Project Director, Strategic Initiatives

Job Summary:

The Project Director - Strategic Initiatives is a senior-level individual contributor who partners with campus leaders, administrative units, and cross-functional teams to support and advance strategic projects across Financial Services. Reporting to the Associate Vice Chancellor of Financial Services and Controller, this role acts as a collaborative facilitator and trusted advisor, ensuring that institutional initiatives are thoughtfully scoped, effectively coordinated, progressing as planned and successfully implemented. While this role does not have direct decision-making authority, it plays a vital role in guiding project development, surfacing risks, aligning stakeholders, and ensuring accountability to strategic priorities.

The ideal candidate brings experience navigating complex organizations, a deep understanding of financial and research operations in higher education, and the ability to lead through influence with focused commitment to relationships and results-driven work.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Project Management Lead & Oversight (40%):

• Partner with project sponsors and leaders along with team members to provide project management for strategic initiatives and projects. This includes defining and tracking goals, defining actionable plans, resource contributors, timelines, progress and success metrics for key strategic initiatives across Financial Services including, Finance, Fiscal Compliance, Office of Grants and Contracts and Bursar.
• Coordinate and facilitate workgroups, task forces, and cross-departmental teams; ensure alignment of roles, responsibilities, and deliverables.
• Develop and manage detailed project documentation, including workplans, risk registers, and progress dashboards.
• Anticipate and identify potential roadblocks; escalate issues and facilitate resolution in collaboration with project sponsors and stakeholders.
• Serve as a bridge between operational teams and leadership, ensuring that project progress and challenges are clearly communicated and documented.
• Improve transparency, accountability, and execution of strategic initiatives.
• Serve as a champion of organizational culture, influencing culture change to support strategic and operational objectives.

Special Projects (40%)

• Lead assigned strategic special projects within all areas of Financial Services that are time-bound and leadership sponsored.
• Assist on metric and strategic goal tracking and reporting.
• Lead in strategic initiative implementations, including process improvement projects.
• Provide subject matter expertise to key internal and external stakeholders in response to complex, non-routine business issues related to strategic initiatives.

Process Improvement (20%)

• Work with the Associate Director of Fiscal Compliance and subject matter experts to facilitate and document process improvement initiatives that include analyzing current-state business processes and identifying opportunities for improvement, simplification, or realignment with policy or strategy.
• Contribute to measurable improvements in compliance, efficiency, or service delivery.
• Collaborate with Associate Director and subject matter experts to design future-state processes that are both compliant and service-oriented.
• Assist with change management efforts, including stakeholder readiness assessments, training coordination, and communication planning.

Work Location:

Hybrid - this role is eligible for a hybrid schedule of 2 days per week on campus and as needed for in-person meetings.

Why Join Us:

Why work for the University?

We have AMAZING benefits and offer exceptional amounts of holiday, vacation and sick leave! The University of Colorado offers an excellent benefits package including:

• Medical: Multiple plan options
• Dental: Multiple plan options
• Additional Insurance: Disability, Life, Vision
• Retirement 401(a) Plan: Employer contributes 10% of your gross pay
• Paid Time Off: Accruals over the year
• Vacation Days: 22/year (maximum accrual 352 hours)
• Sick Days: 15/year (unlimited maximum accrual)
• Holiday Days: 15/year
• Tuition Benefit: Employees have access to this benefit on all CU campuses
• ECO Pass: Reduced rate RTD Bus and light rail service

There are many additional perks & programs with the CU Advantage.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, or a related field.
  • Substitution: A combination of education and related technical/military/paraprofessional experience may be substituted for a bachelor's degree on a year for year basis.
• At least 8 years of experience in project management, finance, or research administration in a complex organization, including at least 5 years of experience leading projects.
• Demonstrated experience and success coordinating large-scale, cross-functional projects.

Applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time of hire.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in a relevant field (e.g., MBA, MPA, MPH).
• At least 10 years of experience in managing strategic projects in areas of business operations, finance, or research administration in a complex organization.
• Demonstrated experience and success coordinating large-scale, cross-functional projects in a higher education or academic medical setting.
• Familiarity with research administration systems (e.g., Cayuse, Kuali, InfoEd) and enterprise financial platforms (e.g., Oracle, Workday, PeopleSoft).
• Experience working in or with a medical school, health sciences campus, or research-intensive academic institution.
• Project Management Professional (PMP), Lean Six Sigma, or equivalent certification.
• Prior CU experience, including exposure to internal CU policies, processes and systems.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong knowledge of sponsored research administration, budgeting, and compliance regulations in a public university or research environment.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills; proven ability to influence without authority.
• Strategic and systems thinking with strong organizational and planning skills.
• Ability to translate strategy into executable plans.
• Ability to work independently, prioritize competing demands, and manage ambiguity.
• Collaborative approach with strong diplomatic skills and a commitment to partnership.
• Political and organizational awareness within complex institutions.
• Analytical mindset and attention to detail, especially in financial and regulatory contexts.

Conditions of Employment:

• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without requiring sponsorship. We are unable to provide work visa sponsorship or employment authorization for this position now or in the future.
• This position is eligible for a hybrid work schedule, subject to campus policy and project needs. Will be required to be on campus weekly for at least 2 days.

How to Apply:

For full consideration, please submit the following document(s):

1. A letter of interest describing relevant job experiences as they relate to listed job qualifications and interest in the position

2. Curriculum vitae / Resume

Questions should be directed to: Sean McBride - sean.m.mcbride@cuanschutz.edu

Screening of Applications Begins:

Screening begins on April 29, 2026.

Anticipated Pay Range:

The starting salary range (or hiring range) for this position has been established as $90,483 - $121,248.

The above salary range (or hiring range) represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. This position may be eligible for overtime compensation, depending on the level.

Your total compensation goes beyond the number on your paycheck. The University of Colorado provides generous leave, health plans and retirement contributions that add to your bottom line.

Total Compensation Calculator

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

ADA Statement:

The University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the employment application process. To request an accommodation pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the Human Resources ADA Coordinator at hr.adacoordinator@cuanschutz.edu.

Background Check Statement:

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure environment for our faculty, staff, students and visitors. To assist in achieving that goal, we conduct background investigations for all prospective employees.

Vaccination Statement:

CU Anschutz strongly encourages vaccination against the COVID-19 virus and other vaccine preventable diseases. If you work, visit, or volunteer in healthcare facilities or clinics operated by our affiliated hospital or clinical partners or by CU Anschutz, you will be required to comply with the vaccination and medical surveillance policies of the facilities or clinics where you work, visit, or volunteer, respectively. In addition, if you work in certain research areas or perform certain safety sensitive job duties, you must enroll in the occupational health medical surveillance program.