IT Senior Project Manager

University Of Michigan; Ann Arbor (MI); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plan (matching)

Paid time off

Job summary

University of Michigan Information and Technology Services (ITS) is seeking a Senior Project Manager to join the ITS Project Management Office in Ann Arbor, MI. This role leads a wide range of technology initiatives—including software development, IT infrastructure, and vendor deployments—partnering with sponsors and stakeholders to deliver projects on time and within scope.

The ideal candidate will have 7+ years of IT project leadership, strong stakeholder management, and a background in PMP or

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years IT experience with enterprise initiatives.
• 5+ years of project management experience leading cross-functional teams.
• Strong knowledge of project management methodologies and tools.
• Excellent verbal and written communication; executive-level communication experience.
• PMP certification or PRINCE2 is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversee complex technology projects ensuring on-time, on-budget delivery and adherence to scope and quality.
• Coordinate with sponsors, stakeholders, and cross-functional teams across ITS and university communities.
• Develop detailed project schedules with deliverables, milestones, and budgets.
• Identify risks, develop mitigation plans, and drive issue resolution.
• Communicate project status weekly and maintain effective stakeholder engagement.
• Apply change management techniques to ensure successful outcomes.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Communication

Risk management

Strategic planning

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

PMP or PRINCE2 certification

Job description

Competitive salary available based on qualifications, experience and education of the selected candidate.

Job Summary

Information and Technology Services (ITS) at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is seeking a Senior Project Manager to join the ITS Project Management Office. ITS supports the university's academic, research, and administrative missions by delivering secure, innovative, and reliable technology services across Ann Arbor, Michigan Medicine, and the Flint and Dearborn campuses.

We are looking for an experienced project management professional who thrives in a dynamic, rapidly evolving technology environment. The ideal candidate will bring strong customer service and relationship-building skills, a collaborative mindset, and the ability to think both strategically and tactically. This role requires effectively managing priorities, meeting deadlines, and ensuring the successful delivery of project outcomes.

Key responsibilities include:

• Delivering a wide variety of complex technology projects ranging from software development, IT infrastructure, vendor product implementation, and process transformation.
• Ensuring successful project outcomes by partnering closely with cross-functional teams, sponsors, and stakeholders across both the Information Technology Services (ITS) organization and the entire university community.

This position reports directly to the VPIP-CIO Chief of Staff and IT Project Management Office Director.

Responsibilities*

Project Management

• Oversee complex technology projects to ensure that they are completed on time, within budget, and according to agreed-upon scope and quality standards.
• Ensure service owners are aware of and adhere to the ITS service life cycle process and have a plan to maintain the service after the project is completed.
• Develop detailed project schedules, in collaboration with the project team, that account for all deliverables, workstreams, milestones, estimated effort, resource plans, and financial budgets.
• Ensure a common understanding of project goals and outcomes with the project team and all project stakeholders.
• Actively identify and anticipate potential risks, develop mitigation plans, and drive the resolution of project issues.
• Apply organizational change management techniques to ensure successful project outcomes.
• Form the project team and ensure that clearly defined roles and responsibilities are established for the duration of the project and the resulting operational outcomes.
• Assess project performance with team members and stakeholders by identifying areas for improvement, implementing innovations, and leading corrective actions as necessary.
• Ensure effective communication and collaboration across all project team members, ITS leadership, and project stakeholders. Deliver weekly project status reports and establish additional project communication tactics as necessary.
• Build consensus. Challenge proposals when appropriate.
• Demonstrate strong influencing and negotiation skills with the ability to lead project teams through creative problem-solving.
• Establish and maintain trust, facilitate cooperation, and create strong relationships at all levels: customer, stakeholder, executive, management, and staff.
• Demonstrate robust knowledge of IT principles, standards, and processes.

Strategy and Planning

• Act as a trusted advisor to leadership and support future strategy outcomes.
• Leverage data to guide decision-making, perform risk analysis, craft compelling stories that resonate with an executive audience, and present information to all levels through graphical representations.
• Assess impacts and trade-offs of key decisions, including financial, customer, reputation, effort, and ongoing operations.

Leadership & Development of Self and Others

• Ability to navigate complex and ambiguous circumstances to drive project progress.
• Stay updated on relevant advances in business and technology; seek opportunities to diversify skills and experience.
• Demonstrate continued development of new skills and knowledge. Ability to quickly get up to speed and lead a variety of projects without deep expertise.
• Provide actionable feedback, motivation, and mentorship to less-experienced staff.
• Build strong, cooperative relationships by interacting in an open, ethical, honest, and accepting manner.

Required Qualifications*

• Bachelor's degree in a related field and/or equivalent combination of education, certification, and experience.
• Minimum of 7 years of Information Technology (IT) experience, demonstrating responsibility for increasingly large or enterprise-wide initiatives.
• Minimum of 5 years of project management experience, including leading project teams through all phases of projects and managing concurrent projects.
• Significant knowledge and experience with various project management methodologies and tools.
• Strong problem-solving capabilities with the ability to drive collaborative decisions.
• Demonstrated understanding of and skills in client relationship management, organizational change management, systems analysis, team building, process improvement, and strategic planning.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and build strong relationships with cross-functional project teams and a large number of project stakeholders.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with experience in executive-level communications.
• Demonstrated ability to adapt to new circumstances quickly and utilize a variety of approaches when required.
• Demonstrated ability to learn quickly and to understand technical information and communicate it to others using clear, concise, and user-friendly language.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or PRINCE2

Desired Qualifications*

• Experience in Higher Education or Government
• Experience using artificial intelligence tools
• Experience with cloud vendor implementations
• PgMP, PMI-ACP, or other certifications

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes .

Additional Information

Benefits at the University of Michigan

In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, The University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package to help you stay well, protect yourself and your family and plan for a secure future. Benefits include:

• Generous time off
• A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vesting
• Many choices for comprehensive health insurance
• Life insurance
• Long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses
• Dental and Vision Insurance
• Parental and Maternity Leave

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for at least seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.