.
- Ability to use effective behaviors and interpersonal skills to successfully implement multiple, related, complex projects.
- Strong planning, organization, and analytical skills.

- Experience implementing large, mid-size and/or multiple smaller, complex projects.
- Strong problem-solving and creative skills, along with the ability to exercise sound judgment in decision-making.
- Experience leading cross-functional teams, building highly collaborative and effective working relationships with a variety of stakeholders, and resolving issues.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in writing and verbally in virtual situations and in person while working across a diverse group of stakeholders.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate sensitive information effectively.
- Demonstrated experience working effectively with senior leaders and ability to act as a partner and trusted advisor.
- Meets the Project Management Institute's criteria to obtain the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

PREFERRED:
- Seven or more years of experience using recognized formal project management frameworks and methods, and a strong track record on large-scale implementations within complex environments.
- PMP certification.
- Demonstrated ability to successfully lead organizational change.
- Experience working in nonprofit, government, higher-education, or other complex management/governance environment.
- Demonstrated success influencing without authority.

Preferred
PMP - Project Management Professional Certification
If a candidate has not yet attained the PMP but meets all criteria to do so by the Project Management Institute, the candidate will be required to obtain certification within 6 months of their start date.

Full Time: 100%

This is a hybrid position. Some on-site work may be required with flexibility to perform some work remotely.

Terminal, 24 month appointment.
This position has the possibility to be extended or converted to an ongoing appointment based on need and/or funding

Minimum $100,000 ANNUAL (12 months)
Depending on Qualifications
This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced insurance plans, tax-advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund. Learn more at https://hr.wisc.edu/benefits/.

Funding supporting this position is expected to end in December 2026. This position has the possibility to be extended or converted to an ongoing appointment based on need and/or funding.

The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring eligibility for employment in the United States on or before the effective date of the appointment. University sponsorship is not available for this position.

Click the 'Apply Now' button above to begin. After creating a UW Jobs profile, you will be asked to upload a cover letter and resume. Your application materials should demonstrate how your knowledge, skills, and experience align with the qualifications listed in the job posting.

We are committed to reducing bias in the recruitment process. We use a redacted application process in which we remove personally identifiable information from application materials before screening. This may include name, gender, age, address, photos, references, links to personal pages, and citizenship.

Kory Breuer
kory.breuer@wisc.edu
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Project Manager III (Inst)(AD024)

A02-GENERAL SERVICES/OFF OF STRATEGIC CONSULT/G SERV/PROJ PRTFLIO MMGMNT OFC

Academic Staff-Terminal

308380-AS