Director Agile Program Management Office - Adtalem Global Education

Adtalem Global Education is a national leader in post-secondary education and leading provider of professional talent to the healthcare industry. Adtalem educates and empowers students with the knowledge and skills to become leaders in their communities and make a lasting impact on public health, well-being and beyond. Through equitable access to education, environments that nurture student success, and a focus on expanding and diversifying the talent pipeline in healthcare, Adtalem is building a brighter future for communities and the world.

Adtalem is the parent organization of American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, Chamberlain University, Ross University School of Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and Walden University.

Visit Adtalem.com for more information, and follow on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Adtalem believes in a culture of collaboration, creativity, and innovation, which thrives when we can work flexibly. Depending on your location, this role may be hybrid or remote.

• HYBRID – If you reside within 50 miles of Adtalem offices in Chicago, IL, Addison, IL, Columbia, MD, Minneapolis, MN, and Miramar, FL this role is hybrid, requiring office presence three days a week (Tue, Wed, Thu), with the rest of the workweek spent working from home.

Opportunity at a Glance
We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Director to lead our Agile Project Management Office (PMO). The Director, Agile PMO will be responsible for developing a modern, highly effective framework encompassing people, processes, and tools to ensure that projects are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with our strategic objectives. This role involves working closely with product delivery teams to orchestrate high-velocity delivery while establishing an appropriate IT governance framework for decision-making and project management. Additionally, the Director will manage vendor relationships to support project execution. A strategic thinker with a deep understanding of agile methodologies and the ability to foster a culture of continuous improvement is essential.

Responsibilities:

APMO Creation and Maturation (Agile PMO):

• Facilitate consensus among APMO stakeholders and organizational leadership around the mission and vision of the APMO to foster an agile-oriented mindset while building product and project-oriented capabilities aligned to value delivery.
• Engage senior leadership and business partners to define the APMO goals and operating model in the form of the APMO charter or mission statement.
• Lead the identification and development of APMO roles, team configuration, and recruitment to deliver the agreed-upon APMO goals and objectives.

Methodology Competency:

• Identify and implement project management processes, methods, tools, guidelines, and standards to establish a stable framework supporting all project teams and stakeholders, improving the probability of successful project delivery.
• Develop and guide the agile practice, establishing systems, processes, and ways of working to sustain high-performing teams.
• Facilitate the process that develops plans and prioritization by leadership and governance.
• Define, manage, and direct the needed end-to-end APMO work effort, leveraging best practices and techniques in identifying, quantifying, and tracking the realization of expected benefits.
• Ensure consistency in Adtalem Global Education’s operating methodology and associated processes.

Coaching and Engagement:

• Provide ongoing coaching and mentoring to APMO staff and leadership as needed.
• Build and maintain relationships with senior leadership and key APMO stakeholders, acting as a trusted advisor.
• Establish a project management and/or agile community of practice (CoP) to facilitate collaboration and best-practice sharing among the APMO and practitioners.
• Instill a learning culture to continuously inspect and adapt methodology and efficiency.
• Provide support to goal coaches and KPI leaders ensuring that culture, behaviors, and mindsets support the organization’s values.
• Ensure alignment to cross-departmental roadmaps, creating a collective plan to manage dependencies.

Continuous Improvement:

• Regularly review and evaluate opportunities to improve project management best practices to achieve higher maturity in project portfolio management (PPM).
• Evolve and continually improve the interdependencies between business models and operating practices, integrating waterfall, iterative, and agile delivery models into one cohesive delivery strategy to best meet evolving business needs.
• Engage the organization to ensure continual feedback and identify emerging methodology and alignment needs.

Performance:

• Assess enterprise or portfolio performance using metrics and reporting, supporting the organization's progression towards a value-based operating model.
• Ensure strategic alignment through prioritization, resource capacity management, key result tracking, and program management to achieve strategic vision.
• Manage and optimize the flow of value through the organization.
• Track and communicate key organizational metrics.
• Escalate and track organizational impediments, removing them where possible.

Vendor and Partner Management:

• Oversee vendor selection, contract negotiation, and performance management to ensure quality and timely delivery.
• Develop collaborative relationships with vendors and partners to support project success.

• Performs other duties as assigned

• Complies with all policies and standards

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Information Technology, Project Management, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 7-10 years of experience in project management, with at least 5 years in an agile environment.
• Proven experience in leading and managing an Agile PMO in a large, complex organization.
• Strong knowledge of agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, Lean) and tools (JIRA, Confluence, etc.).
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to think strategically and drive organizational change.
• Experience in vendor management, including contract negotiation and performance management.
• PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, or similar certifications are highly desirable.

Equal Opportunity – Minority / Female / Disability / V / Gender Identity / Sexual Orientation