Job Description:

Title: Program Manager, Operational Excellence

Work Location: Ann Arbor, Princeton, New York, remote

Seniority Level: Senior

Reporting Manager: Director of Operations, Operational Excellence

 

ITHAKA’s mission is to expand access to knowledge and education around the world. Our services — Artstor, JSTOR, Portico, and ITHAKA S+R — enable people everywhere to learn, to grow, and to overcome historical barriers to education. In carrying out our mission, as employees we feel a deep responsibility to each other and our well-being, and are committed to building and sustaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. 

 

The Role

ITHAKA is looking for a Program Manager, Operational Excellence (OE) who can help us become the best possible organization. This role calls for experience leading complex cross-functional business process redesign programs and business system implementations. The Program Manager will be responsible for implementing real change in the organization and will always be looking for opportunities to improve workflows and processes, starting with blue-sky thinking and guided by evidence, consistency, and simplicity. The ideal candidate will have a systems thinking approach and a customer-focused perspective.

To succeed in this position, you will have a proven track record of successful program deliveries, particularly complex, cross-functional system implementations that involved leadership, business stakeholders, and technology. You will need to navigate dynamic environments, take a strategic view of the environment, and negotiate challenging trade-offs while keeping everyone informed and maintaining excellent cross-functional relationships throughout the organization. You’ll need excellent organizational, problem-solving, and time management skills, but your people skills and emotional intelligence are most important. This position reports to the Director of Operations, Operational Excellence.

 

Responsibilities

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  Drive complex cross-functional programs and projects to a successful completion that supports the best interests of the organization, not just the direct stakeholders.

  
  


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  Link OE projects to strategic OKRs and market priorities, providing clear and understandable guidelines for project prioritization and reprioritizing as new opportunities or needs arise.

  
  


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  Monitor, prioritize, and balance projects, resource constraints, and allocations to ensure we are always doing the work that’s most important, not just most urgent.

  
  


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  Maintain productive relationships with cross-functional managers and leadership, and continuously monitor and communicate about constraints that may affect OE projects.

  
  


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  Collaborate with stakeholders to create and maintain integrated project schedules and budgets that reflect true requirements and business constraints.

  
  


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  Monitor and manage project and strategic risks, develop contingency plans, and identify trigger events; take corrective actions when necessary. 

  
  


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  Proactively communicate with team members, stakeholders, management, and leadership including project reports that provide useful insights around project status, strategic value, and future decisions. 

  
  


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  Document and assess prospective process improvements, recommend projects for implementation based on their ability to improve ITHAKA’s operational excellence and support ITHAKA’s strategy.

  
  


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  Establish and manage success metrics and completion criteria for each project; implement appropriate short- and long-term monitoring and reporting to assess impacts, and communicate whether objectives and strategic goals are met.

  
  


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  Have a continuous improvement mindset; capture lessons learned throughout the project life cycle; ensure they are incorporated immediately and in future projects as well as shared with other teams.

  
  

 

Experience and Skills

• 5 to 10 years in previous program management roles as either a senior project manager or a program manager.


• Comfort with leading through influence rather than authority; ability to manage healthy conflict while maintaining a collaborative management style.


• Exceptional people management skills and emotional intelligence. 


• Ability to analyze complex projects and their interactions with key strategic objectives and make recommendations and decisions that support long-term strategy, including whether to begin, change, or cancel a project.


• Solid program management toolkit that includes agile methodologies and portfolio management skills. 


• High-level understanding of technical and market issues affecting education technology, higher education, research, and library sciences.


• Ability to instill and maintain trust, motivate people constructively, work collaboratively, and lead an effective team.


• Ability to communicate clearly and credibly at all levels of the organization; write and deliver clear summary reports and presentations at all levels.


• Proven understanding of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs).


• Experience setting and managing project budgets, tracking actuals, and creating meaningful cost/benefit analyses. 


• Ability to plan and facilitate effective meetings at all levels of the organization.

Work for ITHAKA

At ITHAKA we believe in openness and equity. Part of living those values is our commitment to clarity about salary, so candidates know what to expect. The pay range for this position is ($105,000.00 – $135,000.00) per year. Base pay may vary with job-related knowledge, skills, experience, market location, and geography. Our total compensation package includes a no-cost health insurance premium option, an employer-funded retirement plan, and a generous paid time off program for all benefits-eligible staff.

We take inclusion seriously. Belonging is one of our core values, and it shows in our vibrant culture. People from a wide-range of backgrounds work at ITHAKA, and we believe that unique perspectives help us realize new insights and build better solutions. 

We want to work with people who are passionate about ideas like these and who wish to contribute their perspectives and talents to ITHAKA’s mission. We enthusiastically welcome applications from people of all underrepresented backgrounds and credentials. We want to hear your story and include your perspective in the transformative work we aim to do.Learn more about Working at ITHAKA.

Apply Now:

Interested candidates can submit their resume, a detailed cover letter, and salary requirements.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, domestic violence victim status, veteran status, disability, history of disability or perceived disability, or other status protected by law.

 

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Experience

Required

• 5 - 10 years: Previous program management roles as either a senior project manager or a program manager

See job description

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