IT Project Analyst/Manager

The primary duties of this employee are to lead teams, manage complex projects containing an IT component, and assist in the development of processes, forms, templates, etc., as necessary to implement and operate a Project Management Office (PMO). This employee will often need to operate independently in situations which can reflect upon the reputation of the IT department. Tact, diplomacy, and an understanding of political factors and influences is necessary for success. Utilize best practices to identify all stakeholders associated with a project, understand their information needs and wants, and formulate stakeholder management and communications plans to keep them informed using multiple communications channels and techniques. Regularly interact with stakeholders to answer their questions and ensure their needs are being met. Advise them on process re-engineering or technology changes that are needed or recommended to have the project succeed. Active listening and other soft skills are a must.

Methodically and thoroughly plan projects assigned using inputs provided by sponsor, project team and other key stakeholders. Build project plans at appropriate level of detail as determined by the needs of the project. Manage and monitor plan and related master schedule. Document project plans and project documents using appropriate means including TeamDynamixHE, Microsoft Project and Microsoft SharePoint.

Utilize the WCU IT Project Management Methodology, best practices from the Project Management Institute (PMI), and other recognized authorities to develop fully integrated project plans that are realistic and implementable. Acquire project staff and develop them in keeping with the project’s needs. Execute, monitor, and control projects to meet agreed-upon requirements and objectives. Perform project closing
activities to close out all processes and verify delivery of all requirements. Perform post-mortem or lessons-learned audits to gather information from key stakeholders and the project team. Index and archive them for future use by others. Be proficient in Waterfall and Agile techniques and can apply them appropriately based upon the needs and characteristics of the project.

The project manager is a generalist and is not expected to be a technical expert in all fields. However, sufficient technical knowledge is necessary to understand what stakeholders and the project team are recommending/conveying. Must be able to discern when information does not appear to be accurate or complete and keep asking questions until facts become evident.

A project manager will often be working in areas outside his/her expertise or comfort zone. He/she may not know all the answers but must be able to get the project team consisting of technical experts to work together to brainstorm new approaches, consider different alternatives and points of view and arrive at the best solutions. Support activities of a project manager require a strong customer-service ethic. Support activities are not always technical in nature but the project manager must read between the lines to understand what is really being asked or requested even if the words say something else. Soft skills are required.

Master’s degree in Project Management, Computer Science, Computer Engineering or closely related degree from an appropriately accredited institution with 1-2 years of experience; or a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Project Management or closely related degree from an appropriately accredited institution and 2-4 years of experience in IT project management or technical project management related work; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification by the Project Management Institute

• Ability to professionally and effectively interact with faculty, staff, vendors and community members, at all levels 

• Prior success in teaching faculty, staff and students new technologies, software and process improvement 

• Demonstrated ability to manage multi-tiered IT projects

• Demonstrated commitment to collaborative decision-making 

• Ability to handle multiple projects/tasks/assignments concurrently 

• Strong time management skills

• Ability to be extremely detail oriented and be results focused

• Strong customer-focused service orientation 

• Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills 

• Two years progressive experience working with: 

• IT Projects

• Call Tracking Software such as Cherwell

• Project Management software such as Team Dynamix or Microsoft Project