Higher Education Project Manager

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Project Manager leads client engagements with accountability for delivery performance, contract execution, financial health, and client satisfaction. The Project Manager ensures commitments are understood, performance is measurable, risks are addressed early, and projects achieve their intended outcomes.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Lead client projects from initiation through completion, ensuring alignment with scope, deliverables, milestones, timelines, budget, and outcomes.

• Serve as primary client point of contact, communicating proactively on performance, risks, decisions, and required actions.

• Develop project plans, financial forecasts, status reports, and governance materials.

• Review SOWs and contractual commitments to ensure execution aligns with expectations.

• Monitor performance against milestones, KPIs, SLAs, and client satisfaction targets.

• Manage project financials — budget, actuals, forecast, resource utilization.

• Identify scope/timeline/resource changes and coordinate change control and approvals.

• Facilitate client governance meetings, executive reviews, and status meetings.

• Identify project, contractual, and relationship risks; develop mitigation plans.

• Drive cross-team accountability for decisions, dependencies, and deliverables.

• Analyze performance data to anticipate issues and inform decisions.

• Manage multiple engagements while maintaining consistent governance standards.

• Leverage AI and automation to improve PM effectiveness.

• Perform all other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• A Bachelor’s degree in related field required

• 5+ years in project management, client delivery, or consulting; technical projects a plus

• Proven experience managing client-facing projects with accountability for scope, schedule, budget, and stakeholder expectations

• Experience with project financials, forecasting, and performance reporting

• Experience interpreting SOWs, contractual deliverables, and scope changes

• Strong communication, analytical, and facilitation skills

• PMP, CSM, or comparable certification preferred

• Experience in consulting, tech, or higher ed environments preferred

• Track record managing multiple concurrent engagements preferred

• Experience developing KPIs, SLAs, and satisfaction measures preferred

• Strong grasp of contract performance and financial management preferred

• Experience with AI tools for planning, reporting, and productivity preferred

• Willingness to travel when required for client or internal business