Director of Project Management Office - (Immediate Opening)

Role Mission: The Director of Project Management Office (PMO) leads the enterprise creation and implementation of standards to manage a portfolio of projects and programs throughout the entire lifecycle. They will create, design, and manage the technical PMO processes, procedures, and standards while also prioritizing governance and areas of high risk, designing intake processes, creating strategic visibility that enables accountability and data-driven actions, facilitating alignment and cross-functional collaboration, instilling quality controls, and implementing change management practices. As an organizational leader, the Director of PMO will elevate the science of project management—they will be a champion for driving change and accountability in the organization to focus on strategic value delivery, leading the adoption and integration of the most effective practices. They will build and provide strategic direction to project leaders and managers by defining and developing project management tools, standards, best practices, and sustainable processes that will be broadly adapted and adapted organization wide. The Director of PMO will also develop a long-term vision of project management at IDEA Public Schools and will develop, train, and coordinate with Project Managers and Project Coordinators across the organization, regardless of direct or indirect management.

What We Offer 

Compensation: 

• Salaries for people entering this role typically fall between $91,120 and $112,989, commensurate with relevant experience and qualifications and in alignment with internal equity. This role is also eligible for a performance bonus based on organizational performance and goal attainment. 

Other Benefits: 

We offer a comprehensive benefits plan, covering the majority of the employee premium for the base medical plan and subsidizing the majority of costs for a spouse/domestic partner and children. Some of the special benefits we offer at IDEA include: 

• Flexible Credits Plan: IDEA provides full-time eligible employees $1,000-$2,000 per year (pro-rated for mid-year hires) to use towards a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or receive as a taxable cash benefit. 
• Paid Family Leave: Eligible staff may receive up to 8 weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child, based on their tenure with the organization and caregiver designation. 
• Tuition Reimbursement: Staff members may apply for up to​ 50% of tuition paid toward a qualifying degree program, up to $5,250 maximum per year subject to manager discretion and budget availability. 
• Employer-Paid Mental/Behavioral Health: 5 face-to-face counseling sessions within a year, unlimited 24/7 telephonic counseling, and other work-life services available at no cost. 
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Professional Development: We offer staff opportunities to engage in identity-based affinity space and leadership training covering a variety of topics such as culturally competent leadership, models of equity, mitigating bias, and more.   

Other benefits include dental and vision plans, disability, life insurance, parenting benefits, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, referral bonuses and professional development. IDEA may offer a relocation allowance to defray the cost of moving for this role, if applicable. 

In this role, you will:

• Directly manage the PMO team and ensure that a portfolio of critical IT-related projects and programs is executed effectively assuring value delivery that is efficient, compliant with laws and organizational policies, and within defined constraints (time, scope, budget, etc.)
• Set the strategy for the PMO under the Information Systems & Technology area (IST) to identify, prioritize, and efficiently execute technical and IT-related projects and initiatives that drive the highest value to IDEA
• Design the organization’s project management structure and strategy
• Through coaching, training, and direct and indirect management, lead cross-functional operating mechanisms and drive the design and adoption of portfolio management governance methods, processes, standards, tools, quality controls, metrics, and data visibility across all teams in the organization
• As the leader of an internal consultancy group and Change Advisory Board, collaborate with executives, lines of business, and IT management to identify and prioritize IT-related projects and initiatives that align with strategic priorities for IDEA and provide the highest potential value
• Ensure fidelity to organization-wide hiring standards for project and program managers so that all projects are staffed with the right personnel for the job with the necessary skills, experience, knowledge, and abilities
• Enable effective IT resource allocation processes and develop and execute IT-level changes to support business and technology growth
• Manage IST Beginning-of-Year (BoY) programming, monitor timelines, and maximize resource allocation to ensure schools are fully connected and operational before the first day of school for each region
• Partner with the Growth team, School Launch team, and regional leadership throughout new regions during launch lifecycle to appropriate respond to identified risks, ensure service implementation, and confirm infrastructure deployment to maximize IST and Operations value delivery for each new region
• Perform project retrospectives and manage execution of improvement strategies and priorities identified in annual BoY step-back meetings
• Exercise and lead adoption ITIL 4, Lean IT, and Lean Six Sigma framework and practices to create efficiencies
• Develop, teach, maintain, and uphold knowledge management processes across the IST area to ensure proper value stream documentation, reporting, and artifact collection, and to facilitate relevant, organized, user-friendly, and accessible information sharing

Supervisory Responsibilities: 

