Technical Project Manager

Stanford University; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 92,000 - 153,000; Full time

Job summary

The Stanford Accelerator for Learning at Stanford University seeks a Project Management Specialist to support early-stage education projects. You will track milestones, resolve technical needs, and help advance research-backed innovations across teams, partnerships, and programs.

Ideal candidates bring proven project management skills in an academic setting, comfort with AI and learning technologies, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Qualifications

• Experience developing technology to enhance learning and research.
• Ability to recognize and recommend necessary changes in user and/or operations procedures.
• Promote and maintain best practices by designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating appropriate online/offline resources, workshops, seminars, and initiatives.
• Familiarity with software engineering principles.
• Experience working with multimedia tools (eg, video editing, VR/AR, photography, etc.).
• Ability to advocate for project needs with technology service providers.
• Knowledge of learning management systems and various classroom and online learning technologies.

Responsibilities

• Perform the full range of project management cycle: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. Lead projects requiring functional integration. Complete sub-project and/or stand-alone elements (or a contained project).
• Direct development of an action plan, and estimate requirements for resources, including management, labor, materials, and time required to complete project.
• Facilitate discussions and negotiations to drive recommendation consensus within scope of responsibility.
• Develop and help execute comprehensive change management strategy and communication plan relative to project scope and stakeholders on a focused project; actively manage resistance to change.
• These elements typically delineate the project management involved at this level: Charter- charter and scoping involvement or scope definition, identify and shape scope; number of disciplines/stakeholders to manage is contained to localized department or university constituents; risk- manage and report on risks; primary university relationship at faculty/department director level; budget/scope from $100k to $250k.

Skills

Project management

Technology for learning

Operations procedures

Software engineering principles

Multimedia tools

Advocacy for project needs

Learning management systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related field

Tools

None specified

Job description

Who We Are

The Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE) is dedicated to solving education's greatest challenges. Through rigorous research, model training programs and partnerships with educators worldwide, we're pursuing equitable, accessible and effective learning for all. The GSE is a top-ranked school of education, known for its prestigious faculty, rigorous graduate degree programs, and its impact on the quality of education across the world. The GSE is committed to developing leaders in education research, practice and policy. Our community includes over 60 faculty, 400 students, 230 staff, 14,000 alumni and countless individuals from the local and global communities that we work with and impact.

Why Stanford Accelerator for Learning?

Housed at Stanford Graduate School of Education, the Stanford Accelerator for Learning is the first university-wide initiative connecting scholars across disciplines and with external partners to bridge research, innovation, practice, and policy, and bring quality, scalable, and equitable learning experiences to all learners, throughout the lifespan. The Stanford Accelerator for Learning focuses on learning challenges most in need of new discoveries, evidence, and solutions and where we believe Stanford can make the most difference. Those include: adult & workforce learning, digital learning, early childhood education and development, equity in learning, learning differences, and policy & systems change.

The Project Management Specialist will work with the Accelerator Studio, an in-house team of specialists, to support a range of early-stage projects with the potential to transform education. This entails support for academic teams launching research-backed innovations – often for the first time – via Stanford Accelerator for Learning programs like seed grants and innovation grants. This role will serve as a principal organizing force to track projects, resolve technical needs, and boost projects as they move towards completion. The work is fast-paced, research-oriented, and highly collaborative. For a given project, this might involve collaborating with a subset of specialists to design measures of learning, strategize partnership opportunities, develop technologies, analyze findings, communicate research, and more. It may also involve checking in and pacing projects as they find their footing. You can see a sample of the projects we have supported in the past here and here.

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

The ideal candidate will have deep knowledge and field experience with managing complex projects and solving technical hurdles in an academic atmosphere. The ideal candidate will also possess a strong interest in advancing education and a sense of interdisciplinary possibility across emerging fields like AI, virtual media, learning science, neuroscience, etc. This is a unique opportunity with an exciting new initiative. If you are highly organized, passionate about education, can learn quickly, and want a front row seat for projects that will shape the future of learning, this position may be for you

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience in developing technology to enhance learning and research

• Ability to recognize and recommend necessary changes in user and/or operations procedures

• Promote and maintain best practices by designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating appropriate online/offline resources, workshops, seminars, and initiatives

• Familiarity with software engineering principles

• Experience working with multimedia tools (eg, video editing, VR/AR, photography, etc.)

• Ability to advocate for project needs with technology service providers

• Knowledge of learning management systems and various classroom and online learning technologies

Duration: This position is fixed-term for one year, with opportunity for continuation.

