Julie Pawelek

About Julie Pawelek

I thrive at the intersection of people, purpose, and performance. With 20+ years of experience in project and team leadership, I specialize in aligning talent strategy with business objectives - ensuring individuals grow in roles that matter, and teams deliver work that drives results.I’m most effective when helping organizations scale thoughtfully: shaping career frameworks, building inclusive onboarding and hiring practices, and translating workforce data into action plans that improve engagement, utilization, and team health. Whether advising on staffing strategy or coaching managers through complexity, I lead with empathy, clarity, and accountability.My greatest satisfaction comes from unlocking potential - supporting individuals in discovering their strengths, and aligning those strengths to purpose-driven work. In my current role, I focus on strengthening Edelman’s Project Management function through inclusive systems, workforce planning, and talent development, while also partnering with client teams to design scalable staffing models that align business performance with team sustainability and program delivery.

Experience

1. SVP, Group Program Director

   Edelman

   Oct 2016 — Present · Chicago, IL, US

   Shape practice-wide strategy as a member of the Global PM Executive Leadership Team, standardizing staffing systems, career progression, and operating models.• Serve as an advisor to the US PM Lead, guiding staffing prioritization, hiring strategy, team structure and equitable growth planning.• Partner with People Partner, Finance, and Resource Management to align casting, capacity and hiring cadence.• Lead workforce planning for a multi-client portfolio, translating program needs and revenue forecasts into scalable, efficient staffing models; analyze US PM-wide supply and demand data to identify talent gaps and inform hiring, casting, and prioritization conversations, in partnership with PM Resource Management lead.• Reduced overservice on high profile client from 24% to 11% YoY by evolving scoping and optimizing team workflows in close partnership with Client Leader.• Co-lead the redesign of the PM learning and development program, aligning core competencies with business priorities and future-ready skills; in partnership with TA, developed standardized onboarding materials, embedded inclusive hiring manager training, and shaped interview strategies to improve consistency, equity, and time-to-performance.• Developed and evolved a region-wide PM competency framework across 15+ skill areas, supporting performance evaluation and career growth planning in collaboration with People Partner.• Serve as performance escalation point and mentor to managers; model empathetic, transparent leadership to promote accountability and psychological safety.

Education

• Georgetown University

  BS, Japanese and Finance