Director of Planning & Project Management Office

Towson University (TU) has earned distinction as both a top-100 public university and one of the nation's great colleges to work for. Located north of Baltimore, TU currently enrolls over 19,000 students and is the second-largest university in the prestigious University System of Maryland.  Towson University fosters a climate that is grounded in respect to cultivating the intellectual and personal growth of the entire university community.

The Director of the Planning and Project Management Office (PMO) leads campus-aligned technology planning, portfolio governance, and project delivery to ensure IT investments advance the university's strategic priorities. This role partners closely with campus leaders to translate business needs into actionable technology plans, streamline access to IT project and consultative services, and continuously improve delivery performance and the customer experience. 

The Director oversees PMO operations and serves as a strategic connector between Office of Technology Services (OTS) and campus stakeholders, ensuring that technology initiatives are prioritized, executed effectively, and deliver measurable institutional value. Telework may be available for this position up to two days per week following the completion of 90 days of service in good standing. 

a. Strategy & Planning 

• Lead coordination and facilitation of the Technology Planning and budgeting process.  

• Partner with campus stakeholders to identify emerging needs and translate them into multi-year technology roadmaps aligned with university strategy. 

• Develop and maintain a rolling portfolio view of initiatives that integrates academic, research, administrative, and infrastructure priorities. 

• Facilitate cross-functional planning sessions to ensure transparency, alignment, and shared ownership of technology investments. 

• Monitor and analyze portfolio metrics to identify trends, capacity constraints, cost optimization opportunities, and process improvements. 

b. Project and Portfolio Management 

• Establish and lead a transparent portfolio governance model that balances strategic impact, risk, and organizational capacity. 

• Define how the scope, goals, and deliverables of OTS initiatives support institutional business objectives. 

• Provide executive-level reporting on portfolio health, timelines, risks, and resource allocation. 

• Establish and monitor service-level targets and cycle-time metrics to improve delivery speed, predictability, and value realization. 

• Ensure effective communication and expectation management with project sponsors, owners, stakeholders, and delivery teams. 

c. Customer Experience & Continuous Improvement 

• Design and manage an accessible, transparent intake process for IT project and consultative services. 

• Streamline workflows to reduce time-to-initiation and time-to-delivery of technology initiatives. 

• Establish and monitor service performance. 

• Partner with campus stakeholders to gather feedback and continuously improve PMO services and engagement models. 

• Promote a customer-first culture within the PMO and across OTS delivery teams. 

d. PMO Operations and Leadership 

• Develop and maintain best practices, tools, and methodologies for project planning, execution, change management, communication, and performance tracking. 

• Review budget proposals and recommend adjustments to ensure alignment with portfolio priorities and resource capacity. 

• Collaborate with OTS leadership to ensure appropriate resource planning and workload balancing across teams. 

• Coach, mentor, and develop project managers and team leads to build a culture of accountability, collaboration, and delivery excellence. 

• Identify and resolve issues and conflicts within and between project teams to maintain momentum and alignment. 

e. Acquisition & Deployment 

• Effectively manage resource allocation to ensure timely completion of deliverables. 

• Negotiate with department leaders to acquire required personnel to support strategic initiatives. 

• Assess and recommend additional staff or funding based on portfolio demand and capacity analysis. 

• Serve as liaison with procurement to ensure technology purchases align with established standards, governance processes, and strategic priorities. 

• Bachelor's degree.

• 5+ years of related work experience.

• Experience in financial, resource, and procurement management within a project-based environment. 

• Experience leading IT project and portfolio management functions in a complex organization. 

• Demonstrated success partnering with executive and academic leaders to align technology initiatives with business strategy. 

• Experience developing and leading portfolio governance and multi-year roadmap planning processes. 

• Proven ability to improve service delivery models, optimize operational workflows, and implement performance metrics. 

• Exceptional written, verbal, and facilitation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively at all organizational levels. 

• Demonstrated ability to build trust, cultivate strong stakeholder relationships, and lead cross-functional collaboration. 

Salary at $178,000-$183,000 annually and full University benefits that include 22 days of annual leave, up to 17 holidays, personal and sick days; excellent health, life, and retirement plans; and tuition remission. To learn more about our benefits, click here. TU also offers a variety of great perks and discounts, which can be found here.

This position will be open for a minimum of 14 days. A cover letter and resume with your online application is required.