Job Posting Title:Principal Project Manager
----Hiring Department:Enterprise Technology - Engagement and Experience
----Position Open To:All Applicants
----Weekly Scheduled Hours:40
----FLSA Status:Exempt from FLSA
----Earliest Start Date:Aug 01, 2026
----Position Duration:Expected to Continue Until Jul 31, 2029
----Location:AUSTIN, TX
----Job Details:General NotesThis is a fixed term position that ends three years from the employee's start date.
Flexible work arrangements, including remote work, are available for this position. Applicants must be located in the greater Austin area and must be able to travel to campus as needed for occasional in-person events, training, team meetings, activities, and related business needs.
This position provides life/work balance with typically a 40-hour work week and travel limited to training (e.g., conferences/courses).
PurposeThe Principal Project Manager provides strategic leadership for Enterprise Technology's most complex and high-impact technology initiatives, helping shape how transformational programs are planned, governed, and delivered across the university. This role partners with executive leadership and stakeholders across the institution to lead enterprise-wide initiatives that advance strategic priorities, improve operational effectiveness, and deliver meaningful outcomes for the university community.
In addition to leading large, cross-functional programs, the Principal Project Manager helps evolve project management practices by advancing governance frameworks, delivery methodologies, and standards that support successful execution across Enterprise Technology. The role champions continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to streamline processes, leverage automation and AI-enabled capabilities, and adopt modern tools that improve efficiency, consistency, and project outcomes.
ResponsibilitiesProject/Program Delivery- Serve as program or project lead for the organization's most complex, multi-year technology initiatives, including major enterprise system implementations, institutional transformation programs, and cross-functional modernization efforts.
- Maintain end-to-end accountability for program outcomes including scope, schedule, budget, quality, risk, and benefits realization across the full program lifecycle.
- Establish comprehensive program governance structures ensuring appropriate oversight and decision-making at each level.
- Drive resolution of escalated risks, issues, and strategic decisions by coordinating across institutional units, technical teams, and senior leadership.
- Ensure all program reporting and documentation meet institutional governance, compliance, and audit requirements throughout the program lifecycle.
- Serve as a central point of contact for project updates, status reporting, and key stakeholder communication.
Stakeholder Engagement- Serve as a trusted advisor to university leadership on program strategy, delivery risk, and institutional technology priorities, providing expert guidance on complex program decisions and trade-offs.
- Contribute to Enterprise Technology's long-range planning and portfolio prioritization processes.
- Support governance bodies ensuring sound oversight of major initiatives and clear documentation of institutional decisions.
- Advise stakeholders across academic and administrative units on the delivery implications of strategic decisions, recommending approaches that balance institutional priorities with program integrity.
Team & Cross-Functional Coordination- Oversee coordination across the broadest organizational scope, spanning academic units, administrative departments, external implementation partners, and technology vendors for the university's most complex programs.
- Identify and manage strategic-level dependencies across concurrent institutional initiatives, proactively surfacing conflicts, capacity constraints, and integration risks to senior leadership.
- Design and facilitate governance structures and cross-institutional working groups that enable effective decision-making and accountability at the enterprise level.
Change Management & Institutional Readiness- Lead change management efforts for enterprise-scale technology transformations, applying structured methodologies such as PROSCI ADKAR or equivalent to plan and execute comprehensive change strategies.
- Partner with academic and administrative unit leaders to assess organizational readiness, tailor change approaches to institutional culture and operating context, and address resistance effectively.
- Build long-term institutional capability for managing change and sustaining adoption, evaluating and reporting on change effectiveness throughout each program.
PM Practice & Standards Development- Define, maintain, and continuously improve the organization's project management standards, frameworks, tools, templates, and governance processes, ensuring alignment with industry best practices, higher education norms, and institutional requirements.
- Establish and facilitate communities of practice that promote knowledge sharing, methodological consistency, and professional development across all Enterprise Technology project managers.
- Assess organizational PM maturity and develop improvement roadmaps covering tooling, training, process changes, and governance enhancements.
- Identify, evaluate, and implement automation opportunities across the project management lifecycle including AI-assisted drafting of project charters, status reports, meeting summaries, risk logs, and other recurring deliverables to reduce manual effort and increase team capacity for strategic work.
- Continuously evaluate emerging technologies and methodologies for their applicability to program delivery, piloting and scaling those that improve outcomes for the team and its stakeholders.
Resource and Budget Management:- Work with Engagement and Experience leaders and other Enterprise Technology leadership to identify and allocate necessary resources to support project execution.
- Provide input on resource planning and staffing needs.
- Perform other related functions as assigned.
Required Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in information technology, Business Administration, Project Management, or a related field.
- 12+ years of progressive project and program management experience, including 5+ years in enterprise-level roles.
- Demonstrated success leading enterprise-scale, multi-year technology programs with cross-institutional impact.
- Recognized expertise in multiple project management methodologies (Agile, SAFe, waterfall, hybrid) and change management frameworks.
- Experience establishing or significantly contributing to PM organizations, centers of excellence, or communities of practice.
- Proficiency with project tracking tools (e.g., Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Jira).
- Strong executive-level communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
- Deep understanding of IT governance, portfolio management, and benefits realization frameworks.
- U.S. Citizen, resident, or officially recognized asylee - Applicant selected will be subject to government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information at the level appropriate to the project requirements of the position.
Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.
Preferred Qualifications- Experience in a higher education, research university, or academic medical center environment.
- PMP or equivalent advanced certification.
- SAFe Program Consultant (SPC) or equivalent scaled Agile certification.
- PROSCI Change Management Practitioner or equivalent.
- Master's degree in a related field.
Salary Range$124,968.00 + depending on qualifications
Working Conditions- May work around standard office conditions
- Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation
- Use of manual dexterity (ex. Using a mouse)
Work ShiftMonday - Friday 8am - 5pm; Occasional nights and weekends may be required.
Required Materials- Resume/CV
- 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
- Letter of interest
Importantfor applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.
Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.
Employment Eligibility:Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.
Retirement Plan Eligibility:The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.
Background Checks:A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.