• IT Project Manager
• IT Project Coordinator
• Leader of the Change Advisory Board

Required Experience and Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• At least 7 years of professional experience
• At least 5 years of proven large-scale, cross-functional project management and organizational change management in a high-pressure environment
• At least 3 years of budget (P&L) management experience
• At least 3 years of direct people management experience, including coaching and leadership development
• Expert business operations experience (service development, fiscal responsibility management, staff utilization)
• Proven experience in successfully leading continuous improvement projects that increase value, reduce waste, and improve financial performance
• Licenses or Certifications:
  • Active PMI PMP (required)
  • ITIL 4 Foundation (required)
  • ITIL 4 Managing Professional (preferred)
  • CompTIA Network+ or Security+
  • APMG Change Management Foundation (Practitioner preferred)
  • Lean IT Foundation (Lean IT Leadership preferred)
  • IASSC Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

Desired Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledgeable about Program Portfolio Management and implementing techniques and methods such as Risk Management, Change Management, Knowledge Management, Quality Management, and IT Governance principles
• Knowledge and experience in organizational change management, budget, cost, profitability, and procurement management
• Skill in strategic thinking, including setting vision and direction, anticipating problems, and planning for the future
• Skill in developing talent and capabilities, training, and coaching others, and cultivating essential skills to maximize individual contribution and engagement
• Skill in organization, prioritization (to define areas of focus among competing priorities), follow through, and attention to detail
• Skill in effective, compelling, and interpersonal communication, both verbal and written
• Skill in building strong relationships and mutually beneficial business partnerships through trust, empathy, and credibility, and developing organizational and political intelligence
• Ability to organize, manage, monitor, and balance multiple long-term projects at once, often under pressure with competing priorities and tight turnarounds while prioritizing daily tasks, maintaining composure, ensuring quality, and achieving results
• Ability to advocate, influence, motivate, and hold others accountable through consistency and clarity of expectations
• Ability to managing adults and teams to strong outcomes, often through influence rather than named managerial responsibility
• Ability to design, evaluate, and improve systems to ensure maximum effectiveness and efficiency
• Proactively seeks out information and clarity needed to enable sound judgement and strong decision-making for the IST area and the organization as a whole
• Knowledge and familiarity with MS Office, SharePoint, database systems, etc.
• Ability to travel up to 30% of the time during the busiest parts of the year

Location: 

The Director of Project Management Office (PMO) must currently live in or be willing to relocate to Texas, with preference for one of our regions: Austin, El Paso, Houston, Permian Basin, Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio, or Tarrant County.

We look for Team and Family who embody the following values and characteristics:   

• Believes and is committed to our mission and being an agent of change: that all students are capable of getting to and through college   
• Has demonstrated effective outcomes and results, and wants to be held accountable for them  
• Has a propensity for action, willing to make mistakes by doing in order to learn and improve quickly  
• Works with urgency and purpose to drive student outcomes  
• Thrives in an entrepreneurial, high-growth environment; is comfortable with ambiguity and change  
• Seeks and responds well to feedback, which is shared often and freely across all levels of the organization  
• Works through silos and forges strong cross-departmental relationships in order to achieve outcomes  
• We believe in education as a profession and hold ourselves to high level of conduct, professionalism and behaviors as models for our colleagues and students  

About IDEA Public Schools   

At IDEA Public Schools, we believe each and every child can go to college. Since 2000, IDEA Public Schools has grown from a small school with 150 students to a multi-state network of tuition-free, Pre-K-12 public charter schools.     

IDEA Public Schools boasts national rankings on The Washington Post and U.S. News & World Report’s top high schools lists. IDEA serves over 80,000 college-bound students in 143 schools across Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Ohio, and is on-track to maintain its legacy of sending 100% of its graduates to college.      

When you choose to work at IDEA, you are part of our IDEA Team and Family. You will work alongside team members who set and reach ambitious goals every day, are excited to continue to grow with IDEA, and work relentlessly to make college for all a reality.  

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion  

At IDEA we recognize that racism, bias, and privilege exist in society. We are committed to an organizational culture that promotes awareness and inclusivity for our students and staff and supports their path to positively impact our broader society. We are committed to recognizing the impact of racism and privilege, and commit as an organization to have equitable practices, policies, and structures. Visit https://ideapublicschools.org/dei/ to learn about IDEA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Anti-Racist and Anti-Bias commitment.  

To Apply  

Please submit your application online through Jobvite. It’s in your best interest to apply as soon as possible.