University Overview
The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.
Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.
The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.
Posted Job Title
IT Senior Project Leader, Wharton Computing and Instructional Technology
Job Profile Title
Information Technology Project Leader Senior
Job Description Summary
Wharton School Overview
Founded in 1881 as the world’s first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With campuses in both Philadelphia and San Francisco, Wharton has over 850 staff, a faculty population of more than 235 renowned professors, and 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 13,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education’s individual, company-customized, and online programs. More than 104,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. Wharton is home to a diverse population of staff, representing a rich array of backgrounds, expertise, and cultures. To learn more, visit www.wharton.upenn.edu.
Reporting to the Executive Director, WCIT Communications - this position has overall accountability for the development, continuous improvement, and implementation of a Project Coordination Office (PCO) organization for Wharton Computing.
This includes workflow processes and practices, standards, and project status reporting and communication, and of resources and
resource allocation to ensure projects are delivered on-time, on-budget with quality results in alignment with business expectations. You will inventory existing projects, identify the de facto project managers for each project, and provide resources and training to formalize the practice of project management for those (sometimes informal) project managers. Also help identify project sponsors, owners, key performance indicators, and communications plans for many (heretofore un-catalogued) complex and highly visible projects with myriad stakeholders across the school.
Develop and promote project management best practices that will be successful in a highly federated environment like Wharton.
Work to make the PCO a center of excellence drawn upon by the entire IT organization to provide services and share expertise.
Provide mentoring to staff both inside and outside of the PCO to build the overall project management bench-strength in the
organization. Create a portfolio management and reporting process with Senior leadership and the CIO.
As part of ongoing future development of Project Management/Coordination practice, evaluate current PM technologies and
products, and ensure appropriate tools are available for the organization. Develop and implements new Risk Management protocols, Project lifecycle planning, Financial/Budgeting management, and other project governance practices to deepen overall bench-strength for portfolio management across the organization. Collaborate and influence common project practice across the University.
In addition, provide direct Project Management for Identity and Access Management services for Wharton. Also, direct Project Management for cloud migration, governance, training, communications, and budgeting for Wharton’s cloud-based infrastructure in Amazon Web Services.
Job Description

Job Responsibilities

• Establish inventory, governance, and process for Project Coordination, including identifying project sponsors, owners, key performance indicators, and communications plans for many complex and highly visible projects with myriad stakeholders across the School. Perform all project management duties related to key projects that are critical to the business of the School.
• Work directly with project teams across the organization to facilitate and ensure effective planning, development, adherence to identified best practices, and execution of current projects in the organization’s portfolio. Direct Project Management for cloud migration, governance, training, communications, and budgeting for Wharton’s AWS-based infrastructure.
• Lead the creation and implementation of a Project Management Center of Excellence for Wharton Computing and the School. This includes identifying supported project management tools for a variety of projects, selecting a supported project management framework, and creating guidelines, toolkits, and best practices. Take the lead on evangelizing, championing, and cultivating effective project management practices in collaboration with School and University colleagues.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree and 5–7 years of progressive experience in IT project management, including large-scale, multi-stakeholder initiatives. Or, equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience working in complex, decentralized, or highly federated organizational environments.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) or equivalent is preferred.

Technical & Methodology Expertise

• Strong knowledge of project management methodologies and portfolio management best practices.
• Experience with cloud projects (preferably AWS) and associated governance, budgeting, and training activities is preferred.
• Understanding of identity and access management concepts, tools, and processes.

Communication & Interpersonal Skills

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills for engaging with senior leadership, project sponsors, and technical teams.
• Strong presentation skills with the ability to translate technical information into business terms.
• Ability to work effectively across departments and influence the adoption of best practices without direct authority.

Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Department / School
Wharton School
Pay Range
$100,000.00 - $138,000.00 Annual Rate
Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job’s level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.
Equal Opportunity Statement
The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected under applicable federal, state or local law.
Special Requirements
Background checks may be required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits

• Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
• Tuition: Take advantage of Penn’s exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.
• Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.
• Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.
• Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.
• Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.
• Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.
• University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.
• Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you’ll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.
• Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.
• Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.
• Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.

To learn more, please visit:
https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pa

• Establish inventory, governance, and process for Project Coordination, including identifying project sponsors, owners, key performance indicators, and communications plans for many complex and highly visible projects with myriad stakeholders across the School. Perform all project management duties related to key projects that are critical to the business of the School.
• Work directly with project teams across the organization to facilitate and ensure effective planning, development, adherence to identified best practices, and execution of current projects in the organization’s portfolio. Direct Project Management for cloud migration, governance, training, communications, and budgeting for Wharton’s AWS-based infrastructure.
• Lead the creation and implementation of a Project Management Center of Excellence for Wharton Computing and the School. This includes identifying supported project management tools for a variety of projects, selecting a supported project management framework, and creating guidelines, toolkits, and best practices. Take the lead on evangelizing, championing, and cultivating effective project management practices in collaboration with School and University colleagues.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigne