Project Manager – User Acceptance Testing (UAT) & Business Readiness

Job Title: Project Manager – User Acceptance Testing (UAT) & Business Readiness
Contract Duration: 7 months, possible extension
Location: Deerfield, IL
Work Arrangement: Remote
Pay Range: $90-$95/hour

Summary
The Senior Project Manager, 3rd Party Vendor Testing & Business Readiness, is responsible for driving business readiness and execution across testing phases (SIT and UAT), as well as supporting cutover and deployment coordination for the client's Enterprise Resource Planning and financial systems, with third-party vendors within the Foundation Program.

• Ensure that business stakeholders, vendors, and cross-functional teams are prepared, aligned, and able to execute within defined testing windows, with a strong focus on test phase entry, execution quality, and exit readiness.
• For System Integration Testing (SIT), the role operates in partnership with the consulting partner, who leads SIT planning and execution. This role ensures that business readiness inputs and coordination with internal technical teams are aligned, but does not directly manage SIT execution.
• This role specifically supports third-party vendors and trading partners that integrate with or utilize ERP and enterprise systems, ensuring their readiness to successfully execute testing, cutover, and operational transition, reporting to the 3rd Party Vendor Senior Program Manager and is accountable for execution discipline, readiness tracking, and escalation of risks impacting testing, cutover, and go-live outcomes.
• The role also supports broader GPO initiatives and business readiness activities required for separation and independence from Baxter, ensuring operating teams are prepared to execute independently at go live.

Responsibilities
Test Phase Entry & Readiness Management (SIT & UAT)

• Drive business readiness for entry into testing phases, ensuring required prerequisites are met
• Partner with the consulting partner leading SIT to:
• Validate business readiness inputs
• Ensure alignment with internal technical teams
• Confirm business participation is planned and understood
• Ensure readiness for UAT ownership and execution, including:
• Defined business test scenarios and scope
• Confirmed business SMEs and testers
• Facilitate regional readiness reviews to confirm preparedness across business teams
• Identify readiness gaps and drive actions to closure prior to phase entry

Test Execution Coordination (Business-Focused)

• Lead coordination of business-side execution during SIT (as needed) and UAT (primary) in collaboration with BRT UAT lead
• Ensure active participation from:
• Business testers and SMEs
• Process owners
• Vendor participants
• Monitor execution from a business readiness and participation standpoint, including:
• Engagement levels
• Test progress
• Alignment to expected outcomes
• Coordinate across regions to ensure consistent testing execution and visibility

Defect Coordination & Business Validation

• Collaborate with Coordinate business triage and prioritization of defects identified during testing
• Ensure defects are clearly documented with business impact and severity
• Facilitate alignment between:
• Business teams
• Technical delivery teams (owned by technical PM)
• Vendors
• Track defect progress and ensure resolution aligns with business acceptance criteria
• Support validation of fixes from a business functionality and operational perspective

Test Exit & Readiness Confirmation

• Drive structured exit from testing phases, ensuring defined exit criteria are met
• Confirm business validation of:
• End-to-end process functionality
• Data integrity and expected outcomes
• Operational readiness to proceed
• Identify and document:
• Open risks
• Deferred defects
• Readiness gaps
• Provide fact-based inputs into go / no-go decision discussions

Cutover & Deployment Coordination (Business Readiness Focus)

• Support planning and coordination of cutover and deployment activities from a business readiness perspective related to third party vendors
• Partner with:
• Business Readiness Team (BRT) workstreams
• Consulting partner
• Technical and integration leads
• Vendors
• Ensure business and vendor teams are prepared for:
• Cutover activities
• Deployment timelines
• Transition to operations
• Track dependencies between testing outcomes and cutover readiness
• Identify and escalate risks that may impact deployment or go-live stability

Cross-Functional Coordination & Readiness Assurance

• Coordinate across global regions and cross-functional teams to ensure aligned execution
• Serve as the primary bridge between:
• Business teams
• Consulting partner
• IT and integration teams
• Third-party vendors
• Business Readiness Workstream leads
• Program Leadership
• Drive consistency in business execution across regions
• As needed, support cross-initiative business readiness efforts aligned to separation and Day 1 independence, ensuring outcomes enable confident go-live decisions.

Program Tracking, Governance, & Reporting

• Maintain visibility into:
• Business readiness status
• Test execution progress
• Defects, risks, and dependencies
• Own business-side RAID tracking for testing and readiness execution
• Partner with Senior Program Manager on providing structured, fact-based reporting of project execution, status, readiness, and risks
• Support governance forums with accurate updates and escalation inputs
• Align activities with broader delivery, cutover, and readiness plans
• Identify readiness risks early and drive timely corrective action

Qualifications & Experience

• 8–12+ years of experience in project management in complex, cross-functional environments
• Exposure to large-scale ERP or enterprise transformation programs
• Proven ability to coordinate global business stakeholders and vendor participation
• Strong understanding of business processes and end-to-end operational flows
• Proven ability to mobilize, influence, and hold cross-functional stakeholders accountable
• Comfort operating in complex, fast-paced, and ambiguous environments

Success Profile

• Drives business accountability and engagement in project execution
• Ensures readiness for phase entry, quality during execution, and integrity at exit
• Provides clear, structured, fact-based visibility into readiness and risk
• Effectively partners, influences, and collaborates with cross-functional and diverse teams without owning technical delivery
• Anticipates and mitigates risks impacting testing, cutover, and go-live readiness