Agile Project Manager

Laureate Global Products and Services is the online and U.S. campus-based group of Laureate Education, a leading international provider of higher education services. Our institutions include Walden University, a distance learning institution of higher education based in Minneapolis, Minnesota; the University of Liverpool based in Amsterdam, Netherlands; Kendall College, a leading higher education institution of culinary arts and hospitality management based in Chicago, Illinois; NewSchool of Architecture and Design, based in San Diego, California; Santa Fe University of Art and Design, an institute of art and design, based in Santa Fe, New Mexico and The National Hispanic University, based in San Jose, California.

Are you ready to help revolutionize the way the world learns ' right now ' and make a real difference in people's lives and your career along the way? At Laureate Education, Inc., you can. As a leading global innovator, our network of 58 accredited universities offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 675,000 students in 28 countries, in campus-based, fully online and hybrid modalities. At Laureate, you'll quickly learn that IT is an integral partner within our business. There's no sitting around writing code all day for an anonymous company function or end user here. Instead, you'll be 100 percent focused on our students (the future leaders of tomorrow) and how you can help deliver the most effective, efficient and engaging educational tools and experiences possible. From leading-edge technologies and in-house software solutions, to the latest in mobile applications and social media, we're all about creating bigger opportunities and better futures ' one University, one student, and one IT career at a time.

GENERAL SUMMARY:
Laureate, Inc. is seeking an Agile Project Manager to manage multiple exciting software development projects in a matrix-run organization. The APM will work collaboratively across business units to document, define and communicate release iterations, negotiate acceptable quality standards, may function as Scrum Master for the software development team (a scrum, or scrum of scrums), and report on the status of deliverables to colleagues at various levels of the company. The project manager should have experience with Agile and Waterfall development methodologies.

This position will support the Director of Software Innovation by providing project leadership for large, new application development projects as well as various special projects.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
' Overall responsibility for ensuring on-time, on-budget delivery of software applications in collaboration with project sponsors and stakeholders.
' Provide day-to-day project leadership and decision making on multiple high-visibility project especially pertaining to iteration scope, schedule, budget, and resources.
' Overall accountability for enabling the software development team to deliver each iteration, acting as a buffer between project teams and any distracting influences.
' Communicate iteration status and issues to the Director of Software Innovation, Stakeholders, and Project Teams.
' Ensure project documentation is complete and communicated (e.g. user stories, use cases, test plans, deployment documentation, release schedules, status reports, etc.).
' Influence the prioritization of release requirements, including features, functionality, quality standards, etc., with business stakeholders.
' Drive accountability and cooperation between development teams and business stakeholders.
' Manage the planning and control of project activities and resources.
' Resolve conflicts within and across development initiatives between resources, schedules, budgets, priorities, etc.
' Manage 3rd party vendors (as necessary) as an integral part of the project teams' activities.
' Effectively share knowledge, deliverables, and lessons learned with colleagues across the organization.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:
' 5+ years of Project Management experience in both Waterfall and Agile environments, with at least 2 years focused on application development in an Agile/Scrum environment
' Bachelor's degree (BA or BS) from a four-year college or university in a related field.
' Demonstrated understanding of Agile software development methodologies ' especially Scrum
' History with on-time, on-budget delivery of multiple software development projects

LICENSURE and/or CERTIFICATION
' Bachelor's degree (Master's preferred) in Management Information Systems, Computer Sciences or related field
' Scrum Master certification is strongly preferred
' PMI certification a plus
BUSINESS COMPETENCIES
' Business savvy and customer-oriented, with strong relationship management skills.
' Consultative skills such as requirements gathering and documentation.
' Strong change management and negotiation skills with ability to work within a matrix-run organization.
' Proficient in delivering sustained results in a matrix infrastructure.
' Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
' Strategically focused, with an intuitive grasp of business priorities and objectives.
' Broad-based technical and managerial expertise, with the ability to make technology concepts accessible to non-technical colleagues and customers.

Laureate Education, Inc., and all of it subsidiaries or affiliates, are equal opportunity employers. EOE