Special Projects, Lead

This position supports the Finance & Budget Division by providing essential project management and business analysis for high-profile campus and divisional initiatives. It ensures alignment with the division's commitment to financial and operational excellence by driving process improvements, data-informed decision-making, and effective project delivery. The role is responsible for analyzing complex financial and operational data, developing metrics, mapping and optimizing workflows, and translating insights into actionable strategies that enhance efficiency and advance strategic objectives. Projects include but are not limited to: software implementation, software updates, workflow optimization and redesign, event management process optimization and implementation, and various departmental projects.

We are seeking a highly motivated and results-driven professional who excels at solving complex problems, fostering collaboration to enhance efficiencies, and driving process improvements. If you thrive in a dynamic environment and are eager to contribute to meaningful financial and operational initiatives, we encourage you to apply and become a valued member of our team. The successful candidate will exemplify the University values of adaptation and exploration.

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

The University of Arizona has been recognized for our innovative work-life programs. For more information about working at the University of Arizona and relocations services, please click here.

Project Management:

• Communicates with Finance & Budget Leadership, campus leaders, and external parties/vendors on projects and initiatives; works independently to develop timelines, project plans, and process maps; monitors scope, schedule, timelines and milestones, resources, and deliverables; gathers information from stakeholders in order to develop and execute comprehensive communication plans, following up with working groups as needed.
• Serves as a liaison between Finance & Budget teams and campus partners; collaborates with campus partners on initiatives as needed.
• Evaluates and consults to improve quality of results and process improvement and provides recommendations to division leadership.
• Designs workshops and develops resources to support projects, document outcomes, and finalize processes.
• Provides presentations on project progress and updates, project cycle, and results; leads demos when needed.
• Maintains standards and procedures for project reporting and documentation.
• Completes risk assessment and mitigation plans as needed.
• Oversees and tracks project budgets, ensuring all projects fall under approved parameters; works with stakeholders and campus partners to ensure all units adhere to project budgets. Communicates any projected changes to project teams and leadership.

Project Management - Business & Data Analysis Focus:

• Establishes contact with various stakeholders within Finance & Budget division; collects data, investigates business practices and procedures, and meets with teams in order to evaluate and consult with units to create and implement business process improvements and initiatives.
• Pulls metrics and data related to unit operations; uses results to support improvement plans and initiatives.
• Uses data to report on deliverables like: time reduction, steps removed, steps automated, milestones met, costs reduced, reports delivered, processes redesigned/improved, procedures documented, projects completed, end-user satisfaction surveys.
• Acts as liaison between Finance & Budget data team and UAIR to build metric-based reporting, designed to drive insights into process flow and improvement.
• Generates specialized reports and provides executive summaries for both formal and informal requests.
• Completes Ad Hoc analyses as needed.

Additional Duties:

• Researches industry best practices and leads charge on implementing them across campus; helps establish policies and procedures.
• Advocates for a culture of safety, designed around identifying challenges, analyzing the root causes, amplifying signals, and collaborating on new solutions, approaches, technologies, and techniques.
• Identifies process improvements to enhance user experience and efficiency, using innovation, creativity, and strategic approach methodologies.
• Acts as subject matter expert in the field of Project Management, and in process improvements/design.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

• Knowledge of the University's enterprise systems.
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office products, particularly Microsoft Excel.
• Ability to plan, coordinate, and execute large-scale system implementations and process improvement initiatives.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to establish rapport with and gain trust of others and to establish cooperative working relationships with staff and the campus community.
• Ability to work under deadlines and adapt to changes with minimum notice.
• Ability to prioritize various critical tasks assigned and to negotiate deadlines to meet the overall goals of the Division.
• Ability to identify issues, analyze root causes, and implement effective solutions for continuous improvement.
• Skilled in analyzing financial and operational data, generating reports, and providing strategic recommendations.
• Ability to be creative, supportive, and thoughtful in problem-solving, considering the multifaceted and occasionally conflicting needs and perspectives of the campus community and the institution.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent advanced learning attained through professional level experience required.
• 5 years of relevant work experience, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• Project Management Professional certification (PMP), Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), or another Project Management certification/designation.