IT Project Manager

Duties/Pligte
- Defining the scope, objectives, and deliverables of the project. Executing if these were already predefined in an existing project.
- Creating a comprehensive project plan, including schedules, tasks, and resource allocation.
- Depending on the type of project, developing a budget and managing project finances.
- Assembling a project team, defining roles and responsibilities, and fostering a collaborative and productive working environment. This requires collaborating with academic, administrative, and technical stakeholders; ensuring alignment and integration.
- Motivating and guiding team members to meet project goals and deadlines.
- Ensuring effective communication within the team and with stakeholders.
- Identifying potential risks and issues that could affect the project's success.
- Developing and implementing risk mitigation strategies.
- Monitoring and addressing issues as they arise to keep the project on track.
- Allocating and managing project resources, including personnel, equipment, and software.
- Ensuring that team members have the necessary tools and support to complete their tasks.
- Managing the project's scope, and making sure that changes are documented and approved.
- Preventing scope creep, if possible, which can lead to project delays and increased costs. Documenting changes and any additional costs that are incurred.
- Establishing quality standards and processes to ensure that project deliverables meet the required specifications.
- Conducting quality assessments and audits to maintain high standards.
- Acting as a primary point of contact for project stakeholders, including clients, sponsors, and upper management. Unless defined by a project as a shared responsibility with the project owner.
- Keeping stakeholders informed about project progress, issues, and changes.
- Preparing and delivering regular status reports and presentations.
- Monitoring project timelines and deadlines.
- Adjusting schedules and priorities as necessary to keep the project on track.
- Using project management tools and techniques to manage time effectively.
- Monitoring and controlling project costs to ensure that the project stays within budget. (Depends on the project type.)
- Tracking expenditures and discussing budget adjustments with the project owner as needed.
- Maintaining comprehensive project documentation, including project plans, defining and managing charters, governance logs, milestone tracking, schedules, reports, and change logs (some via JIRA).
- Ensuring that the project documentation is well-organised and accessible to team members and stakeholders.
- Identifying and acquiring the necessary materials, services, and equipment for the project.
- Managing vendor relationships and contracts, if applicable.
- Ensuring that all project components are integrated smoothly and working together as intended.
- Coordinating dependencies between different parts of the project.
- Building and maintaining strong relationships with project stakeholders.
- Addressing stakeholder needs, concerns, and expectations throughout the project.
- Reviewing and analysing the project's performance to identify areas for improvement.
- Implementing lessons learned and best practices in future projects.
- Evaluating project outcomes against initial objectives and deliverables.
- Preparing a project closure report and facilitating the transition of project results to the operational phase.

Job Requirements/Pos Vereistes
- At least an NQF Level 7 qualification in the relevant field.
- Formal project management certification (e.g. ITIL, PRINCE2, Agile/Scrum).
- Formal or demonstrated experience in change management practices (e.g., Prosci, ADKAR, or equivalent frameworks).
- Strong written and verbal communication abilities, with active listening skills.
- At least five years' experience of managing IT projects in a higher education environment.
- Familiarity with project management tools (JIRA, SmartSheets, MS Project, or similar).
- Highly organised with a focus on planning and execution.
- Proven ability to collaborate at all levels of an organisation.
- Excellent problem-solving and root-cause analysis capabilities.
- The ability to work in a team-oriented, collaborative environment.
- Adaptability to work with both Agile and traditional project management methodologies.
- High attention to detail, with a strong focus on stakeholder value and sustainable outcomes.

Recommendation/Aanbeveling
- Experience in working with academic staff, research, IT teams and university leadership to drive digital transformation.
- Experience and familiarity with academic calendars, institutional reporting cycles, and South African regulatory frameworks (e.g., POPIA, HEQSF).
- Experience in working in higher education or public-sector IT environments.