Operations Project / Program Management

Operations Project / Program Management

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Announcement

 Details 

Open Date  | 03/27/2026
Requisition Number  | PRN44585B
Job Title  | Operations Project / Program Management
Working Title  | Director, Operational Excellence & Strategy
Career Progression Track  | M00
Track Level  | M6 - Director
FLSA Code  | Administrative
Patient Sensitive Job Code?  | No
Standard Hours per Week  | 40
Full Time or Part Time?  | Full Time
Shift  | Day
Work Schedule Summary  | Monday-Friday, 9:00AM-5:00PM
VP Area  | President
Department  | 02305 - Chief Operating Officer
Location  | Campus
City  | Salt Lake City, UT
Type of Recruitment  | External Posting
Pay Rate Range  | $91,232 - $190,730
Close Date  | 06/27/2026

Priority Review Date (Note - Posting may close at any time)   
Job Summary  | The Director provides strategic leadership and enterprise-level insight to multiple project teams within the Operational Excellence initiative, under the direction of the Chief Operating Officer. This role partners with senior leaders and project sponsors to ensure initiatives are strategically aligned, effectively executed, and delivering measurable institutional value across workstreams.

Responsibilities 
Partner with individuals across campus to improve outcomes, enhance experience, and optimize financial resources with minimal oversight. Assist senior University leadership with strategy development, implementation planning, and change leadership for complex, cross-campus initiatives. Coach team members, workstream leaders and project owners responsible for delivery of internal projects and programs. Support project ideation, planning, budgeting, and analysis. Provide project management expertise and training, as needed. Convene stakeholders to collaborate, celebrate successes, and champion Operational Excellence across the University. Ensure all project deliverables meet quality expectations and are completed on time and within budget. Maintain accountability by actively tracking project progress and effectiveness against stated objectives and targets. Consult cross-functionally to identify dependencies and enable collaboration. Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the University and functional area. Exhibit strong written and verbal communication skills with relevant media (e.g. PowerPoint, Word, email and face-to-face) for senior audiences.

Functional area expectations: Operational Excellence and Strategy Overall. Support the overall strategy and facilitate the identification and delivery of value across projects for assigned workstreams. Work directly with the leader of Operational Excellence with exposure to senior leaders across the University to deliver strategic initiatives. Develop promoters among senior executives, sponsors, leads, and project owners by adding value and being a good partner. Value. Identify and prioritize opportunities for value creation in terms of outcomes, experience, and financial resources. Pressure test assumptions and quantification of value using analytical methods when required. Communicate the underlying rationale for projects clearly and concisely. Coach project owners in developing high-quality recommendations and business cases that consider relevant benefits, costs, and risks. Communicate progress, results, new opportunities, and decision points to senior executives. Process. Coach workstream sponsors, leads, and project owners through the stage gate process while maintaining focus on outcomes and value delivery. Simplify and streamline the approach over time and use judgement to provide right level of support given project size and complexity. Identify and mitigate implementation risks. People. Identify key stakeholders and build alignment throughout the process of developing solutions to improve the effectiveness of the University. Create plans for communication and required training. Identify which projects need change management support and guide leaders through change. Basic qualifications: Requires a bachelor’s (or equivalency) + 12 years or a master’s (or equivalency) + 10 years of directly related work experience.

Minimum Qualifications  | EQUIVALENCY STATEMENT: 1 year of higher education can be substituted for 1 year of directly related work experience (Example: bachelor’s degree = 4 years of directly related work experience).
Department may hire employee at one of the following job levels:

 Director, Operations Project / Program Management: Requires a bachelor’s (or equivalency) + 12 years or a master’s (or equivalency) + 10 years of directly related work experience.

Preferences  |
Type  | Benefited Staff
Special Instructions Summary  |
Additional Information  | The University is a participating employer with Utah Retirement Systems (“URS”). Eligible new hires with prior URS service, may elect to enroll in URS if they make the election before they become eligible for retirement (usually the first day of work). Contact Human Resources at (801) 581-7447 for information. Individuals who previously retired and are receiving monthly retirement benefits from URS are subject to URS’ post-retirement rules and restrictions. Please contact Utah Retirement Systems at (801) 366-7770 or (800) 695-4877 or University Human Resource Management at (801) 581-7447 if you have questions regarding the post-retirement rules.

This position may require the successful completion of a criminal background check and/or drug screen.

The University of Utah values candidates who have experience working in settings with students and possess a strong commitment to improving access to higher education.

Veterans’ preference is extended to qualified applicants, upon request and consistent with University policy and Utah state law. Upon request, reasonable accommodations in the application process will be provided to individuals with disabilities.

Consistent with state and federal law, the University of Utah does not discriminate based upon race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, or protected veteran’s status. The University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX and 34 CFR part 106. The requirement not to discriminate in education programs or activities extends to admission and employment. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and its regulations may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, to the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, or both.

To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability or if you or someone you know has experienced discrimination or sexual misconduct including sexual harassment, you may contact the Director/Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX (OEO). More information, including the Director/Title IX Coordinator’s office address, electronic mail address, and telephone number can be located at the: University of Utah Non‑Discrimination page.

Online reports may be submitted at https://oeo.utah.edu

https://publicsafety.utah.edu/safetyreport/ This report includes statistics about criminal offenses, hate crimes, arrests and referrals for disciplinary action, and Violence Against Women Act offenses. They also provide information about safety and security-related services offered by the University of Utah. A paper copy can be obtained by request at the Department of Public Safety located at 1658 East 500 South.

As per University of Utah policy 5-108: Transfer of Benefits Eligible Staff Members, a new hire to the University of Utah who is still serving a 12 month probationary period will not be hired into another University of Utah job (a transfer) until the successful completion of the probationary period.

Posting Specific Questions

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Applicant Documents

 University Human Resource Management 
 250 East 200 South, Suite 125 Salt Lake City, UT 84111
 Contact us: (801) 581-2169 By Email: employment@utah.edu