Project Manager, Strategic Initiatives - CMU Office of the President

Job description

Carnegie Mellon University is a private, global research university that stands among the world’s most renowned education institutions. With ground-breaking brain science, path-breaking performances, creative start-ups, big data, big ambitions, hands-on learning, and a whole lot of robots, CMU doesn’t imagine the future, we invent it. If you’re passionate about joining a community that challenges the curious to deliver work that matters, your journey starts here! The CMU Office of the President is seeking a Program Manager, Strategic Initiatives. This role leads the day-to-day planning and execution of assigned university priorities, translating strategic direction into structured, trackable programs. The role provides the connective tissue across teams and stakeholders, helping ensure that each initiative has a clear scope, workplan, ownership, decision path, and route to delivery. Working under the direction of the Assistant Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, the Program Manager coordinates complex work across academic and administrative units; maintains plans, governance routines, and reporting; anticipates risks and dependencies; and drives disciplined follow-through. The Program Manager does not set institutional strategy or independently own executive decisions, but makes strategy executable by bringing clarity, momentum, and accountability to the work. The successful candidate will be a highly organized, collaborative operator who is comfortable with ambiguity, able to influence without formal authority, and skilled at moving between detailed project management and concise executive-level communication. Because assigned initiatives may be highly visible or confidential, the role also requires sound judgment, political acumen, and discretion. Candidates must be willing to travel. Core Responsibilities Program Planning and Delivery Manage assigned strategic initiatives from planning through implementation, developing clear scopes, workplans, timelines, milestones, deliverables, and measures of success. Translate high-level or evolving direction into practical execution plans with defined owners, dependencies, decision points, and deadlines. Maintain integrated project plans, tracking tools, dashboards, and documentation across multiple concurrent workstreams. Monitor progress and follow-through, identify slippage or gaps, and work with accountable owners to restore momentum or escalate issues appropriately. Support resource planning by identifying capacity, budget, technology, procurement, or other implementation needs and surfacing constraints to initiative leadership. Governance, Coordination, and Accountability Establish and maintain fit-for-purpose governance routines, meeting cadences, decision logs, accountability mechanisms, and project standards for assigned initiatives. Coordinate across academic units and functions such as Finance, Legal, Communications, Human Resources, Information Technology, Advancement, and external partners. Manage cross-functional dependencies and ensure that teams understand their responsibilities, deadlines, and the implications of decisions for other workstreams. Plan and facilitate effective working sessions, steering meetings, and decision forums; prepare agendas, materials, decisions, and follow-up actions. Serve as a reliable central source for initiative status, documentation, decisions, and next steps. Risk, Change, and Organizational Readiness Identify risks, interdependencies, stakeholder concerns, and emerging issues early; develop mitigation options and elevate matters requiring senior judgment. Support stakeholder engagement, communications, training, and other change-readiness activities needed for successful implementation and adoption. Track feedback and implementation experience, identify opportunities to improve processes or plans, and recommend adjustments to initiative leadership. Maintain momentum as priorities or circumstances change, updating plans and communicating implications clearly to affected teams. Executive Reporting and Decision Support Prepare concise status reports, dashboards, presentations, briefings, and decision materials for senior leaders and governance groups. Synthesize information from multiple workstreams into a clear view of progress, risks, decisions required, and recommended next steps. Establish and track appropriate milestones, performance measures, and indicators of implementation progress and impact. Handle sensitive information and high-visibility assignments with discretion, accuracy, and sound judgment. Adaptability, excellence, and passion are vital qualities within Carnegie Mellon University. We are in search of a team member who can effectively interact with a varied population of internal and external partners at a high level of integrity. We are looking for someone who shares our values and who will support the mission of the university through their work. Qualifications: Bachelor's degree required; master's degree is a plus or an equivalent combination of education and experience. At least 8 years of progressively responsible experience managing complex, cross-functional programs, strategic initiatives, organizational change efforts, or enterprise projects. Experience in higher education, government, consulting, or another complex mission-driven organization is preferred. Demonstrated success coordinating highly visible work involving multiple stakeholders, senior leaders, and interdependent workstreams. Strong project-management discipline, including experience with workplans, governance routines, executive reporting, risk management, and performance tracking. Willingness to travel. Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to prepare clear materials for senior leaders and varied university constituencies. Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority and operate effectively in a complex, decentralized environment. PMP, Prosci