Strategic Operations Project Manager

Pennsylvania State University; State College (Centre County); On-site; USD 66,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

75% tuition discount

Job summary

Penn State College of Engineering seeks a Project Manager, Strategic Operations to drive cross-functional initiatives that enhance operational effectiveness and service delivery. You will partner with leadership and departments to advance strategic priorities and improve organizational performance.

The role oversees the full project lifecycle, including planning, execution, and closeout, with emphasis on data-driven decision making and stakeholder collaboration across campus.

Qualifications

• Experience leading projects involving multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Knowledge of project management methodologies, tools, and best practices.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, and presentation skills.
• Ability to build relationships and influence outcomes across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Experience translating complex information into clear recommendations and actionable plans.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail and meeting deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Plan, manage, and execute projects that improve operations, processes, and organizational performance.
• Partner with College leadership, academic departments, research centers, institutes, and administrative units to identify opportunities to improve operational effectiveness and service delivery.
• Facilitate stakeholder discussions, process reviews, workshops, and planning sessions to gather requirements, evaluate current-state operations, and develop future-state solutions.
• Develop and maintain project plans, schedules, milestones, risk assessments, communication plans, status reports, and project documentation.
• Analyze business processes, workflows, financial data, transactional activity, staffing models, and operational practices to identify opportunities for improvement and organizational efficiencies.
• Lead process redesign, operational improvement, and organizational change initiatives that support the College's strategic priorities.
• Monitor project performance, manage project scope, risks, issues, dependencies, and change requests, and recommend corrective actions when needed.
• Prepare presentations, reports, dashboards, and executive briefings that communicate project status, findings, risks, opportunities, and recommendations.
• Support decision-making by translating complex analyses into actionable recommendations for College leadership.
• Leverage data, emerging technologies, and AI-enabled tools to improve analysis, project execution, stakeholder engagement, and operational outcomes.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of project management practices, tools, templates, and methodologies across the College.

Skills

Project leadership

PM methodologies

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Stakeholder influence

Requirements analysis

Multi-project management

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

Penn State College of Engineering seeks a Project Manager, Strategic Operations to drive cross-functional initiatives that enhance operational effectiveness and service delivery. You will partner with leadership and departments to advance strategic priorities and improve organizational performance.

The role oversees the full project lifecycle, including planning, execution, and closeout, with emphasis on data-driven decision making and stakeholder collaboration across campus.