Senior Project Manager - CLEE - UTK

Position Summary 

This position exists to lead Project RAISE, a 5-year, $12-million federally funded initiative in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education to advance school-based mental health across Tennessee. This role manages all project phases, ensuring alignment with university, state, and federal goals, timely delivery, and budget compliance. The Senior Project Manager will work with faculty, staff, TDOE, and external partners to drive project outcomes, reporting directly to the Center’s leadership. This position exists to oversee, manage and accept full responsibility of the project to design and execute Project RAISE, to increase mental health outcomes in rural districts in Tennessee. This position will have strong skills in project management coupled with a background in large scale academic projects. Additionally, this position will step in as needed to fill in for the Associate Director. This position manages the project staff at the Center for Literacy, Education and Employment. This contract makes up a sizable part of the Center's funding. This position directly manages staff to carry out work of the contract and ensures that work is completed with highest quality. The position is responsible for hiring, providing guidance and direction for staff, evaluations and any necessary corrective action. On behalf of the Center for Literacy, Education and Employment, this position partners with entities external to the University to develop and facilitates the execution of this project including critical training and professional development for mental health mentors and supervisors. The position identifies possible work and funders, develops relationships, creates proposals, obtains contracts, and manages the work that supports or partially supports up to 5 employees plus temporary workers and others. This position represents the Center to external funders, Universities, and partners.

Planning and Management of project

• Project Management: Plan and execute Project RAISE, managing timelines, deliverables, and $12M budget to meet university and TDOE objectives.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with academic departments, university administration, TDOE, and external vendors to ensure project alignment.
• Resource Oversight: Allocate resources, monitor expenditures, and negotiate contracts to maintain fiscal responsibility.
• Risk Management: Identify and mitigate risks, developing contingency plans to ensure project success.
• Team Leadership: Supervise multidisciplinary teams, mentoring initiative coordinators to achieve project goals.
• Reporting: Provide data-driven progress reports, budget analyses, and KPIs to Center leadership and TDOE.
• Process Improvement: Apply project management methodologies to optimize workflows.
• Compliance: Ensure adherence to university policies, state regulations, and federal grant requirements.

Fiscal Oversight & Management

• Carries out responsibilities of overseeing and managing $12 million State contract- 
  • developing budgets; 
  • making fiscal decisions; 
  • developing processes and procedures to match the needs of the contract from a State, Federal and University standpoint. 
• Monitors multiple and complex operating budgets and timelines. 
• Works with University and Associate Director to assure fiscal accuracy and accountability. 
• Uses strategic planning to meet goals and objectives within budget.

Hiring and Supervision

• Establishes performance standards for supervised staff as well as for completion of project tasks. 
• Provides guidance, training, evaluations, corrective action, and professional development for staff. 
• Will lead hiring, building and development of team to carry out the work of the project.

Required Qualifications

• Education:

  • Master’s Degree (any academic field)

• Experience:

  • Minimum of 3 years leading large-scale, high-value projects ($1M+ budgets) in academic, public sector, or complex organizational settings.

• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

  • Knowledge of project management best practices. 

  • Ability to utilize project management skills to develop team and move project forward. 

  • Understanding and knowledge of project direction and scopes of work.

  • Ability to develop work streams, hire, supervise, and develop staff. 

  • Ability to accomplish contract goals within time and budget constraints.

  • Knowledge of fi