Director for Capital Strategy and Management

Posting Details

Posting Details

Posting Number S07180P Position Title Director for Capital Strategy and Management Functional Title Department Human Resources Salary Range $150,000 - $175,000 depending on qualifications Pay Basis Monthly Position Status Regular full-time Location Richardson Position End Date (if temporary) Posting Open Date 07/31/2026 Posting Close Date Open Until Filled Yes Desired Start Date 08/24/2026 Job Summary

The Director for the Capital Strategy and Management will serve as the dedicated program owner and integrator for a transformational $550M capital project designed to advance UT Dallas's research, innovation, and student learning enterprise.

Reporting to the Convergence Accelerator Project Advocate (the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost), and working closely with the Chief of Operations, Chief Financial Officer, VP for Research and Innovation, and the Office of the President, this role will orchestrate complex workstreams across academic, administrative, and external stakeholder groups to advance the building from conceptualization through completion by 2030.

This is a strategic operations and execution role-not a traditional facilities/construction management position. The ideal candidate brings senior-level experience in large-scale higher education projects, demonstrated capacity to convene diverse stakeholders (especially faculty and deans), and the ability to manage ambiguity across parallel initiatives while maintaining momentum toward critical milestones.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strategic thinking: Ability to see connections across workstreams and align short-term activities with long-term project vision
• Stakeholder management: Skill in building relationships, managing competing interests, and fostering collaboration among diverse groups
• Problem-solving: Resourcefulness in identifying solutions to obstacles; comfort with ambiguity and change
• Attention to detail: Ability to manage multiple timelines, budgets, and deliverables without losing sight of deadlines or requirements
• Communication: Capacity to distill complex information for different audiences and communicate progress, risks, and decisions clearly
• Intellectual curiosity: Genuine interest in understanding academic disciplines, research priorities, and industry trends relevant to the building
• Emotional intelligence: Ability to navigate sensitive conversations (e.g., difficult funding decisions, center prioritization) with diplomacy and empathy
• Technical proficiency: Competence with project management tools (MS Project, Asana, Monday.com, or similar), Microsoft Office, and data visualization software
• Resilience: Ability to maintain momentum and morale through a multi-year project with inevitable setbacks and delays

Minimum Education and Experience

Bachelors degree

10 years of related professional experience

Preferred Education and Experience

• Master's degree in business administration, higher education, public administration, project management, or a closely related field
• 7-12 years of professional experience in higher education, including at least 5 years in strategic planning, project coordination, or operations roles
• Experience in a research-intensive university or system environment
• Prior involvement with UT System institutions or knowledge of UT System governance and processes
• Background in fundraising, development, or donor relations
• Experience with innovation/entrepreneurship initiatives, interdisciplinary centers, or industry partnerships in higher education
• Familiarity with Texas higher education policy and the state appropriations process
• Project management certification (PMP, CAPM) or formal training in project management methodologies
• Experience establishing PMO discipline or project management frameworks in organizations

Other Qualifications

To the extent this position requires the holder to research, work on, or have access to critical infrastructure as defined in Section 117.001(2) of the Texas Business and Commerce Code, the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the critical infrastructure is a minimum qualification to be hired and to continue to be employed in the position.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Program Governance and Steering

• Maintain the integrated master roadmap for the Convergence Accelerator.
• Track milestones, dependencies, risks, owners, and decisions needed.
• Prepare steering committee agendas, materials, dashboards, and follow-up items.
• Maintain a decision log and issue tracker.
• Escalate delays, conflicts, unresolved decisions, and risks to the steering committee.
• Ensure all major workstreams remain aligned to the 2030 opening target.

Program Definition Coordination

Coordinate the process for defining the academic, research, industry, student, and operational requirements that must inform the building.

This includes coordinating with functional leaders to define:

• Academic and research priorities
• Faculty hiring and lab assumptions
• Center/institute concepts
• Student Venture Foundry model
• Industry engagement model
• Space and adjacency needs
• Operating model assumptions
• Staffing and launch-readiness needs

Capital Planning and Facilities Coordination

Work with Facilities, Procurement, architects, and other partners to ensure program requirements inform space programming, schematic design, design development, construction documents, and move-in planning.

• Coordinate programmatic inputs into the design process.
• Ensure academic/research requirements are documented before key design decisions.
• Track Facilities-related milestones against the overall project roadmap.
• Identify disconnects between project scope, design assumptions, cost, funding, and program needs.
• Support preparation for CIP, Board, and UT System milestones as needed.

Funding and Approval Alignment

Coordinate with Finance, Development, Government Relations, Facilities, and UT System-facing teams to ensure funding and approval activities remain aligned with the project scope and schedule.

This includes tracking:

• CCAP strategy and deadlines
• PUF strategy
• Philanthropic funding needs
• Institutional funding assumptions
• Total project cost development
• CIP and Board approval milestones
• Long-term operating cost considerations

Communication and Documentation

Prepare clear, concise, executive-ready updates for senior leadership.

This includes but is not limited to:

• Project dashboards
• Timeline updates
• Risk summaries
• Steering committee materials
• Stakeholder updates
• Briefings for executive leadership

Note to Applicants: Please review the special instructions outlined below and ensure all requirements are met prior to submitting your application.

This position will report to the Convergence Accelerator Project Advocate (the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost).

Physical Demands and Working Conditions Physical Activities Medium, Standing, Walking, Sitting, Carrying, Handling, Talking, Hearing Working Conditions Additional Information

What We Can Offer

UT Dallas is an Equal Opportunity Employer with an employee-friendly and supportive work environment. Our comprehensive compensation and benefits package that is effective as of your hire date includes:

• Competitive Salary
• Tuition Benefits
• BCBS PPO Medical Insurance Options - including 100% paid employee medical coverage for full-time employees
• AD&D Insurance
• Dental & Vision Plan Options
• Long and short-term disability
• TRS Retirement Plan
• Fertility Benefits
• Paid time off

All UT Dallas employees have access to various professional development opportunities, including a membership to Academic Impressions, LinkedIn Learning, and UT Dallas Bright Leaders Program.

Visit https://hr.utdallas.edu/employees/benefits/ for more information.

Special Instructions Summary

Additional Application Requirements

To be considered for this position, applicants must specifically address each of the qualifications below in their cover letter and/or application materials.

Please describe your experience with:

• Managing complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives involving competing priorities and timelines.
• Working within higher education governance, faculty culture, and academic decision-making processes, preferably in partnership with deans, provosts, and/or academic committees.
• Working independently with a high degree of autonomy while exercising sound judgment regarding when to escalate issues to senior leadership.
• Project management including developing project timelines, tracking progress, identifying risks, and adapting plans as priorities evolve.
• Preparing written and verbal communications for diverse audiences, including faculty, donors, legislators, and executive leadership.
• Familiarity with higher education capital project processes-including fundraising, state appropriations, capital improvement planning (CIP), and architectural design-is strongly preferred but not required. If applicable, please describe your experience in this area.

Important Message

1) All employees serve as a representative of the University and are expected to display respect, civility, professional courtesy, consideration of others and discretion in all interactions with members of the UT Dallas community and the general public.

2) The University of Texas at Dallas is committed to providing an educational, living, and working environment that is welcoming, respectful, and inclusive of all members of the university community. UT Dallas does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, genetic information, or veteran status in its services, programs, activities, employment, and education, including in admission and enrollment. The University is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities. To request reasonable accommodation in the employment application and interview process, contact the ADA Coordinator. For inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies, contact the Title IX Coordinator.

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Applicant Documents

Required Documents

• Resume
• Cover Letter/Letter of Application

Optional Documents

• Veteran Employment Preference - Form DD-214