Senior IT Planning & Service Operations Director

Penn State University; University Park (TX); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 233,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tuition discount

Competitive benefits

Job summary

Penn State IT's Optimized Service Team is seeking a Senior Director of Planning and Management to lead PMO, Business Operations, Vendor Management, and Service Standards. This role reports to the Deputy CIO and helps govern project delivery, communications, and vendor strategy across Penn State IT.

The position requires strong IT operations, governance, and leadership experience, with a focus on building high‑performing cross‑functional teams and advancing standardized ITSM practices across the

Qualifications

• Progressive leadership experience in IT operations, service management, program/project management, business operations, vendor management, or related functions.
• Demonstrated success leading and developing cross-functional teams in a complex organizational environment.
• Experience partnering with senior leaders and stakeholders to drive strategic initiatives and operational excellence.
• Strong knowledge of IT service management (ITSM), governance, service delivery, and organizational best practices.
• Experience managing vendor relationships, contracts, and performance metrics.

Responsibilities

• Lead project and program delivery governance by establishing project management standards, enabling adaptive delivery models, aligning with institutional priorities, monitoring delivery performance and risk, and providing actionable portfolio and project insights.
• Lead IT communications strategy by ensuring consistent, professional, and timely messaging; coordinating communications across stakeholders; and providing communication frameworks for Service Owners and IT Strategic Partners.
• Manage business operations and administrative support services by overseeing administrative teams, processes, meeting logistics, documentation, and workflows that support Penn State IT leadership.
• Lead enterprise vendor and contract management by overseeing strategic sourcing, contract negotiation, vendor performance, compliance, risk mitigation, and lifecycle governance.
• Define, maintain, and evolve IT service management by establishing ITSM frameworks, service delivery processes, performance measures, and operating expectations.
• Govern and enable standards adoption by providing assessment tools, maturity models, training, guidance, and practitioner resources.
• Build and lead high-performing cross-functional teams by recruiting, mentoring, and developing talent across PMO, Business Operations, Vendor Management, and Service Standards.
• Enable the success of Service Owners and IT Strategic Partners by providing delivery support, communications, vendor intelligence, role practice standards, and collaborative governance.

Skills

IT operations leadership

Program management

Cross-functional leadership

Vendor management

ITSM governance

Education

Master’s Degree

Job description

Penn State IT's Optimized Service Team is seeking a Senior Director of Planning and Management to lead PMO, Business Operations, Vendor Management, and Service Standards. This role reports to the Deputy CIO and helps govern project delivery, communications, and vendor strategy across Penn State IT.

The position requires strong IT operations, governance, and leadership experience, with a focus on building high‑performing cross‑functional teams and advancing standardized ITSM practices across the