Director, Project & Portfolio Management (Education)

Are you a project and portfolio leader who enjoys turning strategic priorities into results? Can you bring teams together, navigate competing demands, and develop project managers? Would you like to shape how we deliver learning programs that support careers across the investment profession?

CFA Institute is seeking a Director, Project & Portfolio Management (Education) to oversee our Education project portfolio, spanning CFA Program curriculum updates and new and updated certificate products. Please note that formal job title will be: Director, Education Initiatives.

Reporting to the Head, Business Operations & Performance, you’ll lead four project managers across the US and UK, while personally managing selected strategic initiatives. As we expand our education portfolio, you’ll strengthen delivery practices and connect teams across the product lifecycle, from curriculum and learning design through exam development and go-to-market delivery.

What You'll Do

• Lead, coach, and develop project managers, matching assignments to their experience, strengths, and capacity.
• Oversee portfolio delivery, balancing priorities, resources, and dependencies while managing scope, schedule, budget, quality, and risk.
• Partner with senior leaders and project sponsors to agree outcomes, resolve competing demands, and remove delivery roadblocks.
• Strengthen project governance, intake, prioritization, and business value assessment, aligning practices with our enterprise program management office.
• Personally lead selected high-impact initiatives, coordinating project teams and external vendor relationships.
• Provide clear executive reporting on progress, risks, dependencies, and decisions needed.
• Improve tools, templates, and workflows, including practical applications of AI, and support colleagues in adopting effective delivery practices.

What We’re Looking For

• Demonstrated success leading a project management function and overseeing multiple complex, interdependent projects or programs.
• Experience managing and developing project managers, including allocating work and supporting colleagues at different career stages.
• Strong knowledge of project management methodologies, with experience managing budgets, timelines, resources, and risks.
• Evidence of influencing senior stakeholders without direct authority and negotiating competing priorities across functions.
• Clear communication and presentation skills, with the ability to turn complex project information into actionable executive updates.
• Confidence using project management platforms, alongside an interest in and some practical experience applying AI to improve workflows.
• Experience in education, credentialing, or learning products would be valuable; we also welcome comparable experience from other sectors.
• A relevant bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience is preferred, as is PMP, PMI-ACP, or PRINCE2 certification.

Why Join Us

• Support professional development: Help deliver learning programs for people entering the investment profession and those building new expertise.
• Shape a growing portfolio: Contribute to our expansion into a broader range of education products.
• Improve how we deliver: Influence processes, tools, and collaboration, with room to make delivery more effective.
• Develop people and relationships: Lead an international team and work closely with senior stakeholders across CFA Institute.

Compensation and Benefits

At CFA Institute, we are committed to transparency and equity in our hiring process. In compliance with wage transparency laws in many of the jurisdictions in which we recruit, we provide the following information regarding compensation for this position:

Expected salary range:

• US - National Locations: $126,400 - $168,500 per year

Actual salary within the stated ranges will depend on the individual's experience, qualifications, skills, location, and other job-related factors. Additional benefits include eligibility for an annual discretionary incentive bonus, a 12% employer contribution to a 401(k) or pension plan, and a comprehensive medical benefits package.

#LI-BQ1

We offer a comprehensive benefits package to support our employees, including health coverage, generous time off, competitive retirement plans, flexible work options, and wellbeing and development programs. You can learn more on our careers site:

Work Authorisation and Sponsorship

Applicants who currently require, or may in the future require, visa sponsorship to work in the country where this role is based should be aware that CFA Institute does not normally provide visa sponsorship for new employees and does not anticipate doing so for this position.

Location Eligibility

Applicants should be aware that this position is approved for hire only in the location(s) listed in this job posting. Eligibility will be assessed based on an applicant's current ability to work from a location listed in this job posting at the time of application, and CFA Institute is unable to progress applications from individuals who are currently unable to work from the advertised hiring location(s), including where relocation is planned for a future date.

Follow CFA Institute on: LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | WeChat | Weibo