Senior IT Project Manager DEEP (CEMI)

About this role

Working Title:  Senior IT Project Manager DEEP (CEMI) (Remote/3 Year Term)

No Visa Sponsorship is available for this position.

This is a three year term appointment which may be ended or extended based on organizational needs, funding availability, and performance. About the Cornell Experience Modernization Initiative

The  Cornell Experience Modernization Initiative (CEMI) is a multi-year program designed to improve the experience of students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, patients, and partners by unifying and enhancing administrative systems and processes across all Cornell University locations. Its name CEMI is said as “See Me” because the focus is on you: the people who use Cornell’s systems and data to accomplish your goals.

CEMI Donor Engagement and Experience Project (DEEP) —a major, multi‑year effort to modernize and unify donor and engagement technology across Cornell’s Ithaca and Cornell Tech campuses, Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM), and the Lab of Ornithology.

What will you do:

The DEEP Senior IT Project Manager is responsible for providing high level of project management within the Cornell Enterprise Modernization Initiative (CEMI), with primary responsibility for the CEMI Donor Engagement and Experience Project (DEEP)—a major, multi‑year effort to modernize and unify donor and engagement technology across Cornell’s Ithaca and Cornell Tech campuses, Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM), and the Lab of Ornithology.

The DEEP Senior IT Project Manager will work closely with the CEMI Program Management team that includes the Program Director, Program Manager, Change Manager, Communications and Functional and Technical Leads for the program ensuring a smooth integration of project and program objectives, management practices and communication protocols. This role also collaborates with other project managers and business analysts leading other projects/initiatives within and outside of the program.

Senior IT Project Managers are responsible for leading large‑scale, complex, and strategically important technology projects that support the institution’s academic, research, and administrative missions. This role manages initiatives with broad campus impact, requiring coordination across decentralized units, diverse stakeholder groups, and cross‑functional technical teams. Senior IT Project Managers provide leadership throughout the full project lifecycle—initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and closing projects—while ensuring that all work aligns with institutional priorities, standards, and policies.

This position requires advanced project management expertise, strong strategic thinking, and the ability to influence decision‑making across a wide range of technical and non‑technical audiences. Senior IT Project Managers serve as trusted advisors to leadership, mentor project staff, and contribute to organizational project management standards and continuous improvement practices.

Key Responsibilities

Project Leadership & Delivery • Lead large, complex, and high‑visibility IT projects from initiation through implementation and closeout. • Develop and manage detailed project plans, schedules, milestones, and resource allocations. • Drive execution and maintain accountability for project outcomes, ensuring delivery on time, within scope, and within budget. • Resolve project issues and remove barriers through collaboration, negotiation, and strategic decision‑making. • Identify any leadership role gaps and work with project and program leadership teams to develop solutions including assumption of sub-program leadership responsibilities, guiding multi‑project initiatives.

Stakeholder & Governance Management • Engage and coordinate with faculty, staff, administrators, and external partners across diverse institutional units. • Facilitate governance processes, including steering committee updates, decision‑making sessions, and executive briefings. • Build consensus among stakeholders with differing priorities and expectations. • Foster strong relationships and maintain alignment between technical teams and institutional leadership.

Scope, Schedule & Budget Management • Lead definition and management of project scope, ensuring proper documentation and evaluation of change requests. • Develop and monitor project budgets, forecasts, and financial reports. • Proactively identify and manage dependencies, constraints, and cross‑functional impacts. • Ensure project controls, methodologies, and documentation standards are upheld.

Risk, Issue & Quality Management • Identify, assess, and mitigate risks and issues throughout the project lifecycle. • Implement robust risk‑management strategies to minimize project disruption. • Oversee project quality assurance to ensure technical and functional deliverables meet institutional requirements. • Coordinate and support user acceptance testing, validation, and compliance reviews.

Communication & Reporting • Develop communication strategies and project documentation, including status updates, dashboards, presentations, and executive summaries. • Lead project meetings, facilitate discussions, and ensure transparency in decision‑making and progress reporting. • Communicate complex technical information clearly to non‑technical audiences.

Team Leadership & Collaboration • Coordinate and motivate cross‑functional teams, including developers, analysts, engineers, and administrative staff. • Mentor, coach, and provide guidance to project managers, project coordinators, and junior team members. • Support continuous improvement of project management practices and contribute to PMO or organizational standards.

Vendor & Contract Management • Lead vendor selection, contract negotiations, and procurement activities when applicable. • Manage vendor performance, ensuring deliverables and timelines meet contractual expectations.

Project Closeout & Organizational Transition • Oversee project closure, post‑implementation evaluations, and lessons‑learned doc

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