IT Project Manager Jobs in Tennessee

Position Summary:

The IT Project Delivery Manager is responsible for providing strategic operational leadership for VUIT’s Project Management Office (PMO) and the delivery of a complex, multi-year IT project portfolio. This role is accountable for the performance, development, and alignment of project management staff and for ensuring that project delivery practices scale effectively across multiple domains and institutional priorities. This position has broad authority over portfolio planning, resource allocation, governance, and escalation management. While the primary accountability of this role is achieved through the leadership and coordination of others, the position may personally manage select projects as needed, typically when initiatives are high-risk, highly visible, or institutionally critical. The role translates established institutional and IT strategies into sustainable execution models, delivery standards, and operational practices that ensure reliable, consistent outcomes.

About the Team:

Vanderbilt University Information Technology is a human-centric organization that advances our university by delivering innovative solutions and frictionless experiences through collaboration.

Digital Strategies and Transformation serves as the university’s digital vanguards, spearheading campus-wide IT initiatives, propelling the institution into the future, and coordinating innovation across campus to bring ideas to life through planning, execution, and strategic alignment between the business of Vanderbilt University, academia, research, and trending technologies.

Key Functions and Expected Performance:

Portfolio Management and Leadership

• Manage VUIT's project portfolio, prioritizing projects in alignment with strategic goals and resource availability.
• Oversee the execution of moderate to large-scale projects as needed, ensuring successful project delivery.
• Strategically deploy staff resources to ensure alignment with organizational goals and objectives.
• Empowers employees to take ownership of their roles and goals while fostering a culture of accountability.
• Actively shapes and upholds a workplace culture consistent with VU and VUIT’s values, emphasizing the university’s mission, vision, guiding principles, and values.
• Cultivates a spirit of teamwork and unity, encouraging open dialogue and conflict resolution.
• Promotes appreciation for diversity, ensuring a cohesive and supportive team environment where employees work effectively together towards shared success.

Team Management

• Lead and supervise a team of project managers, including recruitment, training, and performance management.
• Develop and implement strategic plans, objectives, and initiatives to meet organizational goals.
• Allocate financial and human resources efficiently and effectively to support operational activities.
• Monitor and evaluate team performance, providing feedback and coaching to enhance individual and collective capabilities.
• Foster a positive work environment by promoting collaboration, communication, and employee engagement.
• Ensure compliance with Vanderbilt policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with other departments or stakeholders to achieve cross-functional objectives and resolve issues effectively.
• Analyze data and metrics to identify opportunities for process improvement and operational optimization.
• Actively shapes and upholds a workplace culture consistent with VU and VUIT’s values, emphasizing the university’s mission, vision, guiding principles, and values.

Governance and Issue Resolution

• Coordinate governance of project management activities, ensuring adherence to project management standards and processes.
• Address escalated project issues and conflicts, working collaboratively with project managers and stakeholders to find effective solutions.
• Proactively identify and mitigate project risks, minimizing potential disruptions and ensuring project success.

Alignment with Organizational Strategies

• Collaborate with senior leadership to align project management practices with organizational strategies and priorities.
• Participate in strategic planning discussions to ensure that project initiatives support broader business objectives.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives within the project management function, identifying opportunities for optimization and enhancement.

Hybrid Work Environment:

This position is eligible for a hybrid work schedule, combining on-campus and remote work, and is expected to be on campus a minimum of 3 days per week and for activities that require in-person presence, such as customer meetings, team collaboration, service delivery, or campus events. Specific on-site expectations are determined in coordination with the supervisor and must align with departmental needs and institutional policy. Remote work privileges may be revoked at any time.

Supervisory Relationships:

This position has supervisory responsibility for a team of ~5 Project Management staff. This position reports administratively and functionally to the Executive Director of Digital Strategies and Transformation.

Education and Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree necessary
• Advanced degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or a related field preferred
• Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Scrum Master (CSM), or similar certification necessary

Experience and Skills:

• 7-10 years of progressive project management experience is necessary
• 1-2 years of mentoring, supervisory, or management experience is necessary
• Proven ability to oversee and, when necessary, directly manage complex IT projects and multi-program portfolios in a large, matrixed, or higher-education environment is necessary
• Experience translating institutional and IT strategies into governance frameworks and sustainable operational execution models is necessary
• Advanced decision-making capability related to prioritization, resource strategy, delivery tradeoffs, and risk mitigation across competing initiatives is necessary
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead cross-functional outcomes without direct authority is necessary
• Strong capability in using metrics, reporting, and performance indicators to drive continuous improvement and organizational accountability is necessary
• Demonstrated commitment to VUIT’s Guiding Principles is necessary.

Information Technology’s Guiding Principles:

• Trust and Respect - VUIT cultivates a community built on trust, mutual respect, and inclusivity, where all members feel valued and supported. We prioritize honesty, dignity, empathy, and a willingness to listen and understand.
• Professionalism - VUIT strives to maintain a culture of maturity, accountability, and integrity to best represent the University and self. Have a sense of humility and poise in your work and daily interactions.
• Collaborate - VUIT commits to being inclusive in solution design where we value sharing within and partnering across the university. We are intentional about including our colleagues and preventing silos.
• Bias-to-Action - VUIT is seen as a changemaker by exhibiting a decisive, self-starter, take-action approach with a willingness to make decisions without excessive deliberation. Personal initiative is recognized as a key part of the creative process.
• Communicate - Communication (written, verbal and non-verbal), within and outside VUIT, is open, thoughtful, welcoming, clear, proactive, concise yet complete, always honest, and delivered kindly.
• Innovate - VUIT pledges to be bold and challenge the status quo by inspiring a culture of creativity that promotes growth and advancement for the university.
• Celebrate Each Other - We are intentional in showing appreciation for the work of others by valuing and acknowledging meaningful contributions at all levels of the organization.
• Optimize - VUIT will practice continuous and thoughtful optimization of our solutions and services to increase our human and technological capacity. Capacity drives innovation.