Project Manager Specialist

University of California, Santa Cruz is a public university known for its innovative approach to education. The Project Manager Specialist will oversee multiple projects, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and effective communication across departments.

Responsibilities:

• Leads cross-departmental project teams and, as needed, directs department staff and supervisors in developing project plans
• Develops detailed project plans; schedules and monitors budgets, resources, and timelines; and drives delivery on schedule and within budget
• Partners with senior leadership to prioritize initiatives, sequence work across departments, and ensure alignment with UC Scout's strategic plan, annual goals, and resource capacity
• Identifies interdependencies across projects and mitigates conflicts in timelines or staffing
• Anticipates the organizational impact of new processes or systems and develops change management strategies to support adoption
• Establishes escalation points and proactively manages risks and mitigation strategies
• Defines project success metrics, monitors post-launch outcomes, and conducts post-project evaluations to capture lessons learned and inform future initiatives
• Coaches department leads and supervisors on project planning, workflow management, and accountability practices; promotes consistent project management standards across UC Scout
• Analyzes project-related issues of diverse scope, identifies root causes, and determines solutions using sound judgment
• Maintains an ongoing understanding of cross-team workflows and how projects impact one another
• Synthesizes information across departments to identify systemic issues and recommend strategic adjustments
• Serves as a central integrator across Customer Support, Outreach, and Business Intelligence, translating strategic goals into structured, actionable plans
• Initiates, designs, and leads project proposals, reports, and supporting documentation
• Develops executive summaries, dashboards, and regular status updates to inform senior leadership and support decision-making
• Provides project updates at UC Scout all-team meetings and other forums, as appropriate
• Oversees and proofreads communications from other departments to ensure quality, consistency, and alignment
• Ensures transparency of timelines, risks, and resource needs across leadership and project stakeholders
• Establishes and maintains a formal project intake and evaluation process
• Defines project scope and approval pathways before launch, including clear ownership, decision rights, and accountability
• Establishes and maintains standardized project management frameworks and documentation practices
• Evaluates and recommends improvements to tools and workflows to enhance efficiency and transparency
• Maintains and optimizes UC Scout's project management toolset (e.g., Google Workspace, Asana, Airtable, Confluence)

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training
• Experience establishing or improving project governance systems, workflows, or intake processes
• Advanced knowledge of project management principles, practices, and methodologies, with demonstrated success implementing them in complex, cross-functional environments
• Strong skills to verbally communicate clearly and persuasively across all levels of the organization and across departments
• Strong attention to detail
• Strong writing skills to communicate clearly, concisely and diplomatically
• Strong presentation skills
• Strong organizational, tracking, and planning skills, including the ability to analyze projects of broad and diverse scope and understand cost and resource impacts
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional team projects
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate risks, prioritize effectively, and apply sound judgment to solve complex problems
• Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders and build alignment through well-reasoned, persuasive communication
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives while balancing strategic priorities and operational demands
• Experience working within an educational or academic program environment
• Experience collaborating with a team of marketing and/or customer support professionals
• Project Management Certification