SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
Job Description:
The Senior Project Manager is responsible for leading teams to deliver project(s) that span across one or more business units. Manage resources, schedules, financials and adhere to stage gate quality and control guidelines throughout the full systems development life cycle. This also includes management of issues, risks, and project change requests to ensure successful and on-time project delivery. Contribute to process improvement initiatives as it relates to improving project delivery. The Senior Project Manager has the authority to run the project on a day-to-day basis. Verify that the project produces the required deliverables of quality, within the specified constraints of time and cost and to achieve the potential benefits defined in the business case.
Job Responsibilities:
- Manage a portfolio of complex initiatives that span one or multiple lines of business.
- Provide on-site leadership for project team by building and motivating team members to meet project goals, adhering to their responsibilities and project milestones.
- Full project life cycle ownership: successful project delivery will include full implementation from initiation to deployment for one major or several minor initiatives simultaneously.
- Manage all aspects of multiple related projects to ensure the overall program is aligned to and directly supports the achievement of strategic objectives.
- Report on project success criteria results, metrics, test, and deployment management activities.
- Work creatively and analytically in a problem-solving environment demonstrating teamwork, innovation, and excellence.
- Participate in establishing practices, templates, policies, tools, and partnerships to expand and mature these capabilities for the organization.
- Prepare estimates and detailed project plan for all phases of the project.
- Procure adequate resources to achieve project objectives in planned timeframes.
- Manage the day-to-day project activities of the project.
- Monitor staff performance and complete performance reviews.
- Provide status reporting regarding project milestones, deliverable, dependencies, risks, and issues.
- Understand interdependencies between technology, operations, and business needs.
- Demonstrate a functional expertise to support how solutions will address client goals while maintaining alignment with industry best practices.
- Participate and/or drive feasibility studies, vendor selections and proposals for evaluation by appropriate key stakeholders.
- Manage ongoing quality control and participate in quality issue resolution.
- Assist in dispute, negotiation, arbitration, or litigation, as needed.
- Support formal/informal schedules to manage the engagement contract.
- Delegate tasks and responsibilities to appropriate personnel.
- Identify and develop trusted adviser relationship with project and program stakeholders, sponsors, and university stakeholders.
- Continue professional development to keep abreast of emerging technologies, methods, and best practices.
- Extensive understanding of project and program management principles, methods, and techniques.
- Proven success in providing on site leadership for project team by building and motivating team members to meet project goals, adhering to their responsibilities and project milestones.
- Establish practices, templates, policies, tools, and partnerships to expand and mature these capabilities for the organization.
Job Requirements:
- Strong leadership, diplomatic and motivational skills including the ability to lead a team.
- Proven ability to work creatively and analytically in a problem-solving environment demonstrating teamwork, innovation, and excellence.
- Build and maintain relationships by engaging business leaders to establish credibility, solve problems, build consensus, and achieve objectives.
- Excellent leadership, communication (written, verbal and presentation) and interpersonal skills.
- Self-motivated, decisive, with the ability to adapt to change and competing demands.
- Research best practices within and outside the organization to establish benchmark data and use continuous process improvement disciplines to achieve results.
- Experience negotiating vendor contracts.
- Experience drafting and submitting budget proposals and recommending subsequent budget changes where necessary.
- Experience in successfully leading projects and programs to on-time, on-schedule and within budget close.
- Experience leading, motivating, and managing various project and program team sizes, including internal and external resources, while holding team accountable for performance.
- Strong experience presenting to executive sponsors and demonstrated communication skills, both written and oral with technical and non-technical staff, all levels of management.
- Experience working both independently and, in a team, -oriented, collaborative environment
- Flexible with proven ability to conform to shifting priorities, demands and timelines through analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
- Adept at conducting research into project-related issues and products.
- Support diverse and inclusive work environment.
- Technically competent with various software programs, including but not limited to Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio), Microsoft Projects, ServiceNow, Smartsheet and Lucid Chart.
Job Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree in appropriate field of study or equivalent work experience
- 5+ years of project management experience, including tracking and planning projects
- 5+ years of experience working with business stakeholders within a cross-functional matrix environment
- 1+ years of previous experience with gathering requirements from the client / business and documentation
- 3+ years of experience with full product lifecycle with understanding of development lifecycle and various technology methodologies that support that lifecycle