Sr. Project Manager

Who You Are You are a strategic delivery leader who can influence outcomes across the organization and align complex initiatives to enterprise priorities. You bring a strong balance of execution, excellence, and strategic thinking, ensuring delivery drives measurable business impact. You are enthusiastic about helping students achieve their educational goals. You are comfortable operating in both structured and agile environments, applying the right approach to achieving results. You thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment and are effective at leading cross-functional teams toward shared goals. You communicate clearly and confidently with stakeholders at all levels, including executive leadership, and bring a strong attention to detail in managing complex delivery efforts. You are adaptable, pragmatic, and capable of driving accountability while fostering team effectiveness. You are comfortable working remotely and have experience collaborating with others in a virtual environment. You possess a strong attention to detail. As the Senior Project Manager, you are responsible for leading the end-to-end delivery of cross-functional initiatives through a combination of strong project management discipline and agile practices. You ensure successful outcomes by integrating people, process, and technology—while also serving as a Scrum Master where needed to support team execution, remove blockers, and drive continuous improvement. Compensation ACE is committed to paying a competitive wage while staying true to our mission of maintaining high quality, affordable programs for our students. The starting salary range for this position is $120,000 plus all full-time employees are eligible for an annual bonus. Offers vary depending on education, prior experience, and expertise being applied to the role. What We Look for in the Ideal Candidate Operates with a high degree of autonomy and accountability across complex initiatives Proven ability to influence prioritization and trade-off decisions at the leadership level Strong ability to manage and resolve conflict across cross-functional stakeholders. Experience driving alignment across competing business priorities. Ability to translate strategic goals into executable delivery plans. Demonstrated success improving delivery performance through metrics and process optimization. Experience driving organizational change and Agile transformation. Proven ability to align delivery to business strategy and measurable outcomes. Strong executive presence with the ability to communicate at senior leadership levels. Ability to operate in ambiguous environments and define structure where none exists. Ability to lead delivery in high-pressure environments with competing priorities. Drives collaboration and alignment across cross-functional teams and leadership stakeholders. Demonstrates self-reliance by meeting/exceeding workflow needs. Demonstrates positive attitude and motivation, concern for students, teamwork, and excellent time management skills. Follows established processes as outlined by organization and leadership. Completes assigned duties based on daily business needs and individual skill set. Consistently produces a high volume of quality work. Capable, adapts as needed, to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines. Proven ability to work independently with limited supervision and with other department personnel. Must support and embrace the College’s Impact mission to improve the people and communities we serve through our civic engagement initiatives. Must have exceptional communication, organization, and time management skills. Must be "self-motivated" as well as creative and efficient in proposing solutions to complex, time critical problems. Must be collaborative in driving decisions and a team-player. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a high attention to detail. Builds and maintains student satisfaction. Recognizes and anticipates student needs. Day to Day Responsibilities In this role you will wear different hats, but your skills will be especially essential in the following areas: Leads the strategic application and evolution of Agile (Scrum and scaled frameworks) across multiple teams to align delivery with business objectives and measurable outcomes. Leads and coordinates multiple Agile teams and large, complex cross-functional initiatives, ensuring alignment across product, engineering, and business stakeholders. Defines and enforces project and initiative-level delivery governance, quality standards, and delivery best practices to improve predictability, scalability, and delivery performance. Drives proactive risk, dependency, and scope management across large projects and strategic initiatives, escalating and influencing executive stakeholders to resolve competing priorities and ensure delivery success. Establishes and drives data-driven delivery metrics (velocity, predictability, throughput, outcome based KPIs) to continuously improve team and project delivery performance. Leads cross-functional teams and influences stakeholders across all levels of the organization, while maintaining accurate project documentation. Leads executive-level communication, translating complex delivery insights into clear, actionable updates for senior leadership and stakeholders. Manages project financials, including forecasting, budget tracking, cost management, and ensuring alignment to business outcomes. Ensures successful delivery and value realization by aligning outcomes to defined business objectives and driving post-implementation reviews and continuous improvement. Champions and supports Agile maturity initiatives, continuously improving team effectiveness, delivery practices, and adoption of Agile principles. Mentors Scrum Masters, less-experienced Project Managers, and team members, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and leadership development. Owns delivery decision-making across assigned projects and initiatives, balancing scope, timeline, cost, and quality to achieve optimal business outcomes. Aligns project objectives and delivery plans with organizational priorities while managing competing delivery demands. Builds strong relationships with executive stakeholders, influencing priorities, resolving conflicts, and driving alignment across initiatives and delivery objectives. Proactively seeks and confronts risk and issues openly and quickly, while effectively communicating relevant project/practice information to IT management as needed. Determines new, creative ways to employ teams on projects, distribute responsibilities, share lessons learned, and implement industry best practices. Identifies opportunities for internal improvement and leads the development and execution of improvement plans. Accountable for end-to-end delivery and realization of measurable business outcomes, including improvements in operational efficiency, student experience, and system performance. Leads change management activities associated with assigned projects and initiatives, ensuring successful adoption of new processes, tools, and capabilities. Partners closely with Product Management and Product Owners to ensure alignment between business priorities, roadmap execution, and delivery capacity. Performs other duties as assigned. Qualifications and Education Requirements Bachelor’s degree or combination of relevant education and experience. PMP or CSM Certifications or relevant experience. 