Director, ERP Portfolio Management

Chicago Public Schools; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellness

Job summary

Chicago Public Schools invites a seasoned Director of ERP Portfolio Management to lead the ERP Modernization Program, coordinating with Finance, Budget, Procurement, HR, and IT to deliver value across CPS. This full‑time exempt role reports to the CIO and will build a high‑performing team to drive on‑budget, on‑time ERP delivery.

You will establish standard PM practices, define success metrics, manage external partners, and communicate progress to executives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field from an accredited college or university.
• Eight+ years of professional project and program management experience, including progressive complexity.
• Five+ years in a supervisory/management position leading IT teams.
• Experience managing enterprise‑wide projects in education industries, supporting Finance, Budget, Procurement, and HR functions.
• Experience leading projects with external providers.
• Experience in resource planning, reporting, prioritization, and budgeting using MS Project, Smartsheet, Clarizen, Jira, Azure DevOps, and GanttPro.
• ERP implementation methodologies (Oracle, SAP, Workday) or Agile methodologies (Scrum, SAFe) preferred.
• Ten years of relevant experience including supervisory roles preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning, assessment, implementation, and execution of a complex ERP portfolio.
• Recruit and develop the ERP portfolio management team.
• Deliver clear reporting and communication to stakeholders across CPS.
• Ensure ROI, budget, schedule, and quality objectives are met.
• Establish standard project management practices and tailor them for ERP delivery.
• Collaborate with ITS and functional leaders to align resources and resolve needs.
• Define success metrics, project size, complexity, cost, risk, and value criteria.
• Align PM services with CPS strategic goals and ROI targets.
• Monitor value metrics to maximize returns across enterprise projects.
• Develop a communication and reporting strategy for progress updates.
• Conduct regular program reviews and proactive risk management.
• Identify skill gaps and drive continuous improvement actions.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Strategic planning

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Business acumen

Analytical thinking

Relationship building

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Project

Smartsheet

Clarizen

Jira

Azure DevOps

GanttPro

Job description

Job Summary

The Director of ERP Portfolio Management will lead the CPS Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Modernization Program and its associated processes, partnering closely with IT and business leaders from Finance, Budget, Procurement, and Human Resources/Talent to ensure the successful delivery of our 4‑Year ERP Modernization Program in alignment with CPS business initiatives and priorities. This full‑time exempt position reports to the Chief Information Technology Officer (CIO) and will build and lead a team of direct‑reporting professionals. The Director will oversee all project management and program delivery activities, ensuring the greenfield ERP implementation is completed on budget, on schedule, to quality standards, and within scope.

Responsibilities

• Drive the planning, assessment, implementation, and execution of a highly complex, value‑capture portfolio of ERP projects.
• Recruit, onboard and provide leadership to the ERP portfolio management team, fostering collaboration and aligning efforts with division‑wide initiatives.
• Deliver clear and concise reporting and communication to stakeholders across the organization, ensuring successful project completion.
• Ensure project results contribute positive business value and meet agreed‑upon scope, cost, schedule, and quality objectives.
• Establish and maintain a standard project management approach for initiation, planning, and execution, tailoring it to deliver innovative new technologies efficiently.
• Collaborate with ITS and functional leaders to align resources, resolve competing needs, and manage trade‑offs.
• Partner with business stakeholders to define success metrics, project size, complexity, cost, risk, and value criteria.
• Align project management services with business strategy to meet ROI targets.
• Incorporate industry best practices, define KPIs, and clarify ownership for delivery at all levels, driving focused delivery per commitments.
• Monitor value metrics to inform decisions that maximize returns across enterprise projects and programs.
• Develop an overall communication and reporting strategy for updating stakeholders on progress, decisions, and impacts.
• Monitor delivery of business objectives and client experience for ERP portfolio management services.
• Conduct regular program and project reviews, proactive risk management, and post‑project reviews.
• Implement systematic approaches to improve planning accuracy and cycle time.
• Drive resource management and reporting processes to prioritize and allocate resources efficiently.
• Identify skill gaps, assess cross‑functional team capability, and recommend training or improvement actions.
• Motivate team members and pursue continuous improvement in departmental processes.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field from an accredited college or university.
• Experience:
  • At least eight (8) years of professional project and program management experience, including progressive complexity.
  • Minimum five (5) years working with ERP technical applications such as Oracle Cloud or SAP S/4 HANA Cloud.
  • Minimum three (3) years in a supervisory/management position, leading teams of direct reports in an IT/technology field.
  • Experience managing enterprise‑wide projects in education industries, supporting Finance, Budget, Procurement, and Human Resources functions.
  • Experience leading projects and programs involving external providers.
  • Experience in project and portfolio management resource planning, reporting, prioritization, and budgeting, using tools such as Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Clarizen, Jira, Azure DevOps, and GanttPro.
  • Experience in ERP implementation methodologies (Oracle, SAP, Workday) or Agile methodologies (Scrum, SAFe) is preferred.
  • Strong preference for a total of ten (10) years of relevant experience, including five (5) years in a supervisory role.
• Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
  • Extensive knowledge of project management processes, systems development methods, organizational change management, and business process improvement.
  • Strategic planning capabilities, with the ability to establish long‑term vision and align activities toward goal fulfillment.
  • Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, including presenting technical concepts to non‑technical audiences.
  • Business acumen with knowledge of operations, budgeting, finance, and organizational development.
  • Leadership and team‑building skills, capable of developing high‑performing, collaborative teams.
  • Ability to build effective relationships with stakeholders at all levels, including external partners.
  • Analytical skills to define problems, analyze data, and recommend actionable solutions.
  • Commitment to CPS policies, ethical conduct, and professional representation in all interactions.

Benefits

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, pharmacy, vision, behavioral health & employee assistance program, mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory