Process Improvement Consultant

Process Improvement Consultant

US-NJ-Princeton

Job ID: 2022-15669
Type: Full-Time
# of Openings: 1
Category: Information Technology

Princeton University

Overview

Princeton University is like a mini city with highly complex operational processes that enable the pursuit of our research and educational mission. Streamlining critical processes and continuous process improvement are a high priority as we seek to deliver essential services to students, faculty and staff in the most effective and efficient manner.

As a member of the Office of Information Technology’s Project & Technology Consulting Office (PATCO), the process improvement consultant will be assigned to initiatives considered strategic by the senior administration. The process improvement consultant will guide stakeholders at all levels of the university in the in-depth assessment of administrative policies and long-standing practices that drive process and system complexities, to propose innovations and improvements that result in significant benefits to campus stakeholders and operations (e.g., save time, reduce costs, improve the students/faculty/staff experience).

In addition, this position is responsible for continually enhancing Princeton’s process improvement methodology and for training campus teams on its effective use.

Responsibilities

Cultural & Relationship Management

• Become thoroughly familiar with Princeton’s organizational structure, culture, and operations
• Develop consultative relationships with key campus customers and assist them with process work that advances their organizational objectives
• Provide integration leadership, identifying inter-relationships and dependencies within and across campus processes
• Serve as role model and resident expert regarding business process improvement
• Become familiar with Princeton’s enterprise information systems ecosystem

Methodology Development & Training

• Contribute to the ongoing development of Princeton’s Process Improvement Methodology
• Coach and assist team members on how to apply the Process Improvement Methodology
• Develop and deliver training, workshops and presentations on process analysis/improvement methods and tools to the wider campus community
• Become very familiar with Princeton’s Project Management Methodology and tools

Planning & Discovery

• Elicit information regarding process improvement engagement goals and scope via sponsor interviews and facilitated process strategy discussions/workshops
• Develop engagement project plans and schedules, or work with project managers to ensure all process improvement engagement activities are planned for
• Facilitate current-state and future-state process and data flow mapping workshops
• Conduct on the field process observations and measurements as appropriate
• Interview key stakeholders to document business, process and data requirements and related user experience needs

Analysis & Ideation

• Collect and analyze process performance data to identify and validate deviation from expectations
• Facilitate root cause analysis workshops to determine the source of process issues
• Conduct process benchmarking studies with other campus departments or peer institutions to identify relevant best practices
• Facilitate ideation workshops to generate and evaluate pragmatic and impactful process improvement ideas
• Evaluate potential benefits and risks of high-potential process improvement ideas
• Identify and recommend technologies that can streamline and automate process steps
• Build wireframes or prototypes of alternative future-state processes
• Present findings, analysis and recommendations to process improvement sponsors and project steering committees
• Propose action plans/roadmaps to engagement sponsors for accepted improvement ideas

Implementation & Follow-up

• Serve as process improvement consultant during the evaluation and selection of technology tools that will be part of process improvement solutions
• Serve as process improvement consultant throughout implementation project to periodically check on the enactment of envisioned innovations/improvements
• At implementation project close-out, contribute to benefits-realization and lessons learned studies

Other

• Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Essential Qualifications

• A minimum of 8 years of experience as a business/process analyst/consultant
• At least 2 years of external or internal client consulting experience
• Demonstrated knowledge/ability in the following areas:
  • Lean Six Sigma process improvement concepts and tools
  • Business analysis concepts and tools
  • Facilitation of process and requirements interviews and workshops
  • Relationship building with cross-functional stakeholders
  • Working on multiple projects at one time
  • Working effectively at all levels of the organization and influencing others toward the most
  • effective solutions
  • Analytic, problem-solving, and root-cause identification skills
  • Stakeholder empathy and creative thinking skills
  • Exceptional communication skills, both written and oral, and active listening skills
  • Effective presentations to senior leadership with analysis and recommendations
  • Inherently collegial and collaborative, possessing excellent judgment and sensitivity to the
  • culture of the university and its constituencies
  • Commitment to diversity and serving the needs of an inclusive university community
• Specific Technologies
  LucidChart or similar tool for digital process mapping and prototyping Teams/SharePoint or Google Drive for document collaboration Microsoft Office and Google Apps tools Smartsheet or similar tool for project task management
• Education: Bachelor’s degree is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree.
• Previous experience working in higher education or non-profit organizations
• Lean Six Sigma or equivalent certification
• Business analysis or equivalent certification

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. EEO IS THE LAW

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