Continuous Improvement Project Manager

The University System of Georgia (USG) is comprised of 26 higher education institutions as well as the University System Office (USO). Within the USO, our administrative operations are primarily housed in the Trinity Washington Building located in downtown Atlanta. Our Information Technology Services (ITS) division is located in Athens. The University System of Georgia Shared Services Center (SSC) is located in Sandersville. The Georgia Public Library System is located in Atlanta. The Georgia Archives is located in Morrow. The State of Georgia Records Center is located in Austell.

The Continuous Improvement Project Manager is an exempt full-time position that reports to the Service Delivery Manager at the University System of Georgia (USG) Shared Services Center (SSC). This position is responsible for monitoring operations, processes, and interactions within the SSC and with USG institutions. This position is responsible for leading and driving sustainable change in collaboration with all levels of management, human resource specialists, campus practitioners, and SSC team members. Identifying and implementing process improvement opportunities and standard best practices developed by SSC and in collaboration with USG institutions.

• Develop meaningful relationships with key stakeholders across the organization to serve as a trusted advisor for USG Shared Services Center Continuous Improvement objectives.
• Executes plans individually and by utilizing a cross-functional team to meet/exceed business goals and effective involvement of consultant resources in collaboration with the Service Delivery Manager.
• Facilitates and leads projects as a subject matter expert while empowering stakeholders to present ideas and create improvements and solutions.
• Responsible for working with USG leadership in identifying high-priority areas for improvement to ensure efforts are aligned to and fully support strategic goals.
• Contributes to the design, development, and update of the methodology (incl. methods and tools, Reference Guide, and training material).
• Works closely with Service Delivery Operations Analyst II to identify and utilize metrics and KPIs for driving continuous improvement.
• Drive and execute improvements to meet KPI targets together with stakeholders.
• Defines the scope of projects in conjunction with leadership.
• Monitors the progress of the projects and adjusts to ensure successful completion.
• Documents all project-related activities and ensures project files are maintained and secured accordingly.
• In collaboration with Documentation and Communications, creates a communication schedule to update stakeholders, including appropriate staff in the organization on the progress of all projects.
• Works closely with stakeholders to use data to drive strategic decisions and affirm their insights are represented accurately and comprehensively.
• Identify opportunities for improvement, define problems, determine root cause, develop solutions, test solutions, implement, stabilize, and sustain improvements while engaging and coaching stakeholders throughout the process.
• Conducts quality assurance activities and identifies improvement opportunities for Service Desk interactions, payroll activities, and Information Service, recommending corrective actions to SSC leadership team.
• Accesses and generates measurement and assessment tools enabling operational leaders to evaluate potential areas for formal actions and to subsequently determine their operational and financial value.
• Identifies learning and education opportunities for SSC staff members and Institution partners.
• Establishes and documents comprehensive project plans and timelines, which identify and sequence the activities needed to successfully complete projects.
• Manages, resolves, documents, and/or escalates issues and risks in a timely manner.
• Holds regular status meetings with project teams and keep them well-informed of organizational/process changes.

Educational Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in Business, HR, Project Management, or related field.
Required Experience
5 years or more in project/program management or any equivalent combination of education, experience, and training which provides the necessary knowledge and skills.
2 years of industry experience using data analytics to produce impactful insights, including knowing how to deal with imperfections in data.
PMP (Project Management Professional) Preferred.
Higher Education Experience Preferred.

• Strong organizational and time management skills, effectively managing workflow, and ability to manage multiple tasks and timelines.
• Experience with online project management and visualization tools such as Smartsheet, Microsoft Projects, Tableau, etc. in partnership with excellent verbal and written communication, presentation, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience driving cross-functional analytics projects from beginning to end in coordination with the project management team.
• Ability to build strong relationships and influence others.
• Ability to build team cohesiveness, lead, influence, and motivate cross-functional teams to achieve challenging goals.
• Ability to quickly learn, understand, and communicate complex concepts and issues to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to prioritize, set goals and objectives, and follow through to completion.
• Ability to effectively work with a diverse group of staff, technical staff, functional end-users, and faculty.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities and changing demands while being responsive to end-user needs.
• Degree of competency in all phases of project management including issue and risk identification and management, change management, tracking dependencies and milestones, and communication of overall project status.
• Excellent organizational, decision-making, interpersonal, and communication skills.
• Skill in categorization, risk and benefits analysis, and prioritization of projects.
• Skill in facilitating and public speaking.
• Management for effective and timely resolution of project problems.
• Skills in communicating project and technical issues effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Proficient in a variety of HRIS/HRMS software programs (currently PeopleSoft).

The University System Office is an equal employment, equal access, and equal educational opportunity, and affirmative action institution. It is the policy of the University System Office to recruit, hire, train, promote and educate persons without regard to race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status as required by applicable state and federal laws (including Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, Sections 503, and 504, ADEA, ADA, E.O. 11246, and Rev. Proc. 75-50).

For questions or more detailed information regarding this policy please contact the University System Office Human Resources at 404.962.3242. Individuals requiring disability related accommodations for participation in any event or to obtain print materials in an alternative format, please contact Human Resources.

This is not a supervisory position.
This position does not have any financial responsibilities.
This position will not be required to drive.
This role is not considered a position of trust.
This position does not require a purchasing card (P-Card).
This position may travel 1% – 24% of the time
This position does not require security clearance.