Program associate Jobs in Worcester, MA

Primary Work Location :

Hybrid working environment (combination of on-site and remote work) where you are required to be on-site at our Westborough, MA office for a specified amount of time.

Job Summary :

University Information Technology Services (UITS) of the University of Massachusetts System Office is seeking a Program Manager with a distinctive blend of business, IT, communication and consultative planning skills to enable successful achievement of strategic goals and desired business outcomes via proactive management of the entire lifecycle of multiple related projects comprising significant transformational programs for technology and business capabilities. Examples of UITS and UMass programs include : Digital transformation of the applicant and student experience; Cloud migration; Digital workplace transformation; CRM for Employee Success; Enterprise risk management; and Cybersecurity maturity and awareness.

The primary purpose of the Program Manager role is to lead, oversee and ensure the successful planning, delivery and management of programs and projects within scope, quality, time and cost constraints. Programs are highly dynamic and require adaptive change management and the ability to learn and develop subject matter expertise across business and technology domains for a given program focus area. The ideal candidate is a persuasive change agent with a growth mindset and possesses the following competencies : comfortable with complexity and effectively coordinates across many streams of activity; gains sponsor and stakeholder commitment by building trust through transparency and good judgment; encourages cooperation and compromise with competing priorities; and has a track record of setting challenging goals and demonstrates a strong drive for results.

The Program Manager reports to the Director of Portfolio and Project Management (PPM) and is a member of the Project Management Office (PMO.) The team collaborates with colleagues in UITS, all departments in UMass System Office, campus IT and functional stakeholders across all major areas of university operations.

Essential Functions :

• Act as a trusted advisor to business and technology stakeholders on problem framing, design thinking, solution consulting and research. Assist stakeholders with development of business cases, program and project proposals to inform decision making.
• Develop, schedule and communicate multiple related project plans as part of a larger program initiative including deliverables, phases, milestones, and tasks. Plans may be agile or waterfall depending on the program and project type. Modify program and project plans as needed to ensure successful outcomes.
• Lead resource management for assigned programs and projects including assignment of internal resources and recruitment of external resources. Coordinate external vendor contract competition, statement of work development, performance and billing management. Ensure program and project resources have clearly defined and well-understood roles and responsibilities tied to program and project success.
• Maintain executive sponsor engagement through relationship management, program performance reporting, scope management, and acting as a trusted advisor. Ensures appropriate governance functions for assigned programs in accordance with enterprise policies, practices and on behalf of the executive sponsor.
• Develop and implement program and project communication plans for a wide variety of system and campus stakeholders at all levels.
• Develop, implement, and maintain program artifacts for ongoing initiatives such as training, documentation, scorecards, health reports, and roadmap proposals.
• Develops and manages program budgets.
• Lead and motivate program and project team members throughout the program and project life cycle and collaborate with stakeholders to outline and adjust the work plan.
• Proactively anticipate and monitor for dependencies, collisions and issues across multiple related projects to ensure program health and delivery. Perform risk assessments and implement mitigation plans. Collaborate with stakeholders to resolve problems.
• Monitor and frequently report on program and project status, health, and key issues while ensuring information is easily understandable, actionable, supports effective decision making and builds trust with sponsors and stakeholders.
• Ensure program and project goals are accomplished and are aligned with business objectives.
• Contribute to and follow standards, best practices, and procedures for program and project management within UITS through continuous benchmarking and maturity assessment.
• As a member of the PMO contribute to a climate of teamwork. Support fellow PM's by sharing knowledge and providing support as needed.

Other Functions :

Special projects and other duties as assigned.

This job description indicates the general nature and level of work that is expected. This is not a comprehensive inventory of all duties and responsibilities required of the Program Manager position.)

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience) :

Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience) :

Working Conditions :

Additional Details :

Salary commensurate with experience up to $120,000.