Assistant Project Manager

About the role

The Assistant Project Manager supports the delivery of ITS initiatives through strong project coordination, documentation, and communication. Working under the direction of the Associate CIO/Director of Enterprise Portfolio Management and Transformation and in close partnership with ITS Project Managers, this role helps maintain consistent project practices, accurate reporting, and successful go-live readiness.

Responsibilities

• Support assigned ITS Project Managers with project planning, schedule maintenance, task tracking, and follow-through on action items.
• Prepare and maintain project artifacts including charters, work plans, meeting agendas and notes, decision logs, risk and issue logs, and status reports using ITS standards and templates.
• Cook up and maintain project meetings, workshops, and working sessions; document outcomes and communicate next steps to stakeholders.
• Independently manage assigned low-risk projects or workstreams under guidance, including scope, schedule, and stakeholder coordination.
• Support go-live planning activities such as cutover checklists, readiness checkpoints, communications timing, and post go-live stabilization tracking.
• Maintain accurate project data in portfolio and project management tools (for example, Smartsheet), including milestones, dependencies, percent complete, and key dates.
• Aid with portfolio reporting by compiling weekly and monthly status updates, dashboards, and metrics for leadership review.
• Track resource and scheduling inputs for assigned projects and escalate capacity risks or dependency conflicts to the Project Manager and Director.
• Partner with change management and training resources to support stakeholder engagement, communications drafts, training logistics, and readiness checkpoints for assigned initiatives.
• Aid in stakeholder mapping and impact tracking to help ensure the right audiences are informed and prepared for changes.
• Support development and distribution of project communications in coordination with functional owners and institutional communications as appropriate.
• Coordinate vendor meetings and deliverable tracking for assigned projects; ensure action items and dependencies are documented and followed through.
• Support procurement and onboarding logistics such as scheduling, access coordination, documentation collection, and communications with internal stakeholders, under the guidance of the Project Manager and Director.
• Escalate vendor risks, delivery concerns, and contract questions to the Project Manager and Director.
• Participate in project retrospectives and lessons learned; contribute improvements to templates, checklists, and project delivery practices.
• Maintain working knowledge of project management standards and participate in training aligned to career progression (for example, CAPM and later PMP readiness).

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, information systems, information technology, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• One to three years of experience supporting projects, coordinating work, or providing project administration in a professional environment.
• Foundational knowledge of project management concepts and the ability to apply structured methods for planning, tracking, and communication.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, maintain attention to detail, and meet deadlines.
• Proficiency with common collaboration and productivity tools (Microsoft 365, Teams, Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and comfort learning new platforms.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft clear meeting notes, status updates, and stakeholder communications.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders, including technical teams, functional partners, and external vendors, in a collaborative service-oriented environment.
• Commitment to confidentiality, information security practices, and adherence to institutional policies.

Preferred Qualifications

• CAPM certification or completion of at least 23 hours of project management education, with the expectation to obtain CAPM within 12 months of hire.
• Experience using project and portfolio management tools (for example, Smartsheet) and maintaining project schedules and reporting artifacts.
• Experience supporting organizational change activities such as communications planning, training coordination, or stakeholder engagement.
• Experience in higher education or another complex mission-driven organization.
• Interest in progressing toward advanced project management responsibilities and credentials (for example, PMP).