Director, Agile Project Management Office

$100,172 - $175,762/Yr

Adtalem Global Education - Columbia, MD

Full-time - Director

Hybrid - Columbia, MD

Educational Services

About the position

Adtalem Global Education is seeking a dynamic and experienced Director to lead its Agile Project Management Office (PMO). This role is pivotal in developing a modern, highly effective framework that encompasses people, processes, and tools to ensure that projects are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with the organization's strategic objectives. The Director will work closely with product delivery teams to orchestrate high-velocity delivery while establishing an appropriate IT governance framework for decision-making and project management. A strategic thinker with a deep understanding of agile methodologies and the ability to foster a culture of continuous improvement is essential for this position. The Director will be responsible for the creation and maturation of the Agile PMO, facilitating consensus among stakeholders and organizational leadership around the mission and vision of the APMO. This includes engaging senior leadership and business partners to define the APMO goals and operating model, leading the identification and development of APMO roles, team configuration, and recruitment to deliver the agreed-upon goals and objectives. The Director will also identify and implement project management processes, methods, tools, guidelines, and standards to establish a stable framework supporting all project teams and stakeholders, thereby improving the probability of successful project delivery. In addition to methodology competency, the Director will provide ongoing coaching and mentoring to APMO staff and leadership, build and maintain relationships with senior leadership and key stakeholders, and establish a project management and/or agile community of practice to facilitate collaboration and best-practice sharing. Continuous improvement is a key focus, with regular reviews and evaluations of project management best practices to achieve higher maturity in project portfolio management. The Director will assess enterprise or portfolio performance using metrics and reporting, ensuring strategic alignment through prioritization, resource capacity management, and program management to achieve the strategic vision. Furthermore, the role involves overseeing vendor selection, contract negotiation, and performance management to ensure quality and timely delivery of projects.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate consensus among APMO stakeholders and organizational leadership around the mission and vision of the APMO.
• Engage senior leadership and business partners to define the APMO goals and operating model.
• Lead the identification and development of APMO roles, team configuration, and recruitment.
• Identify and implement project management processes, methods, tools, guidelines, and standards.
• Develop and guide the agile practice, establishing systems, processes, and ways of working.
• Facilitate the process that develops plans and prioritization by leadership and governance.
• Define, manage, and direct the needed end-to-end APMO work effort.
• Ensure consistency in Adtalem Global Education's operating methodology and associated processes.
• Provide ongoing coaching and mentoring to APMO staff and leadership.
• Build and maintain relationships with senior leadership and key APMO stakeholders.
• Establish a project management and/or agile community of practice (CoP).
• Instill a learning culture to continuously inspect and adapt methodology and efficiency.
• Ensure alignment to cross-departmental roadmaps, creating a collective plan to manage dependencies.
• Regularly review and evaluate opportunities to improve project management best practices.
• Evolve and continually improve the interdependencies between business models and operating practices.
• Engage the organization to ensure continual feedback and identify emerging methodology and alignment needs.
• Assess enterprise or portfolio performance using metrics and reporting.
• Ensure strategic alignment through prioritization, resource capacity management, and key result tracking.
• Manage and optimize the flow of value through the organization.
• Track and communicate key organizational metrics.
• Oversee vendor selection, contract negotiation, and performance management.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in business, Information Technology, Project Management, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 7-10 years of experience in project management, with at least 5 years in an agile environment.
• Proven experience in leading and managing an Agile PMO in a large, complex organization.
• Strong knowledge of agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, Lean) and tools (JIRA, Confluence, etc.).
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to think strategically and drive organizational change.
• Experience in vendor management, including contract negotiation and performance management.
• PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, or similar certifications are highly desirable.

Benefits

• Health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance
• 401k Retirement Program + 6% employer match
• Participation in Adtalem's Flexible Time Off (FTO) Policy
• 12 Paid Holidays