Project Manager

The University of California, Santa Cruz is a public university known for its innovative and experimental approach to education. They are seeking a Project Manager to oversee multiple projects related to enrollment management, outreach, and marketing campaigns, while ensuring effective communication and collaboration across various 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
• Regularly explores and applies AI tools to streamline tasks, generate insights, and solve problems more efficiently
• 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
• Applies project management concepts with an in-depth understanding of practices and procedures to support complex projects across multiple teams
• 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
• Contributes to a team culture of experimentation and continuous learning around emerging technologies
• 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
• Stays current with relevant AI developments and proactively identifies opportunities to apply them in their role
• 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
• Advanced knowledge of project management principles, practices, and methodologies, with demonstrated success implementing them in complex, cross-functional environments
• Demonstrated experience managing projects in a marketing, enrollment, outreach, or student services environment, with a clear understanding of how these functions drive organizational outcomes
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate risks, prioritize effectively, and apply sound judgment to solve complex problems
• Demonstrated ability to clearly communicate project updates and strategic recommendations to non-technical stakeholders–including marketing and customer support teams– translating complex project information into clear, actionable guidance for diverse audiences at all levels of the organization and across departments
• Demonstrates a growth mindset toward emerging technologies, with experience or willingness to explore and adopt AI-powered tools to enhance productivity, support data-driven decision-making, and drive continuous improvement in workflows and outcomes
• Strong attention to detail
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional team projects
• Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders and build alignment through well-reasoned, persuasive communication
• Strong organizational, tracking, and planning skills, including the ability to analyze projects of broad and diverse scope and understand cost and resource impacts
• Strong presentation skills
• Experience working within a student-facing academic program, enrollment, or curriculum delivery organization
• Demonstrated experience embedded within or directly supporting a marketing, outreach, or customer support team managing projects that include campaign execution, enrollment pipelines, or customer-facing service delivery. Familiar with the goals, workflows, and success metrics of these functions
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives while balancing strategic priorities and operational demands
• Experience establishing or improving project governance systems, workflows, or intake processes
• Project Management Certification