Manager, Administrative Enterprise Applications

Manager of Administrative Enterprise Applications

The University of Chicago's Department of Information Technology Services (ITS) partners with campus stakeholders to provide robust, secure, and forward-thinking technology services. The Enterprise Applications and Services (EAS) unit supports mission-critical systems for academics, research, administration, and operations. As part of the Enterprise Applications Systems team, the Administrative Enterprise Applications subunit supports a portfolio of enterprise applications.

Reporting to the Director of Enterprise Application Systems, the Manager of Administrative Enterprise Applications provides day-to-day operational leadership and delivery coordination for a team of developers and analysts. This position translates strategy into execution, manages team operations, and ensures the successful implementation and support of administrative applications and solutions. The Manager plays a critical role in designing, developing, and scaling operational processes and standards from the ground up, fostering a flexible and innovative team culture. This includes building the infrastructure to support continuous improvement in work coordination, customer service, and solution delivery. The role actively collaborates across IT Services, particularly within the Enterprise Applications and Services (EAS) unit, to ensure a high degree of integration, shared practices, and scaffolding for successful outcomes. The Manager drives continuous improvement, maintains process standards, and builds cross-functional partnerships to support enterprise application initiatives aligned with institutional goals.

Responsibilities include :

• Translates strategic goals and project plans into actionable daily tasks and coordinated workstreams.
• Assigns and prioritizes work, leads team standups, and coordinates team delivery to meet project timelines.
• Serves as the first point of escalation for operational issues and escalates to the Director as needed.
• Conducts regular 1 : 1s and performance reviews; supports professional development and coaching of team members.
• Supports team development by fostering a culture of innovation, flexibility, and continuous learning.
• Monitors team adherence to SLAs, change management, documentation, and quality assurance standards.
• Tracks and reports operational KPIs and performance metrics; communicates risks, blockers, and anomalies to the Director.
• Coordinates team readiness for changes, releases, and updates; ensures adherence to release / change protocols.
• Manages delivery of projects and releases when a PMO project manager is not assigned.
• Collaborates with assigned PMO project managers to execute project plans and ensure task accountability and resource alignment.
• Oversees the support development, testing, and deployment of secure, reliable, and customer-focused application solutions and services.
• Collaborates with IT teams and stakeholders to understand business needs and translate them into actionable solutions.
• Promotes adherence to accessibility, data governance, and institutional technology standards.
• Fosters a culture of innovation and experimentation within the team.
• Identifies opportunities to improve processes, tools, and workflows aligned with EAS priorities.
• Pilots emerging technologies, frameworks, or models that support strategic institutional goals.
• Coordinates with business and academic partners to support enterprise applications.
• Represents the team in internal ITS and EAS meetings or working groups as assigned.
• Supports demos, collects feedback, and ensures transparency in delivery.
• Enforces compliance with University policies, accessibility standards, and ethical AI use guidelines.
• Supports documentation and audit-readiness of deployed systems.
• Hires staff, including permanent, term, and contracting resources to meet evolving organizational needs.
• Provides oversight and management of vendor-assigned resources, ensuring alignment with project goals and expected work outcomes.
• Designs, develops, and implements templates and tools to strengthen and enhance process management, work coordination, customer service, and operational efficiency.
• Collaborates with EAS leadership to align on common standards, toolsets, and scalable operational practices.
• Champions the development of new internal standards where needed to improve cross-functional delivery and accountability.
• Partners with other ITS and EAS leaders to ensure tight integration of automation initiatives with existing services and systems.
• Identifies and develops integration points that promote shared goals and reduce fragmentation across EAS units.
• Represents the Administrative Applications team in strategic planning discussions to ensure their initiatives are scaffolded into the broader ITS framework.
• Participates in workforce planning discussions by providing insights into team capacity and delivery timelines.
• Contributes to cross-team collaboration and shared goals.
• Manages employees by establishing annual performance goals, allocating resources, assessing annual performance, and determining individual merit, incentive, and / or promotional increases. Provides technical oversight and develops standards, guidelines, and processes for application systems.
• Formulates and defines specifications for complex installations, maintenance, and upgrades. Identifies and analyzes performance and capacity issues.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum qualifications include a college or university degree in a related field and 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Preferred qualifications include extensive experience managing or leading teams focused on application development, business process evaluation, design, and process improvement, and background in higher education or research environments, preferably in an R1 research institution. Preferred competencies include proven ability to deliver solutions and manage project life cycles, strong leadership and team management skills, excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, and strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Working conditions include a standard office environment with flexible working arrangements, occasional extended hours during critical project phases, and extensive use of computers. The role requires sitting and standing for short or extended time periods and making repetitive wrist, hand, or finger movements.

Application documents required include a resume and cover letter.

Job family : Information Technology. Role impact : People Manager. Scheduled weekly hours : 37.5. Pay rate type : Salary. Pay range : $140,000.00 - $150,000.00. Benefits eligible : Yes.

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law.