IT Project Manager

For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top four graduate fine arts programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world‑class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago Museum, on‑campus galleries and state‑of‑the‑art facilities.

SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate and post‑baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, and LeRoy Neiman.

The mission of Enterprise Software and Analytics (ESA) Project Management Office (PMO) is to provide an enterprise‑wide approach to identify, prioritize, and successfully execute a technology portfolio of projects that are aligned with the Art Institute of Chicago’s (AIC, SAIC and Central Admins) strategic goals and cultural/educational vision. ESA PMO’s primary responsibility is to manage and control project constraints by ensuring project plans are implemented on schedule, within scope, and budget.

Project management leadership is responsible for establishing and implementing best practices for the benefit of the organization in a way that encourages collaboration, standardization, and overall improvement in how technology projects are implemented.

This position will be responsible for managing the SAIC information technology project portfolio, leading large scale technology focused projects that are cross‑functional and require collaboration across the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), on behalf of the Information Technology Project Management Office. The IT Project Manager will adhere to and implement best practices and proven methodologies to ensure timely and effective delivery of project deliverables.

This role reports to the Director of the Enterprise Software and Analytics PMO.

• Manages SAIC project proposal request pipeline and portfolio
• Acts as project manager on assigned information technology projects, providing a single point of contact to project teams, steering committees, and stakeholders.
• Guides projects from original concept through final implementation by developing detailed work plans, schedules, project estimates, resource plans, project scope definitions, and status reports.
• Leads the process of communicating with team members and stakeholders and defining/understanding business requirements for various projects as needed.
• Oversees the collection of detailed technical requirements to support the effective development of project scopes and priorities.
• Establishes productive working relationships with school and central administration stakeholders and subject matter experts so as to effectively work together and realize project objectives.
• Effectively communicates and works with the Information Technology staff, project teams and external resources as needed to ensure that business requirements are understood and fully realized during the project.
• Provides regular reporting on project activities, progress against timeline and budget.
• Develops project communication plans and drafts messages for stakeholder input and approval.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems Management, Information Technology, Business Administration or related field; or an equivalent combination of experience, education and training.
• 5+ years’ experience with information technology project management involving cross‑functional teams.
• Experience with project management tools and methodologies is required; certification in project management is preferred.
• Experience working both independently and, in a team‑oriented, collaborative environment is essential; including an ability to facilitate problem‑solving among project teams and stakeholders.
• Ability…