Academic Project Portfolio Manager

UWMSN University of Wisconsin Madison; Saint Petersburg (FL); Hybrid; USD 78,000 - 96,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Wisconsin–Madison's Division of Continuing Studies seeks a Project Portfolio Manager to lead a portfolio of academic programs, work with senior management, and align projects with strategic direction and goals. Some work may be performed on-site at a designated campus, with potential remote duties.

Reporting to the Associate Dean of Student and Academic Programs, the role focuses on risk management, budget oversight, reporting, and building cross-functional collaboration to

Qualifications

• Seven or more years working in higher education.
• Five or more years of online education experience.
• Three or more years of supervisory experience.
• Proven leadership and project management responsibility.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to be effective in a fast-paced, results-driven division.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Oversees a varied portfolio of projects and provides data analyses and policy reports to inform planning.
• Advises division leadership and provides performance management support.
• Monitors lifecycles, tracks progress, identifies risks, and collaborates to implement changes.
• Assists in strategic planning to align financial, administrative, and staffing resources.
• Manages and evaluates portfolio budgets with key stakeholders.
• Prepares and disseminates portfolio reports per established policies.

Skills

Higher education

Online education

Supervisory experience

Leadership

Problem solving

Attention to detail

Interpersonal skills

Education

Master's Degree

Job description

Job Summary

Job Category: Academic Staff Employment Type: Terminal (Fixed Term) Job Profile: Project Portfolio Manager (C)

The Division of Continuing Studies is seeking a Project Portfolio Manager. This position sits in the Student and Academic Programs unit and works with senior management to establish a portfolio of academic programs that increases business value, builds synergies among projects, makes the best use of limited resources, and aligns projects with the defined strategic direction and goals. Identifies and manages risks, monitors and controls portfolio budgets, effectively manages relationships, and establishes project reporting requirements. This position will report to the Associate Dean of Student and Academic Programs and is a one-year project appointment with the possibility to be extended or converted to an ongoing appointment based on need and/or funding. This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location.

Job Responsibilities

• Oversees a varied portfolio of projects and provides research information, data analyses, and policy reports to inform strategic planning, decision-making, and resource allocation.
• Provides advice to, and performance management support for the division's leadership.
• 20% Monitors lifecycles for a varied portfolio of projects, tracks progress, identifies risks, recommends improvements, and collaborates to implement changes
• 20% Assists in the development of strategic planning initiatives and objectives to ensure appropriate use of financial, administrative, and staffing resources, in alignment with the strategic plan
• 10% Manages and evaluates portfolio budget and objectives in collaboration with key stakeholders and leadership
• 20% Prepares and disseminates reports according to established policies and procedures
• 10% Develops, implements, and directs operating policies and procedures to comply with regulations, institutional policies, and project objectives and facilitates project requests

Key Job Responsibilities

• Monitors lifecycles for a varied portfolio of projects, tracks progress, identifies risks, recommends improvements, and collaborates to implement changes
• Prepares and disseminates portfolio reports according to established policies and procedures
• Manages and evaluates portfolio budget and objectives in collaboration with key stakeholders and leadership
• Assists in the development of strategic planning initiatives and unit objectives to ensure appropriate use of financial, administrative, and staffing resources, in alignment with the strategic plan
• Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
• Develops, implements, and directs operating policies and procedures to comply with regulations, institutional policies, and unit objectives and facilitates project requests

Department

Continuing Studies, Student and Academic Programs

Compensation

MINIMUM $87,112 Annual

Location

This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location.

Required Qualifications

• 7 or more years working in higher education
• 5 or more years experience working with and knowledge of online education
• 3 or more years of supervisory experience
• Proven leadership ability and project management responsibility
• Demonstrated organizational problem-solving skills and attention to detail
• Capacity to be effective in a fast paced, results driven division
• Strong interpersonal communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with data analysis, visualization and storytelling
• Academic planning experience

Education

Master's Degree required

Contact Information

Zachary Yafai HR Business Partner [e-mail]

Institutional Statement on Diversity

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.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies.

We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.

Disability Accommodation

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to.

Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Background Check and References

Employment may require a criminal background check.

It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

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We employ everything from accountants to arborists, chefs to custodians, editors to electricians, graphic designers to groundskeepers, HR associates to HVAC technicians, librarians to locksmiths, mechanics to medical assistants, painters to police officers, web designers to welders, and absolutely everything in between!

No matter what you are looking for professionally, chances are you will not only find it but will thrive at it while working at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.