Edtech.com's Summary

George Mason University is hiring an IT Product Manager. The role leads technology projects for Information Technology Services, the unit that supports teaching, learning, research, and administrative operations across the university, from initial definition through launch and handoff to operations. The manager combines project delivery, requirements analysis, and a product mindset to make sure each solution is ready for the customers and teams who will use it.

Highlights

Lead IT projects from initiation through transition to operations, choosing a predictive, Agile, or hybrid delivery approach to fit each project's complexity and risk.
Build and maintain project charters, schedules, budgets, RAID and decision logs, and status reports, and keep teams on agreed completion dates by flagging slippage early and escalating material risks.
Elicit and document business, functional, and user requirements through workshops and interviews, producing process maps, user stories, and requirements matrices that are clear and testable before work is committed.
Apply product management principles to tie project deliverables to customer needs and measurable value, including problem statements, roadmap inputs, priorities, and release objectives.
Coordinate launch readiness with product owners, service owners, technical leads, and support teams, and support user acceptance testing so solutions are documented, supported, and ready for end users.
Run Agile ceremonies such as backlog refinement, sprint planning, and retrospectives, while making sure security, architecture, accessibility, change, and procurement processes are followed.
Write concise updates for executives, sponsors, and governance groups and negotiate competing priorities across business, technical, and security teams.
Bachelor's degree in a related field and typically three or more years coordinating projects with multiple stakeholders, defined deliverables, and organizational change, along with knowledge of Agile, Scrum, Kanban, and hybrid delivery models.
Certified Scrum Master or SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager credentials, TeamDynamix ITSM and Project module experience, and higher education or government experience are preferred.
Full-time Classified Staff role on Pay Band 05 with salary based on education and experience, on site in Fairfax, Virginia, and not eligible for visa sponsorship.

IT Product Manager Full Description

Department: Information Technology

Classification: Info Technology Spec 2

Job Category: Classified Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: On Site Required

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Pay Band: 05

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department

Information Technology Services (ITS) provides technology and collaborative solutions that contribute to and facilitate innovative teaching and learning opportunities for students and faculty of the George Mason University community. ITS works transparently to drive excellence in teaching, research, and administrative operations.

About the Position

The IT Product Manager will lead IT projects from definition through adoption by combining disciplined delivery management, customer-centered product thinking, and practical business analysis. The role ensures work is technically ready, operationally sustainable, and ready for successful use by customers and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Leads projects from initiation through transition to operations, using an appropriate predictive, Agile, or hybrid delivery approach.
Develops and maintains project charters, scope statements, integrated schedules, milestones, work plans, budgets or resource forecasts as applicable, RAID logs, decision logs, and status reports
Decomposes outcomes into deliverables, tasks, dependencies, acceptance criteria, owners, and completion dates in partnership with delivery teams and stakeholders
Drives teams toward agreed completion dates, identify slippage early, facilitate recovery planning, and escalate material risks or decisions through established governance channels
Monitors scope, schedule, quality, risks, issues, dependencies, resources, and stakeholder commitments throughout the project lifecycle
Ensures required project, security, architecture, accessibility, change, procurement, release, and operational processes are identified and followed, as applicable
Applies product management principles to connect project deliverables with customer needs, service outcomes, strategic objectives, and measurable value
Facilitates development of problem statements, desired outcomes, product or service goals, roadmap inputs, priorities, release objectives, and success measures
Represents the customer and end-user perspective in planning and delivery discussions, including usability, supportability, communications, training, adoption, and feedback
Coordinates readiness activities so solutions are not only technically complete, but also documented, supported, communicated, tested, and ready for customers and operational teams
Partners with product owners, service owners, technical leads, change leaders, and support teams to define launch or release readiness criteria and confirm deliverables have been satisfactorily completed
Elicits, analyzes, validates, documents, prioritizes, and traces business, functional, nonfunctional, technical, operational, and user requirements
Facilitates workshops, interviews, process reviews, and working sessions to clarify needs, current-state challenges, future-state workflows, assumptions, constraints, and acceptance criteria
Creates or coordinates artifacts such as process maps, use cases, user stories, requirements matrices, data definitions, business rules, gap analyses, and options assessments
Ensures requirements are sufficiently clear and testable before work is committed, while supporting iterative refinement in Agile environments
Supports user acceptance testing by ensuring scenarios, expected results, acceptance criteria, defect decisions, and business approvals are defined and documented
Uses Agile values and practices to improve transparency, prioritization, feedback, and incremental delivery without weakening necessary governance or accountability
Facilitates or supports backlog refinement, sprint or iteration planning, reviews, retrospectives, stand-ups, release planning, and dependency coordination as appropriate
Helps teams distinguish projects, products, releases, enhancements, operational requests, and backlog work so each item receives suitable planning and governance
Adapts delivery methods to project complexity, uncertainty, risk, compliance needs, and team maturity rather than applying a single methodology to all work
Builds effective working relationships across business, technical, operational, security, and customer-facing teams
Prepares concise, audience-appropriate updates for executives, sponsors, delivery teams, customers, and governance groups
Facilitates decisions, document outcomes and owners, manage expectations, and communicate changes in scope, priority, schedule, or risk
Navigates competing priorities and differing viewpoints using collaboration, negotiation, influence, and fact-based analysis
Other Duties as Assigned