Location: This position is located in Stanford, CA, with an option for hybrid (partly in-person, partly remote).PLEASE NOTE: We are not able to provide sponsorship or relocation for this position. Successful candidates will be required to complete a background check prior to working at Stanford University. Candidates must be eligible to work in the US. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. The expected pay range for this position is $108,746 - $153,171 per annum. Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of the salary or hourly wage what the university reasonably expects to pay for a position upon hire. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographic location and external market pay for comparable jobs. At Stanford University, base pay represents only one aspect of the comprehensive rewards package. The Cardinal at Work website (https://cardinalatwork.stanford.edu/benefits-rewards) provides detailed information on Stanford’s extensive range of benefits and rewards offered to employees. Specifics about the rewards package for this position may be discussed during the hiring process.

Physical Requirements:

Constantly perform desk-based computer tasks. Frequent sitting. Occasionally stand/walk, reach/work above shoulders, grasp lightly/fine manipulation, grasp forcefully, use a telephone, sort/file paperwork or parts, lift/carry/push/pull objects that weigh up to 10 pounds. Rarely twist/bend/stoop/squat, kneel/crawl.

Specific duties and responsibilities may vary depending on department or program needs without changing the general nature and scope of the job or level of responsibility. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned.

Work Standards:

Interpersonal Skills: Demonstrates the ability to work well with Stanford colleagues and clients and with external organizations. Promote Culture of Safety: Demonstrates commitment to personal responsibility and value for safety; communicates safety concerns; uses and promotes safe behaviors based on training and lessons learned. Subject to and expected to comply with all applicable University policies and procedures, including but not limited to the personnel policies and other policies found in the University's Administrative Guide, http://adminguide.stanford.edu.

Why Stanford is For You:

Stanford’s dedicated 16,000+ staff, who come from diverse educational and career backgrounds. We are a collaborative environment that thrives on innovation and continuous improvement. At Stanford, we seek talent committed to excellence, driven to impact the future of our legacy, and improve lives on a global scale. We provide market competitive salaries, excellent health care and retirement plans, and a generous vacation policy, including additional time off during our winter closure. Our unique perks align with what matters to you:

• Freedom to grow. As one of the greatest intellectual hubs in the world, take advantage of development programs, tuition reimbursement plus $800 you receive annually towards skill-building classes, or audit a Stanford course. Join a TedTalk, film screening, or listen to a renowned author or leader discuss global issues.
• A caring culture. We understand the importance of your personal and family time and provide you access to wellness programs, child-care resources, parent education and consultation, elder care and caregiving support.
• A healthier you. We make wellness a priority by providing access to world-class exercise facilities. Climb our rock wall, or participate in one of hundreds of health or fitness classes.
• Discovery and fun. Stroll through historic sculptures, trails, and museums. Create an avatar and participate in virtual reality adventures or join one with fellow staff on Stanford vacations!
• Enviable resources. We offer free commuter programs and ridesharing incentives. Enjoy discounts for computing, cell phones, outdoor recreation, travel, entertainment, and more.

Core Duties:

• Perform the full range of project management cycle: initiating,planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. Leadprojects requiring functional integration. Complete sub-project and/orstand-alone elements (or a contained project such as constructionproject).

• Direct development of an action plan, and estimate requirementsfor resources, including management, labor, materials, and time requiredto complete project.

• Facilitate discussions and negotiations to drive recommendationconsensus within scope of responsibility.

• Develop and help execute comprehensive change management strategyand communication plan relative to project scope and stakeholders on afocused project; actively manage resistance to change.

• These elements typically delineate the project managementinvolved at this level: Charter- charter and scoping involvement orscope definition, identify and shape scope; # of disciplines/stakeholders to manage is contained to localized department oruniversity constituents; risk- manage and report on risks associatedwith projects to upper management, risk sharing is maintained betweenmanagement and project manager; project complexity involvesstraight-forward technology applications to drive decisions; primaryuniversity relationship is at the individual faculty, department/director level; cumulative budget/scope from $100k to $250k.

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in a related field

Minimum Experience:

Three years of related experience in management of projects ofmoderate size/complexity with limited performance risk, including project planning, scheduling, tracking, and budgeting, or a combinationof education and experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Polished written and oral communication skills to address a widevariety of audiences.

• Ability to productively engage and influence cross-functionalteams.

• Demonstrated project management ability to employ integration,scope time management, cost, quality, human resources, communications,risk, and procurement components.

• Demonstrated resilience, diplomacy, influence, relationshipbuilding, and problem solving skills in a variety ofsituations.

• Depth of knowledge in technical discipline/domain needed todeliver projects.

Certificates and Licenses Required

Project Management Professional (PMP) certified completion of a Project Management Certificate program, or certification in process.