Project Manager, Digital Strategies

Job-:
University Administration

Location:

Nashville, TN, United States Workplace:
Hybrid

Schedule:

Full time Posted:

Position Summary:

The Project Manager, Digital Strategies leads complex digital projects from concept to launch while serving as the primary liaison and relationship manager between the Digital Strategies team and university partners. This role drives strategic alignment between partner goals and team capabilities, ensuring strong execution, clear communication, and confident stakeholder management throughout the project lifecycle. Additionally, the Project Manager is accountable for ensuring that projects move smoothly from concept to launch, that partners feel genuinely understood throughout the process, and that the team has the clarity and support needed to do strong work.

This role also supports the UX Design and Development Teams and facilitates agile ceremonies and iterative delivery practices to enhance team velocity and responsiveness.

About the Work Unit:

The Communications and Marketing team at Vanderbilt University is a dynamic and deeply collaborative group. The division, with all of its departments and sub-teams, serves as the institution-wide center of excellence for communications and marketing, developing and executing strategies that inform, engage and inspire others to participate in Vanderbilt University’s global academic and research mission. The division is a key strategic adviser and partner for other divisions in the university, providing comprehensive plans and thoughtful analysis on messaging opportunities and constraints.

The Communications and Marketing team continuously seeks innovative solutions to new and emerging challenges in order to deliver results at scale to advance the larger mission, values and priorities of the university.

Key Functions and Expected Performance:

Strategic Partner Engagement & Alignment Serve as the liaison and relationship manager to university partners (schools, units, centers, divisions)
Conduct proactive conversations with key partners to understand their strategic priorities and digital goals

Help partners articulate their needs and understand how digital solutions serve their broader institutional objectives

Communicate project constraints, trade-offs, and timelines in a way that partners feel heard and respected

Ensure alignment between partner expectations and team capacity and capabilities

Project Execution and Timeline Management Lead the setup and management of all assigned digital projects in Wrike and Notion establishing clear project structure and timelines

Create realistic deadlines and action items for team members, stakeholders, and external vendors

Maintain accurate, current project documentation including scope of work, project timeline, and post-launch site documentation

Monitor project progress, identify bottlenecks and risks, and facilitate solutions to keep projects on track

Manage multiple complex projects simultaneously, balancing quick-turnaround requests with long-lead initiatives

Guide projects through pivots and scope changes while maintaining team momentum and partner confidence

Facilitate agile ceremonies for the UX Design and Development teams including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives

Maintain and prioritize project backlogs in coordination with team leads and partners as needed

Help the team identify and remove impediments that slow sprint progress or delivery

Support iterative delivery for the UX Design and Development Teams, balancing agile flexibility with the structured timelines required by partners and internal projects

Communication and Coordination Maintain clear, frequent communication with team members and partners through meetings, status updates, and documentation

Create and manage project agendas, meeting notes, and internal/external status updates

Ensure all stakeholders have accurate information and understand next steps

Translate partner needs into clear project briefs and documentation for the team Process and Systems Management Manage established project management systems and workflows (Wrike, templates, approval processes)
Identify opportunities to improve processes for recurring project types

Design and implement new systems and processes for novel or complex projects that require customized approaches

Maintain organized project documentation and institutional knowledge

Facilitate agile ceremonies for applicable projects, including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and…