How to Apply
A cover letter and resume are important submissions for the hiring team to get a sense of your experience. In the cover letter, two pages or less, please let us know how this role aligns with your career aspirations and skills. Submit both a cover letter and resume as one file, due to system limitations.
Job Summary
The Director of Change Management is responsible for leading the organizational change strategy and execution for a large-scale Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) transformation spanning Human Resources, Finance, and related administrative functions across a complex enterprise that includes a nationally recognized R1 research university and a statewide academic health system.
This leadership role will establish and direct the change management function during the pre-planning and implementation phases of our ERP transformation. The Director will oversee multidisciplinary teams responsible for change management, communications, stakeholder engagement, organizational readiness and planning for design and implementation.
You will serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership, business leaders, project sponsors, and governance committees while developing and implementing strategies that minimize disruption, increase stakeholder engagement, and accelerate realization of transformation benefits. Additionally, the person in this role will understand and maintain a pulse on stakeholder needs at all levels of the organization in order to effectively plan and execute the broad and deep changes that will occur through the course of the ERP project.
This position is primarily in-person, working onsite in Ann Arbor, Michigan 4-5 days a week. Due to the nature of the project, the job responsibilities may require some work on evenings and weekends. Questions regarding this posting can be directed to [email protected].
Responsibilities*
Enterprise Change Leadership
- Develop and execute a comprehensive change management strategy for the ERP pre-planning and implementation phases
- Engage with key stakeholders to establish enterprise-wide change management strategies, standards, methodologies, and tactics/tools
- Lead organizational readiness efforts across diverse stakeholder groups, including academic, clinical, administrative, research, and operational units
- Ensure alignment between program objectives, organizational priorities, and stakeholder needs by maintaining situational awareness of impacted areas
- Partner with executive sponsors and key leaders at all levels of the organization to build visible leadership commitment and advocacy for the transformation
- Use well-established change management frameworks
Stakeholder Engagement
- Develop and implement a stakeholder engagement framework that addresses the needs of varied constituencies across the university and health system with an initial focus on pre-planning readiness
- Alongside project sponsors and ERP committees, build and maintain relationships with executive leaders, deans, department leaders, faculty, clinicians, researchers, administrative leaders, staff, and students
- Lead stakeholder impact assessments and develop targeted engagement strategies aligned with readiness assessments
- Develop and facilitate executive briefings, leadership forums, town halls, and stakeholder advisory groups designed to understand readiness/org changes needed during initial phases of the ERP effort
- Establish mechanisms to gather stakeholder feedback and incorporate insights into program planning and execution
- Maintain accountability with stakeholders through authentic communication, making adjustments along the way and incorporating their needs and interests in all deliverables
- Engage individuals at all levels of the organization to ensure perspectives are gathered and concerns addressed
Communications Leadership
- Working with Communication resources, build and execute upon an integrated communications strategy Ensure consistent, transparent, and timely communications across all stakeholder groups while incorporating feedback loops for issue resolution and escalation
- Work with a team to create communications, presentations, newsletters, digital content, change campaigns, and program updates
- Develop messaging that supports the vision, benefits, milestones, and organizational impacts
- Build systems to measure communication effectiveness and adjust strategies based on stakeholder feedback, engagement metrics and readiness assessments
Organizational Readiness
- Work with our strategy/pre-planning consultants on:
- Readiness assessments to evaluate organizational preparedness for the beginning phases of the program including impacts on people, processes and operations
- Establishing performance indicators and dashboards to measure change readiness, adoption, engagement, and benefits realization
- Identifying risks related to organizational change, staffing structures, workforce planning, resource management and new ways of working
- Developing adoption recommendations that support successful transition to future phases including organizational design, new bodies of work, infrastructure needed to realize system benefits (upskilling, job architecture, chartfields, etc)
Team Leadership
- Design, build, lead, and develop a high-performing team comprised of internal and external members, some of whom may have split appointments or dual reporting structures
- Establish clear goals, performance expectations, and development plans for team members
- Manage external consulting partners and vendors supporting change initiatives
- Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and service-oriented culture
Program Governance
- Serve as a member of ERP program leadership
- Provide strategic guidance to executive sponsors, steering committees, program leadership and department leaders
- Prepare executive-level reports and presentations
- Ensure alignment between change management activities and program milestones
- Monitor the execution of change management plans and evaluate effectiveness, identify areas of improvement and update plans accordingly
Required Qualifications*
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Organizational Development, Human Resources, Communications, Education, Public Administration, or a related field
- 8+ years of progressive leadership experience deploying organizational change management strategies, tactics and best practices in complex organizations
- 4+ years leading enterprise-scale technology, process and people transformation programs with a focus on change management efforts for ERP implementations
- Demonstrated experience applying formal change management methodologies and frameworks to lead complex organizational transformations
- Experience leading multidisciplinary teams across change management functional areas (including formal, matrixed or project supervision)
- Proven ability to influence senior executives, lead through complex organizational environments and an interest in working at all levels of an organization
- Strong strategic planning, facilitation, communication, and stakeholder management skills
- Experience establishing metrics and reporting frameworks to measure adoption and organizational readiness
Skills You Have
- Strong leadership skills with the proven ability to drive change programs at scale
- Ability to build strong, collaborative relationships across a complex, decentralized organization
- High emotional intelligence with an understanding of how to effectively lead across a variety of operating models
- Effective communication (all types) and an interest in communicating with diverse constituencies
- Creative problem-solving
- Ability to deploy nuanced strategies and change tactics at all levels of an organization
- Demonstrate a deep understanding of impacted groups/individuals and resistance to change
- Expertise in fostering a positive work environment that promotes employee engagement, inclusivity and recognizes contributions
- Managing competing priorities effectively
- Mission-driven with a high degree of integrity
- Acting with courage and confidence
- Focusing on shared organizational values
Modes of Work
Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.
Additional Information
Reporting Relationship: Reports to the Special Advisor to the Executive Vice President and CFO.
Direct Reports: Initially, formal supervision of staff is not planned; however, that may change based on resourcing and project needs. This role will have project supervision responsibilities in a matrixed environment.
Application Deadline
Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended.
U-M EEO Statement
The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.