Senior Project Manager, Campus Capital & Operational Projects

Position Information Position Title Senior Project Manager, Campus Capital & Operational Projects

Position Summary The Senior Project Manager, Campus Capital & Operational Projects is responsible for leading the governance, prioritization, and delivery assurance of Red Deer Polytechnic’s campus capital and operational project portfolio. Reporting to the Director, Campus Management, the role is accountable for establishing and managing institutional project governance frameworks, portfolio controls, and decision-support processes that enable transparent, data-informed, and fiscally responsible project delivery. The position ensures that campus projects are effectively prioritized, planned, monitored, and executed in alignment with institutional priorities, funding requirements, and operational needs. This role provides leadership to the project management team, oversees portfolio performance, and influences institutional decision-making through comprehensive reporting, risk management, and stakeholder engagement. The Senior Project Manager plays a key role in enhancing RDP’s Campus Management capacity and supporting the institution’s commitment the outcomes of RDP’s 2030 Strategic Plan.

Position Responsibilities Project Governance, Portfolio Intake & Prioritization* Leads institutional project governance processes, including intake, prioritization, stage-gate approvals, and decision frameworks

• Develops and manages the campus project portfolio roadmap, including dependencies, resource capacity, and funding alignment
• Establishes prioritization criteria aligned with institutional strategy, operational needs, and funding requirements
• Prepares decision packages and recommendations for senior leadership and governance bodies
• Ensures consistent application of governance standards and decision-making processes across all projects

Project Controls, Assurance & Executive Reporting* Establishes and enforces project management frameworks including charters, schedules, budgets, risk registers, and reporting standards

• Monitors portfolio performance, including schedule, budget, risk, and scope across all projects
• Leads portfolio-level risk management and ensures timely escalation of issues impacting delivery
• Develops executive dashboards, variance reports, and performance insights for leadership decision-making
• Conducts post-project reviews and continuous improvement initiatives

Committee Chair & Stakeholder Governance* Chairs or facilitates governance committees, including the Facility Planning Advisory Committee

• Leads stakeholder engagement processes to align priorities, clarify requirements, and support decision-making
• Translates stakeholder needs into project scope, governance requirements, and decision pathways
• Coordinates across Finance, Procurement, IT, Safety, Accessibility, and other enabling functions
• Escalates complex or high-risk issues to senior leadership with recommended actions

Team Coaching & Project Management Practice* Provides direct leadership to Project Managers, including performance management, coaching, and development

• Assigns and prioritizes work across the project portfolio based on institutional priorities and capacity
• Ensures consistent application of project management standards, tools, and practices
• Conducts quality assurance on project documentation, reporting, and stakeholder communication
• Builds organizational capability in project management and governance practices

Financial Planning, Procurement Coordination & Risk Management* Leads financial planning activities including business cases, funding requests, and cost analysis

• Oversees budget tracking, forecasting, and financial performance across the portfolio
• Ensures compliance with procurement, financial, and governance policies
• Identifies and manages financial and operational risks, escalating where required
• Supports procurement planning, vendor coordination, and contract governance

Continuous Improvement & Professional Practice* Identifies and implements improvements to governance, reporting, and project management processes

• Monitors trends in project management, public-sector governance, and capital planning practices
• Provides strategic insights to support institutional planning and decision-making
• Supports organizational change and project delivery maturity

Required Qualifications

• Three (3) year undergraduate degree, or three years of university or equivalency in Project Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, Operations Management, Portfolio Management, Change Management or a related discipline required
• Project Management Professional (PMP) or equivalent senior project/portfolio management certification required
• Minimum of 8-10 years of progressively senior experience in project management, PMO/project controls, portfolio governance, capital planning, operational project coordination or public-sector program delivery
• 3+ years of leadership experience supervising or coaching experienced Project Managers and building consistent project management practice across a team

Preferred Qualifications

• Four (4) year undergraduate degree, or three (3) year undergraduate degree plus one full additional year of university in a related program representing four years of study or equivalent in Project Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, Operations Management, Portfolio Management, Change Management or equivalent is considered an asset
• PgMP, PMI-ACP, change management, Lean/Six Sigma or related project/portfolio credentials are considered an asset
• Experience with post-secondary or complex multi-stakeholder environments preferred
• Expert knowledge of project charters, stage-gate governance, portfolio prioritization, scheduling, budget controls, risk management, issue escalation, change control, records management, reporting and closeout.
• Experience with procurement coordination, vendor/proponent communications, evaluation records, funding requests and financial control processes in a public-sector or institutional environment.
• Demonstrated ability to chair committees, facilitate structured decisions, influence without formal authority and translate complex information for diverse audiences.
• Working knowledge of construction/capital project lifecycles sufficient to govern process, identify risks and request technical advice; does not require technical design, building systems, operations, commissioning or utility-management expertise.
• Experience coaching and mentoring staff
• Experience with post-secondary administration and accounting systems (Banner) an asset

Salary or Hourly? Salary

Salary $94,625 - $115,019

Benefits and Compensation Information Red Deer Polytechnic offers a comprehensive benefits package including extended health and dental care through Blue Cross, access to a health spending account, pension plan, generous vacation allotments, credit tuition waivers and opportunities for professional development funding.

Additional time off due to College closures between Christmas and New Year general holidays.

Eligibility to access the above mentioned benefits dependent upon the EXEMPT Terms and conditions of Employment and related RDP policies.

About Red Deer Polytechnic Focused on advancing the economic and social priorities of Alberta, Red Deer Polytechnic(RDP) provides more than 100 industry-relevant credit and non-credit programs to approximately 11,000 credit, non-credit and apprenticeship students. With modern teaching and learning spaces, and state-of-the-art research and innovation centres, RDP provides education and applied research opportunities in partnership with industry and communities.

Red Deer Polytechnic’s main campus is located on Treaty 7, Treaty 6 and Métis ancestral lands. This is where we will strive to honour and transform our relationships with one another.

Whatever brings you to Red Deer Polytechnic, we are glad you are here. And we look forward to having you as a valued member of our polytechnic community**.**

Posting Detail Information Competition Number 2026-E-020

Employment Type Permanent Full-Time

Number of Vacancies 1

Desired Start Date 09/14/2026

Position End Date (if term-certain)

FTE 1.0

Hours of Work You will be employed on a full-time basis. Normal hours of operation are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday; there may be times that the hours involved will vary. The successful candidate must be available to work regularly in Red Deer, Alberta

Open Date 08/06/2026

Close Date 08/31/2026

Open Until Filled

Note to Applicant Red Deer Polytechnic fosters an inclusive learning and working environment where everyone can bring their full selves and share their unique talents. We are committed to being responsive to the evolving needs and expectations of our diverse community.

At RDP, we are committed to a merit-based hiring process, and we believe in an inclusive workplace that is fair, equitable, supportive, welcoming and respectful. We recognize, value, and leverage differences in identities, abilities, background, cultures, skills, experiences, and perspectives. Our practices are guided by the principles of the Alberta Human Rights Act and support the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action. If you believe you have the skills and equivalent experience and potential to contribute to this role, we encourage you to apply

Red Deer Polytechnic will provide job applicants with accommodations in accordance with the Alberta Human Rights Code. To request an accommodation, please contact Peopleandculture@rdpolytech.ca.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Required Documents

• Cover Letter

• Resume

Optional Documents

• References Names and Contact Information