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in related field
Demonstrated experience (typically 3 or more years) coordinating or managing projects that involve multiple stakeholders, defined deliverables, deadlines, and organizational change
Demonstrated experience contributing to requirements definition, process analysis, backlog or work planning, and readiness activities
Demonstrated experience delivering technology-enabled projects or services to operational teams and end users or customers
Knowledge of project management principles and the ability to plan, organize, monitor, and deliver cross-functional projects
Knowledge of Agile concepts and the ability to apply Agile, predictive, or hybrid practices based on the nature of the work
Knowledge of requirements elicitation, analysis, documentation, validation, prioritization, and traceability techniques
Knowledge of basic product management concepts, including customer needs, value, prioritization, roadmaps, outcomes, and lifecycle thinking
Skill in defining deliverables, tasks, dependencies, owners, milestones, acceptance criteria, and completion dates
Skill in facilitating meetings, workshops, decision-making, conflict resolution, and collaboration across technical and nontechnical groups
Skill in identifying and managing scope, schedule, risk, issues, changes, dependencies, and stakeholder expectations
Skill in producing clear project documentation, process maps, requirements, executive updates, and status reports
Ability to manage multiple priorities, exercise sound judgment, and escalate issues appropriately
Ability to use standard collaboration, project tracking, documentation, and presentation tools
Ability to translate between business needs, customer experience, operational requirements, and technical delivery considerations
Demonstrated knowledge of Scrum, Kanban, Lean, scaled Agile concepts, and hybrid delivery models
Skill in creating reusable project templates, delivery playbooks, governance checklists, readiness criteria, and reporting dashboards
PMP

Preferred Qualifications

Certified Scrum Master, SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM)
Experience developing user stories, acceptance criteria, process models, requirements traceability, UAT plans, release readiness assessments, and operational transition plans
Experience working in higher education, government, or another complex, distributed organization
Experience with IT service management practices and enterprise service management platforms
Use of TeamDynamix ITSM and Project Modules
Knowledge of product discovery, product road mapping, outcome-based planning, user-centered design, service management, organizational change management, and adoption practices
Skill with project portfolio management, work management, requirements, collaboration, visualization, and reporting platforms
Ability to lead complex technology projects involving infrastructure, enterprise applications, integrations, cybersecurity, cloud services, data, or digital services

Instructions to Applicants

For full consideration, applicants must apply for IT Product Manager at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a Cover Letter/Letter of Intent with Resume for review.

Equity Statement

George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in its community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.

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