Project and Portfolio Manager

Term: 2 Years

Providing executive level support, the Project and Portfolio Manager is responsible for supporting established strategic priorities and administration.

Three main areas of focus include:

• Supports key strategic projects by providing project management and change management expertise
• Supports operationalization of the School strategic plan across the multiple missions in teaching, scholarship, patient care, and service
• Manages reporting of the School’s strategic direction, projects and operations

The School of Optometry & Vision Science is the only Anglophone school in Canada with a vision of Helping People See. The UWOVS mission is to be a global innovator in optometry, vision research, education, and patient-centred collaborative care. The Project and Portfolio Manager position is key in providing continuity through academic leadership changes.

Project Management

• Supports and manages key strategic projects through scaled project initiation, planning, and execution
• Develops, monitors, and supports 10-15 key strategic projects at any given time
• Liaises to establish clear, concise agreed upon project objectives/goals/vision, benefits, scope, and success criteria
• Ensures alignment of outcomes and requirements with the leadership team
• Demonstrates accountability to sponsor for visibility, management, and variances within schedule and scope
• Directs and/or coordinates work to enable appropriate allocation of resources
• Establishes realistic plans that proactively plan for and manage risks, issues, tasks, schedules, communications, quality, benefits, procurement, and delivery of solution(s) throughout the project life cycle
• Manages project constraints (schedule, scope, resources), dependencies, and priorities
• Demonstrates strong analysis, problem solving, and conflict resolution skills towards diverse issues
• Understands, assesses, and manages change and complexity in a dynamic environment to enable informed decision making and ensure stakeholders are ready and enabled to adopt change
• Proactively works to eliminate obstacles and escalates unresolved issues to management, when appropriate
• Monitors and reports progress appropriately to interested and impacted stakeholders
• Ensures appropriate decision making occurs according to timelines and milestones
• Maintains project integrity and coherence
• Understands and adheres to university policies and procedures as they relate to assigned projects

Portfolio Management and Continuous Improvement

• Supports leadership team on operationalizing the strategic plan for the School through strategic planning advice, information, and data related to impact, status, and progress of the unit’s initiatives and associated milestones
• Supports the leadership and management teams with defining projects, including the benefits, resourcing, and intended milestones, to ensure projects are aligned to the School’s strategic plan
• Coordinates project initiation with stakeholders ensuring project progress is communicated effectively
• Analyzes initiatives in trouble through the application of specific analysis and problem- solving skills and expertise to identify issues and offer appropriate recommendations
• Understands and remains current with project management best practices
• Evolves the understanding and communication of project/initiative roles and responsibilities and how they may relate to other areas of expertise
• Develops and maintains project learning repository and resources, and keeps the leadership team and other project leads apprised of tools and techniques
• Provides the leadership team and other project leads with resources and consultative support to increase the likelihood of project success

Management of School Reporting

• Develops and maintains an internal reporting system for the leadership team to ensure connection and transparency across the School’s strategic direction, initiatives, and operations and their connection with Faculty of Science and the University’s strategic plan
• Coordinates reporting channels across a multitude of internal and external stakeholders, including the campus community and external partners
• Monitors reporting outputs and identifies opportunities for improvement that fit the changing needs of the School and its stakeholders
• Generates reports, including summarizing project activities, fact-checking, and presentation of information appropriate to the audience and medium

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is required
• Degree in discipline related to business administration or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Minimum of 2 years experience project management and proven ability to align work priorities and realize strategic goals
• Experience with project planning, stakeholder engagement, metrics tracking, and outcome analysis in complex initiatives in a multi-stakeholder environment
• Experience providing leadership to a team including providing functional guidance and direction to team members
• Experience developing and implementing strategic plans
• Experience with finance, human resources, and administration desirable, especially in an academic environment
• Outstanding oral and written communication and interpersonal skills, including excellent presentation skills and the ability to articulate complex information clearly
• Highly organized with an ability to manage competing and changing demands with ease
• Ability to work independently or in a team setting, with diverse individuals with conflicting deadlines and a large volume of work
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills and experience with developing strong relationships that are sustainable over time
• Ability to work on confidential and sensitive matters with tact, discretion, and professionalism
• Ability to manage challenging conversations with stakeholders
• Intermediate Microsoft Office skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Sharepoint, OneNote) and knowledge of software applications used in an office setting including databases, internet web page editing, online forms, and financial and human resource management
• Demonstrated commitment to the core values of respect, equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations .

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion. As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at or .

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