Implementation Manager Jobs in Columbus, GA (NOW HIRING)

Job Summary:
Columbus State University is a vibrant educational institution dedicated to nurturing new ideas and creative problem-solving. The IT Project Manager will lead the university's IT Project Management Office (PMO), responsible for establishing governance frameworks and managing a portfolio of high-impact technology projects. This role involves supervising project coordinators and enhancing project management capabilities within the IT organization.
Responsibilities:
• Design, implement, and continuously improve the IT department's project management framework, including intake processes, charter templates, status reporting standards, and project lifecycle governance.
• Develop a hybrid Agile-Waterfall methodology tailored to the university's project portfolio, balancing predictability with flexibility across different project types.
• Establish portfolio-level visibility through dashboards, risk registers, and resource allocation tools that enable informed executive decision-making.
• Create and maintain a risk management framework across the IT project portfolio, proactively identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks at both the project and portfolio levels.
• Build a PMO culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement through retrospectives, lessons learned documentation, and measurable process maturity targets.
• Evaluate and recommend project management tools and platforms to support consistent tracking, reporting, and collaboration across all IT initiatives.
• Serve as institutional project manager for the Workday HCM and Finance implementation, managing the relationship with the system integrator, coordinating internal workstreams, and ensuring deliverables align with university requirements.
• Lead AV/IT installation projects associated with university construction and renovation programs, coordinating with facilities, architects, contractors, and academic stakeholders.
• Manage project scope, schedule, budget, and quality across multiple concurrent initiatives, maintaining clear communication with sponsors, stakeholders, and team members.
• Develop and maintain project timelines (Gantt charts), work breakdown structures, and sprint plans that keep teams aligned and leadership informed.
• Lead data migration planning and validation efforts, including legacy system assessment, data cleansing strategies, and conversion testing.
• Coordinate change management activities including stakeholder communication, training development and delivery, and user acceptance testing.
• Manage vendor relationships and contracts, ensuring deliverables meet quality standards, timelines, and contractual obligations.
• Directly supervise 1-2 project coordinators or analysts, providing mentorship, performance feedback, and professional development guidance.
• Build project management capability across the IT organization by training staff in PM fundamentals, facilitating adoption of standardized tools and templates, and coaching team leads on project execution.
• Prepare and present executive-level status reports, risk assessments, and portfolio dashboards for university leadership and governance committees.
• Collaborate with department leaders across Academic Affairs, Business and Finance, Student Affairs, Facilities, and Enrollment Management to align technology projects with institutional priorities.
Qualifications:
Required:
• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute.
• Seven (7) or more years of progressive experience in IT project management, including at least one full-lifecycle ERP implementation.
• Three (3) or more years of supervisory experience, including direct management of staff or project team leads.
• Demonstrated experience establishing project management processes, governance frameworks, or PMO functions in organizations with limited prior PM maturity.
• Experience managing vendor relationships, including contract oversight, deliverable tracking, and performance evaluation.
Preferred:
• Master's degree in Business Administration, Information Systems, or a related field.
• Experience in higher education, government, or public-sector IT environments.
• Workday HCM and/or Finance implementation experience, either as a customer-side PM or with a system integrator.
• Agile or Scrum certification (CSM, PMI-ACP, or equivalent).
• ITIL Foundation certification or demonstrated knowledge of IT service management principles.
• Change management experience or PROSCI certification.
• Experience managing AV/IT projects within construction or facilities renovation programs.
• Familiarity with data privacy and compliance requirements in educational settings (FERPA, PCI-DSS).
Company:
Columbus State University is a school in Columbus. Founded in 1958, the company is headquartered in Columbus, USA, with a team of 1001-5000 employees. The company is currently Late Stage.