Senior Project Manager

The Senior Project Manager will oversee large, critical projects from initiation to closure, coordinating with multiple teams. Responsibilities include executing standard deliverables like Project Charters, IT estimates, resource plans, stakeholder analysis, project plans, RAID logs, risk mitigation, communication plans, meeting notes, status reports, and project retrospectives. The role ensures projects meet key business objectives, budgets, and schedules. Strong communication is essential. Projects vary based on business needs, such as SAP, product development, SaaS, regulatory changes, mergers, acquisitions, CRM, infrastructure, and cyber security. 

Responsibilities 

Leadership/Strategy: 

• Meet with Executive Sponsor to understand project charter, business value, scope, business requirements, high-level timeline, and expectations. 

• Define stakeholder engagement and the best channel for providing updates on project status, risk mitigation efforts, timeline, budget, etc. 

• Promote team empowerment through team-building techniques, ensuring each team member makes a meaningful contribution and remains fully engaged in the project. 

•  Support the product owner/manager in managing communications with stakeholders, managing internal customer expectations for deliverables, and implementing an effective project governance system.  

• Stay current with Project Management skills and industry-standard project delivery methodologies. 

• Use Project Management methodologies and EPMO templates to effectively and efficiently manage projects. 

• Mentor other project managers, project coordinators, and interns to support professional growth and ensure successful project delivery. 

• Share best practices and collaborate with EPMO team members. 

Operational: 

• Coordinate and lead workshops to help teams define and document detailed business and IT requirements. 

• Work with various departments in creating and approving Statements of Work and other necessary documents. 

• Determine the project structure to manage the project or program effectively, e.g., monthly Steering Committee meeting, weekly team meetings, stand-up meetings, etc. 

• Develop and maintain project documentation following established project methodologies, e.g., project plan, stakeholder analysis, RAID log, timeline, etc. 

• Ensure project plan documents task owners, due dates, and statuses. 

• Provide direction and guidance to project team members. 

• Escalate concerns and create action plans if scope, budget, or timeline are at risk. 

• Collaborate with department managers to ensure the project has appropriate resources to meet timeline and objectives. 

• Identify, document, and communicate risks. Develop risk mitigation strategies and implement required actions. Communicate status of risk mitigation efforts to leadership. 

• Work with project sponsors and workgroups to analyze information, document critical processes, and identify improvement opportunities. 

• Partner with business customers to manage third-party vendors. 

• Lead and manage Agile software development projects from concept to completion, encouraging self-organizing teams and accountability for work delivered. 

• Maintain familiarity with Agile and Scrum elements, including Agile planning and project management with Scrum. 

• Manage the successful release of software throughout the project lifecycle. 

• Ensure project teams adhere to Agile methodology and best practices. 

• Conduct project retrospectives, documenting successes, areas for improvement, and lessons learned for future sprints, phases, and/or projects. 

• Gather cost estimates from internal and external resources then track actuals compared to estimates. 

• Communicate budget updates and concerns to leadership. 

Communication: 

• Effective communication skills are critical with the cross-functional project team, leadership, and Executive Sponsors. 

• Manage customer and stakeholder expectations and relationships through strong communication and collaboration. 

• Monitor and report on project progress to stakeholders and colleagues. 

• Communicate executive-level project status through emails, reports, and PowerPoint presentations. 

• Provide clear and factual weekly/bi-weekly status reports to share project accomplishments, risks, risk mitigations efforts, get-to-green plans, timeline, and upcoming work. 

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Management Information Sciences, Mathematics, Engineering, Business, or area of functional responsibility preferred, or a combination of equivalent education and experience. 

• 5 + years of Project Management experience. 

• Experience using project management tools and methodologies, and a proven ability to develop successful collaborative working relationships with a variety of industries. 

• Travel domestically and internationally up to 0-10% if  for project success.   

Preferred Qualifications 

• 8 + years of Project Management experience
• PMP Certification, Scrum Master or Agile Certification 
• Active in the PM Community; locally and nationally, e.g., PMI, local PM think tanks, etc. 
• Experience mentoring Project Managers 
• Experience managing ERP or SaaS projects, e.g., Salesforce, CRM, SAP, Microsoft, etc
• Experience leveraging MS Copilot to help manage projects 

Knowledge Skills & Abilities 

• Ability to manage and adapt to delivery of projects through various methodologies, e.g., Agile or Waterfall. 

• Flexibility to support product management, program management, or specialized corporate initiatives. 

• Ability to effectively communicate with varying levels of stakeholders in the organization, tailoring communication style to relevant audience.  

• Ability to manage projects of any type (IT and non-IT) and projects with international components.  

• Proven success managing large projects (6-18 months in duration) with multiple cross-departments (IT and business). 

• Ability to successfully manage multiple projects, conflicting priorities, and schedules simultaneously, meeting all deadlines. 

• Strong customer service skills, sense of urgency responding to internal and external customers.  

• Attention to detail producing high-quality work products. 

• Ability to take direction from several individuals and be self-directed. 

• Strong written and verbal communication skills. 

• Strong positive problem-solving and decision-making skills. 

• Demonstrate best practices in professional relationships. 

• Ability to exercise independent judgment and critical thinking.