A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

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 strategy and pre-planning phases of our ERP transformation projects. 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 is a 2 year term-limited role with the option to extend for an additional 1-2 years, or more, based on project progress and phasing. This is a hybrid role, with the in-person component based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. A majority of the time will be required on-site in Ann Arbor and is expected to fluctuate throughout the project.  Questions regarding this posting can be directed to erpproject@umich.edu.

Enterprise Change Leadership

• Develop and execute a comprehensive change management strategy for the ERP strategy and pre-planning phases
• Engage with key stakeholders to establish enterprise-wide change management strategies, standards, methodologies, tactics/tools, and governance processes
• 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 ensuring 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
• Infuse design thinking concepts and best practices from the association of change management professionals into the work
• Develop robust strategies and creative alternatives through the course of this body of work

Stakeholder Engagement

• Develop and implement a stakeholder engagement framework that addresses the needs of varied constituencies across the university and health system with a 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 program
• Establish mechanisms to gather stakeholder feedback and incorporate insights into program planning and execution including personal development
• 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 an organization to ensure all perspectives are gathered and concerns addressed

Communications Leadership

• Working with our central Communications department, build and execute upon an integrated communications strategy supporting strategy and pre-planning efforts
• Ensure consistent, transparent, and timely communications across all stakeholder groups while incorporating feedback loops for issue resolution and escalation.  Ensure concerns are addressed authentically and put into action
• 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
  • Planning for and coordinating with implementation partners for design and implementation change needs.  Develop 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

During the first 12-24 months, the Director will be expected to:

• Establish a comprehensive enterprise change management framework
• Build and lead an integrated team supporting communications, stakeholder engagement, and change management
• Achieve readiness milestones aligned with ERP deployment schedules
• Increase stakeholder engagement and sponsorship effectiveness across impacted units and at all levels of the organization
• Meet adoption, utilization, and organizational readiness targets established by ERP program leadership
• Establish a data-driven approach to measuring change impact, readiness, adoption, and sustainment, with clear reporting to executive leadership
• Strengthen executive sponsorship and leadership accountability, ensuring leaders actively reinforce the transformation and own change outcomes within their areas
• Build sustainable organizational change capabilities, including change champion networks, leader toolkits, and practices that enable the organization to manage future transformations effectively

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Organizational Development, Human Resources, Communications, Education, Public Administration, or a related field
• 12+ years of progressive leadership experience deploying organizational change management strategies, tactics and best practices in complex organizations
• Previous experience with organizations with similar scope and scale as the University of Michigan
• 5+ years leading enterprise-scale technology, process and people transformation programs with a focus on change management efforts for Finance and HR ERP implementations such as Oracle, Workday, SAP, PeopleSoft, or similar platforms
• Deep knowledge and applied application of a variety of change management models and frameworks
• 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

• 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

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.

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.    

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.

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.