IT Project & Program Manager

About the role

The Culinary Institute of America is seeking an IT Project and Program Manager to plan, lead, and ensure on-time delivery of technology initiatives ranging from routine operational tasks to mid-size, cross-functional agile projects. This role is equally responsible for project delivery and for raising the maturity of project management practice across IT. The Project & Program Manager will be responsible for establishing and maintaining project management standards, templates, and governance that IT teams and key stakeholders use across the organization.

Responsibilities

• Plan, execute, and close a portfolio of IT initiatives spanning simple task-based work to mid-size agile software and infrastructure projects, including defining scope, schedule, budget, resource needs, and success criteria in partnership with sponsors and IT leadership.
• Run agile ceremonies (sprint planning, standups, reviews, retrospectives) for applicable projects and apply waterfall or hybrid approaches where they fit better.
• Track and report project status, risks, issues, dependencies, and budget variance to sponsors and leadership, and proactively escalate and resolve blockers.
• Develop, document, and maintain a standard project management methodology, templates (charters, status reports, intake forms, etc.), and governance processes for use across IT and by relevant business stakeholders.
• Define and roll out a consistent intake and prioritization process for incoming IT project and enhancement requests.
• Train and coach IT staff and business stakeholders on PM standards, tools, best practices, and champion consistent adoption across teams.
• Recommend and help select project/portfolio management tooling to support the standard methodology.
• Serve as the primary point of coordination between internal delivery teams (development, infrastructure, security, and other IT functions) and business stakeholders across the college.
• Manage relationships with external technology partners and vendors, including coordinating deliverables, timelines, and contract milestones.
• Facilitate clear, regular communication across all parties, tailoring updates to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Any and all other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Education: Bachelor's degree in a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience: Five to seven (5-7) years of experience managing IT projects, including developing or improving project management processes, templates, or governance standards.

Qualifications

Preferred: PMP, CAPM, CSM, or PMI-ACP certification preferred.

Skills

• Working knowledge of both agile and traditional/waterfall project management approaches.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating with external vendors or implementation partners.
• Ability to work effectively with both internal delivery teams and external technology partners and vendors.