5+ years serving in a Scrum Master or Agile leadership capacity across multiple teams. 6-8 years of experience in Project Management or related fields. Demonstrated success leading large initiatives through influence in matrixed organizations without direct authority. Experience leading large, complex, enterprise-scale projects and strategic initiatives involving multiple cross-functional teams. Proven ability to lead multiple teams and programs within a dynamic, fast-paced environment. Experience presenting to and influencing executive leadership. Experience with multiple project management techniques, including agile process with SCRUM implementation frameworks. Thorough understanding of IT service offerings, technical preferences, and technical direction. Deep expertise in Agile tooling (e.g., Azure DevOps) to enable scalable delivery practices, reporting, and workflow optimization. Experience managing delivery across highly integrated enterprise ecosystems, including CRM, SIS, and marketing automation platforms. Ability to Coach and “lead by example” the breakdown of business needs into EPIC, Features and User Stories. Proven ability to drive decision-making and accountability across multiple stakeholders in ambiguous and evolving environments. Strong written and verbal communication skills with audience in perspective. Thorough knowledge and understanding of business principles, processes, and technology. Strong knowledge of Teams, Word, Excel, OneNote, Visio, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Excellent collaborator able to work with virtual and global cross functional teams. Experience with systems and business processes to support new product introductions. Knowledge of multiple existing Scrum Agile frameworks and project management methodology. Strong analytical, budgetary, and critical thinking skills. Proven ability to lead multiple teams and complex cross-functional initiatives within a dynamic, fast-paced environment. Experience establishing delivery governance, managing project risks and dependencies, and driving successful outcomes for large, complex initiatives. Experience with a PPM solution. Have expert knowledge and ability to identify opportunities for change and the ability to convey the need for change to IT management. Experience in high growth small-midsize companies, preferably in Higher Education, strongly preferred. Our Commitment to Employees Just as we strive to empower our students for success, we also aim to enrich the lives of our employees. For 6 consecutive years, ACE was recognized as one of Indiana’s Best Places to Work, winning the #1 spot for medium-sized companies in 2020. In addition, ACE has earned national recognition since 2022 for being a USA Today Top Workplace. As a virtual first organization, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a family-like inclusive work environment. For our full-time employees, we offer the following benefits: Medical, dental, & vision Insurance HSA and FSA options Paid parental leave Paid volunteer time Tuition reimbursement & reduction programs Generous PTO 401k and employer match Full-service wellness and EAP program Employee recognition and awards programs Employer paid life & AD&D insurance Short-term disability Employer paid long-term disability And more… Physical Demands The physical demand described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate with and receive communications from students and ACE employees in real time using online and other electronic media. Commitment to Culture At American College of Education, we’re all about building a one-of-a-kind, supportive community where everyone—students, faculty, and staff—can thrive. Guided by our mission and values, we focus on everything from innovative curriculum design to personalized instruction and student support to intentional planning, inclusive initiatives, and strategic resource allocation. We’re dedicated to creating an environment that celebrates freedom of expression, diversity of thought, open dialogue, and mutual respect. We believe in fostering a sense of belonging and wellness so that every member of our ACE family feels empowered, valued, and ready to reach their full potential. Together, we’re creating a vibrant, resilient, and connected learning community where everyone matters. Additional Notes This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Employees are increasingly integrating AI into their roles, demonstrating its potential to boost efficiency, accuracy, and productivity. By utilizing AI technologies, we can streamline processes, gain valuable insights from data, and automate routine tasks, which allows employees to concentrate on more strategic and creative aspects of their work. While AI is a beneficial tool in the workplace, if its use—such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, , etc.—accounts for more than 50% of any work assignments or job responsibilities, it will need to be reported to a direct leader. Internet bandwidth speeds from an employee's remote work location must be a minimum of 50Mbps download speeds and 5Mbps upload speeds. Please note if the bandwidth is shared across multiple devices (tablets, computer, streaming, phone, etc.) you will need higher overall speeds. You can test the speed of your connection by visiting Purchase, setup, installation, support, and ongoing maintenance of reliable internet service is the responsibility of the individual. American College of Education seeks to attract and retain a diverse staff consistent with its diverse student body and surrounding communities. At this time we cannot consider candidates residing in Alaska, Washington D.C., Massachusetts, South Dakota, or Alabama. ACE is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Who is American College of Education Founded in 2005, American College of Education continues to be a leader in professional development through our online programs. The mission of ACE is to deliver high-quality, affordable, and accessible online programs grounded in evidence-based content, real-world experience and relevant application that places our students’ needs first. ACE is a mission-driven institution continually recognized for its commitment to social responsibility and positive impact. As an Impact Institution, we believe we have a responsibility to our students, alumni, employees, communities, and society as a whole. Guided by our core values, we strive to create meaningful impact that extends well beyond our bottom line. We prioritize candidate safety. Please note that all official communication will only come from our verified company email domain @Rippling.com