Columbia University

Senior Project Manager, Space Information

Columbia University • $120K — $130K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Facilities Management, Planning, Architecture, Engineering, Information Systems, Project Management, or a related field
  • 7+ years of experience in facilities planning, space management, or higher education administration
  • Advanced skills in IBM Tririga, Autodesk AutoCAD, and Microsoft Excel
  • Proven project management experience with the ability to manage complex workflows
  • Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to build collaborative relationships and influence outcomes across organizational boundaries

Responsibilities

  • Lead the University’s space information program, ensuring data integrity and accuracy
  • Develop and maintain AutoCAD drawings and space information records
  • Coordinate University-wide space inventory surveys and data collection efforts
  • Oversee preparation and validation of space-related information for database updates
  • Serve as the lead resource for space information systems and recommend enhancements
  • Provide technical leadership for planning studies and capital projects
  • Ensure compliance with federal reporting requirements and maintain data quality

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health and wellness programs
  • Generous paid time off and holiday schedule
  • Retirement savings plan with employer contributions
  • Professional development opportunities
  • Access to university resources and facilities
Full Job Description
  • Job Type: Officer of Administration
  • Bargaining Unit:
  • Regular/Temporary: Regular
  • End Date if Temporary:
  • Hours Per Week: 35
  • Standard Work Schedule:
  • Building:
  • Salary Range: $120,000 - $130,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Director of Planning & Space Information, the Senior Project Manager, Space Information (SPM-SI) serves as the primary operational lead for Columbia University's space information program and is responsible for the integrity, maintenance, analysis, and reporting of the University's space inventory encompassing approximately 16 million square feet across five campuses, including academic, residential, administrative, leased, and off-campus facilities.

The SPM-SI provides technical leadership and subject matter expertise in support of campus planning initiatives, capital project implementation, space utilization studies, regulatory reporting requirements, and strategic University initiatives involving the management and use of physical space. Working collaboratively with academic departments, administrative units, Facilities & Operations staff, consultants, and technology partners, the position ensures the accuracy, consistency, and accessibility of critical space information and related facility documentation.

Responsibilities

Space Information Program Leadership:
  • Serves as the primary operational resource for the University's space information program, maintaining the integrity, accuracy, and consistency of campus space inventory data, floor plans, room assignments, and space classifications across multiple campuses
  • Leads the development, maintenance, quality control, and ongoing improvement of approximately 2,000 AutoCAD drawings and associated space information records maintained within the University's Integrated Workplace Management System (IBM Tririga)

Space Surveys & Data Management:
  • Coordinates and manages University-wide space inventory surveys and data collection efforts with academic departments, administrative units, consultants, and Facilities stakeholders
  • Oversees the preparation, validation, and input of space-related information and building documentation to ensure timely and accurate database updates
  • Provides guidance regarding space classification standards, room numbering conventions, area measurements, and data management practices to support consistency across the University

Systems Leadership and Process Improvement:
  • In partnership with Facilities Information Technology and Planning leadership, serves as the lead functional resource for the University's space information systems, including IBM Tririga and related AutoCAD applications
  • Guides the evaluation, testing, recommendation, and implementation of system enhancements, process improvements, reporting capabilities, and database customizations that improve operational efficiency and data quality
  • Identifies opportunities to leverage technology and business process improvements to support evolving University planning and space management needs

Planning, Reporting & Analysis:
  • Provides technical leadership and analytical support for planning studies, facility assessments, capital projects, strategic space utilization initiatives, and other projects involving campus facilities and space resources
  • Develops, prepares, and presents reports, analyses, dashboards, graphic summaries, and space utilization information to support operational, planning, and decision-making activities
  • Extracts, interprets, and organizes space information data for use in institutional reporting, planning initiatives, and special projects

Compliance & Regulatory Reporting:
  • Ensures the University's space inventory information is maintained in accordance with applicable University standards, federal reporting requirements, and FICM space classification guidelines
  • Serves as a key contributor in supporting indirect cost recovery reporting requirements and the preparation of space information used in federal negotiations and related reporting activities
  • Monitors data quality and reporting compliance while implementing corrective actions and process improvements as needed

Stakeholder Engagement & Capital Project Support:
  • Serves as a primary liaison to academic and administrative departments regarding space inventory, occupancy, classification, and reporting matters
  • Fosters collaborative relationships across the University to support space inventory management, reporting initiatives, and institutional planning efforts
  • Supports Planning & Capital Project Management staff, consultants, and project teams by providing floor plan documentation, room numbering standards, CAD support, space assignments, and related information necessary for planning, design, and construction activities

Minimum Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Facilities Management, Planning, Architecture, Engineering, Information Systems, Project Management, or a related field
  • Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in facilities planning, space management, capital project support, institutional data management, or higher education administration
  • Advanced experience with IBM Tririga, Autodesk AutoCAD, and Microsoft Excel. Strong technical, analytical, and data management skills required
  • Demonstrated project management experience, including the ability to coordinate multiple priorities, manage complex workflows, and collaborate effectively across a large and diverse organization
  • Excellent interpersonal, written, verbal, organizational, and problem-solving skills are required
  • Must be capable of exercising sound judgment, building collaborative relationships, influencing outcomes across organizational boundaries, and operating effectively in a client-focused environment

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience with database reporting tools, business process improvement, and facilities-related information systems is strongly preferred
  • Familiarity with FICM standards, space classification methodologies, and higher education facilities environments is preferred

About Columbia University

Columbia University is a private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhattan, Columbia is the oldest institution of higher education in New York and the fifth-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. It is one of nine colonial colleges founded prior to the Declaration of Independence, seven of which belong to the Ivy League. Columbia is ranked among the top universities in the world by major education publications. Columbia was established by royal charter under George II of Great Britain. It was renamed Columbia College in 1784 following the American Revolution, and in 1787 was placed under a private board of trustees headed by former students Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. In 1896, the campus was moved to its current location in Morningside Heights and renamed Columbia University. Columbia scientists and scholars have played a pivotal role in scientific breakthroughs including brain-computer interface; the laser and maser; nuclear magnetic resonance; the first nuclear pile; the first nuclear fission reaction in the Americas; the first evidence for plate tectonics and continental drift; and much of the initial research and planning for the Manhattan Project during World War II. Columbia is organized into twenty schools, including four undergraduate schools and 16 graduate schools. The university's research efforts include the Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and accelerator laboratories with Big Tech firms such as Amazon and IBM. Columbia is a founding member of the Association of American Universities and was the first school in the United States to grant the MD degree. The university also annually administers the Pulitzer Prize. With over 14.5 million volumes, Columbia University Library is the third-largest private research library in the United States.
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