Senior Project Manager (Information Technology)

PHILADELPHIA SCHOOL DISTRICT; Lansing (MI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

PHILADELPHIA SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a Senior Project Manager (Information Technologies) to oversee large-scale Capital Programs projects across departments and schools. You will coordinate with clients, technology staff, vendors, and central offices to define business rules and ensure project success from inception through post-implementation support.

The role emphasizes applying project management best practices, data-driven reporting, and effective communication to align with the

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
• Six years of full-time, paid, professional experience in either operations, finance, education, or information technology which has included serving as a team lead or project manager.
• Any equivalent combination of training and experience determined to be acceptable by the Office of Talent.
• Capital Programs Specialty requires related degree and six years of experience in administration, operations, finance, education, project management or capital program administration.

Responsibilities

• Develops strategies for appropriate scopes of work.
• Participates or directs contract negotiation and/or preparation.
• Plans and manages timelines, and monitors progress of projects; provides updates to leads.
• Directly supervises project staff as required.
• Develops and maintains communications between offices and schools.
• Coordinates professional development and training events.
• Drafts and negotiates RFPs, LCAs, and contractual instruments.
• Maintains records and documentation for capital programs.

Skills

Project management

Budget management

Communication

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university

Capital Programs Specialty knowledge

Tools

Asana Project Management

FileMaker Pro Advanced

Excel

Microsoft Project

Vision

Job description

Title: Senior Project Manager (Information Technologies)

Department: Capital Programs

Reports To: Administrative Superior

The School District of Philadelphia is committed to becoming the fastest improving District in the country and transforming the educational opportunities it offers to our city’s more than 200,000 students. The District seeks leaders who have a passion for working with schools and communities who are committed to ensuring all students achieve. Serving a population as diverse as ours requires creativity, commitment and vision. Will you join us?

Job Summary

This is administrative and managerial project work, overseeing all components of a large-scale Capital Programs projects and initiatives (Information Technology Specialty). Employees in this class are responsible for facilitating dialogue between internal customers, technology staff, developers, central office staff, vendors, external agencies, schools and community partners. Work involves meetings with clients to discuss their needs and documenting business rules for various projects and/or identifying and implementing professional learning with central offices, schools and community partners. Work additionally involves formally employing industry-recognized projects management principles, techniques, and best practices, to develop, monitor, report, and coordinate all aspects of a project from inception to post-implementation support. Ensures that actions are strategic and include a plan on the evaluation of progress. Project oversight activities may additionally include coordination of support activities inclusive of training, outreach, and customer relationship management. Ensures that data pertaining to programmatic activities is systematically collected, reviewed and analyzed. Projects in this class are classified as large and complex enterprise-wide information service, application software, technology infrastructure initiatives or administrative educational initiatives characterized by multi-year life cycles. Manages large-scale projects across various departments, divisions, and schools to implement Accelerate Philly, the School District of Philadelphia’s five-year strategic plan.

Essential Functions All Specialties

• Develops strategies for appropriate scopes of work.
• Participates or directs contract negotiation and/or preparation.
• Plans and manages timelines, and monitors progress of various projects and work streams; provides progress updates to project leads.
• Works with selected teams on specific aspects of meeting project goals in a timely manner.
• Prepares, manages, audits, and maintains direct responsibly for project budgets.
• Prepares reports related to project status and projections.
• Directly supervises project or department staff as required.
• Develops and builds good communications and relationships between the assigned office and central offices and schools.
• Participates in confidential and/or sensitive matters and/or projects at every level of the enterprise.
• Works with in setting priorities for the completion of requested services.
• Participates in organizational planning within the assigned office and other departmental offices.
• Assists in various departmental projects when needed.
• Supports all administrative and managerial project work related to the development and implementation of the Equity Coalition and Equity Partners Fellowship.

Additional Functions for the Office of Capital Programs

• Leads the writing and editing of the Standards of Operations Policy Manual to enhance efficiency and compliance across the department.
• Assists in the development and implementation of the Performance Management system for Capital Programs to optimize project oversight.
• Designs, maintains, and refines spreadsheets that integrate construction, design, contracts, and operations for streamlined tracking and reporting; develops and maintains pivot tables for analytical reporting and decision-making.
• Provides strategic support for special projects assigned by the Operations Manager, ensuring timely execution and alignment with organizational goals.
• Serves as a key member of the triage unit, troubleshooting and resolving emergency situations impacting Capital Programs.
• Acts as a liaison between the Operations Manager and other District offices, facilitating communication and coordination across departments.
• Oversees the revision and execution of all action items, ensuring compliance with corrective measures.
• Facilitates the coordination of professional development and training events.
• Collaborates on the drafting and negotiation of Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Letters of Commitment Agreements (LCAs), and contractual instruments.
• Conducts thorough contract reviews, ensures legal sufficiency and adherence to regulatory requirements.
• Supports the Operations Manager with administrative and managerial project work, including preparing reports, and managing correspondence.
• Assists in coordinating and tracking capital improvement projects, maintaining accurate records and documentation.
• Facilitates communication between project managers, contractors, vendors, and internal stakeholders.
• Maintains office efficiency by handling procurement processes.

Additional Functions for the Facilities and Information Technology Specialties

• Coordinates organized labor and oversees the implementation of trades’ agreements with external unions and labor agencies.
• Works with vendors/internal developers to implement software solutions.
• Evaluates and recommends technology and software solutions that will satisfy the needs of schools and offices.
• Establishes short and long-range goals with respect to hardware, software and development projects.
• Coordinates needs of the unit with other Facilities, Transportation or Information Technology offices in the areas of technology implementation.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
• Six years of full-time, paid, professional, experience in either operations, finance, education, or information technology which has included serving as a team lead or project .manager. OR
• Any equivalent combination of training and experience determined to be acceptable by the Office of Talent.

Capital Programs Specialty

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in business administration, project management, public administration, or a related field.
• Six years of full-time, paid, professional, experience in either administration, operations, finance, education, project management, policy development or capital program administration which has included serving as a team lead or project manager.
• Prior experience in construction, government administration, or school capital programs is a plus. OR
• Any equivalent combination of training and experience determined to be acceptable by the Office of Talent.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities All Specialties

Demonstrated knowledge of:

• the procedures and methods utilized to implement systemic change in a timely, accurate, and effective manner.
• Asana Project Management, FileMaker Pro Advanced, Excel or Microsoft Project, Vision and/or other productivity and scheduling tools.

Demonstrated ability to:

• manage large or complex projects and/or budgets.
• plan, organize, and direct project activities and allocate staff resources to tasks efficiently.
• analyze and resolve complex problems.
• represent a superior at meetings and conferences.
• present ideas effectively, both orally and in writing.

Additional Knowledge and Abilities for the Facilities and Information Technology Specialties

Demonstrated knowledge of:

• current technology, testing methodologies, and project life cycle.
• the role of technology and its relation to the enhancement of specific technological outcomes.
• current treads and practices of information resource technologies and ability to easily adapt to newer and expanding IT fields.
• Internet technologies and development practices.

Demonstrated ability to:

• understand and apply basic industry recognized project management principles and processes as defined by PMI, PMP, and ISO 9000 structural certifications.
• apply best practice standards to a product’s design, test, and production phases.
• review and comprehend technical documentation.

Disclaimer

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.

Nondiscrimination

The School District of Philadelphia provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, age, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, disability, pregnancy, marital status, gender identity, or genetic information. Please refer to Board Policy 348 for further information regarding the District's commitment to Nondiscrimination in Employment Practices.