Job Title

UPES - School of Computer Science operates in a rapidly evolving educational and industry landscape. To succeed globally and lead in innovation, execution excellence must be non-negotiable. The Program Manager ensures:Strategic initiatives are delivered with impactResources and risks are managed with disciplineLeadership sees the true health of the School’s initiativesSoCS stays ahead in accreditation, labs, rankings, and industry relevanceEducationMaster’s degree required; MBA, Project Management, Technology Management, or related postgraduate credentials preferred.Preferred - PMP, PgMP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, Agile certifications (PMI-ACP / ScrumMaster) or equivalentRole Summary:The concerned person will be responsible for the successful planning, execution, monitoring, and governance of all key school initiatives — spanning new labs, accreditation cycles, rankings strategy, academic innovations, and transformation programs. This role ensures the health of the school’s portfolio of initiatives, driving outcomes, impact, and ROI, and reporting directly to the Dean with clear, real-time insights into initiative status and organizational performance.This isn’t a traditional administrative role — it’s the chief orchestrator of School of Computer Science's strategic delivery engine.Key Responsibility:Strategic Program Leadership & Portfolio GovernanceOwn the PMO charter for the school, defining governance frameworks, delivery standards, and reporting cadences.Oversee the entire portfolio of strategic initiatives, including but not limited to:New lab and infrastructure setupsAccreditation preparation and cyclesGlobal rankings strategy and executionStrategic academic programs and global partnershipsResearch & innovation impact projectsPrioritize initiatives based on strategic impact, resources, and risk profile.Performance Monitoring & ROI AccountabilityDevelop, maintain, and socialise portfolio dashboards reporting on:Milestones, budgets, risks, and dependenciesOutcomes and KPIs for each strategic initiativeSchool-wide execution health metricsEvaluate ROI, impact, and sustainability of initiatives through quantitative and qualitative measures.Drive continuous improvement — ensuring lessons learned feed back into planning cycles.Delivery & Quality AssuranceStandardize project delivery methods, templates, governance, and quality reviews aligned to global PMO best practices (e.g., PMI, Agile frameworks where applicable).Champion high standards of documentation, change control, risk mitigation, and stakeholder alignment.Coordinate cross-functional working groups to ensure cohesive execution across academic, operational, and external domains.Cross-Functional Leadership & Stakeholder AlignmentServe as the connective tissue across SoCS leadership — Associate Deans, Directors, Faculty, Industry Partners, and institutional units.Act as a trusted advisor to initiative sponsors, ensuring clarity of objectives, scope, and performance measures.Facilitate executive decision points and escalate issues with clear recommendations.Reporting & Strategic Insight CommunicationProvide the Dean and academic leadership with concise, insight-driven updates — beyond status to implications and recommendations.Translate complex project data into executive-ready narratives and visual dashboards.Maintain transparency and confidence across stakeholders through predictable, high-quality reporting cycles.Change Leadership & Capability BuildingLead organizational change management for transformation initiatives.Build internal PMO capabilities (training, tools, playbooks) to elevate execution maturity in the school.Promote a culture of accountability, results, and proactive risk management.Core Competencies:Strategic Thinking : Anticipates trends and aligns initiatives with long-term academic and organizational goalsOperational Excellence: Excellent command of project and portfolio management disciplines and toolsData Fluency & Insight Communication: Translates data into decisions, risks into actionsCollaborative Leadership: Influences without authority, fosters alignment across academic and operational functionsChange Management: Drives adoption and resilience during transitions and transformations