Senior Project Manager - Work Continuity (Contract)

Job Title: Senior Project Manager - Work Continuity
Location: Remote (Key stakeholders based in Merrillville, IN and Columbus, OH)
Consultant Location: Preference given to candidates in IN, OH, IL, KY, PA, MD, and VA, but will consider outside the footprint
Work Model: 100% Remote
Rate: $80–$90/hour (W-2)
Contract Length: 1 Year | April 6, 2026 – April 5, 2027
Extension: Strong possibility of extension
Employment Type: W-2 Only
Work Authorization: U.S. Citizens Only | No visa sponsorship available

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to support a critical Work Continuity initiative focused on preparedness for a potential work stoppage impacting operations. This role will lead planning, coordination, execution, and governance activities to ensure the safety, reliability, and continuity of customer service operations across clerical departments with represented employees.

The Senior Project Manager will partner closely with business leaders, department managers, and enterprise stakeholders to develop and maintain comprehensive contingency plans, identify operational coverage gaps, and coordinate staffing strategies using contingent workers and internal resources. This individual will play a key role in ensuring all continuity plans are actionable, properly resourced, and ready for execution.

This role requires a strong blend of project leadership, business process analysis, change management, executive communication, and cross-functional coordination. The ideal candidate will be comfortable operating in a fast-paced, highly visible environment with responsibility for risk management, status reporting, stakeholder alignment, and readiness execution across multiple workstreams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the planning, coordination, and execution of work continuity activities in support of preparedness for a potential work stoppage.
• Develop, maintain, and execute comprehensive contingency plans for clerical departments with represented employees.
• Partner with business leaders and department managers to document critical work functions and identify staffing and operational coverage gaps.
• Coordinate staffing plans using contingent labor and internal resources aligned with approved business continuity strategies.
• Oversee work assignments and validate departmental readiness plans to ensure continuity of essential operations without service disruption.
• Monitor execution of continuity plans and provide proactive issue resolution throughout the work continuity period.
• Lead change management activities to support adoption, readiness, and effective communication across impacted stakeholders.
• Facilitate cross-functional collaboration among operations, HR, labor relations, IT, communications, security, and enterprise continuity teams.
• Track and manage project risks, issues, dependencies, assumptions, and critical path activities; escalate concerns as needed.
• Create executive-level presentations, dashboards, briefings, and status updates for senior and executive leadership.
• Support enterprise work continuity initiatives related to security protocols, asset management, system access, training readiness, worksite logistics, and documented work plans.
• Ensure required controls, governance activities, procedures, and compliance expectations are in place and executed effectively.
• Develop project estimates, plans, schedules, and quality reviews to support successful delivery.
• Use project management tools to forecast, plan, estimate, and track project delivery, cost, and resource needs.
• Provide oversight for project scope, schedule, budget, quality, and performance.
• Coordinate and communicate team assignments, direct work efforts, and monitor progress across multiple stakeholders and support teams.
• Produce clear and concise process documentation, action plans, diagrams, charts, and illustrative materials to communicate complex topics simply and effectively.
• Provide timely status reporting to leadership on impacts to scope, budget, risk, resource capacity, and readiness.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Meet with business leaders and department managers to review continuity planning progress and operational readiness.
• Document critical work activities and validate business continuity requirements across clerical functions.
• Review staffing plans and coordinate resources to address coverage gaps.
• Track project timelines, deliverables, dependencies, and readiness milestones.
• Facilitate cross-functional meetings with HR, labor relations, operations, IT, communications, security, and enterprise work continuity teams.
• Update project plans, risk logs, issue trackers, and status reports.
• Develop presentations and briefing materials for senior and executive leadership.
• Monitor execution readiness and adjust plans as business needs evolve.
• Ensure governance controls, procedures, and operational plans remain current and aligned.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in project management, with leadership across both IT and business functions.
• Proven experience managing large, complex projects involving a mix of internal/external and labor/non-labor cost components.
• Extensive knowledge of project management best practices, including Waterfall, Agile, and SDLC methodologies and tools.
• Strong leadership skills, including proven ability to coach, develop, and lead diverse teams across business and IT functions.
• Demonstrated ability to engage executive sponsors and build strong stakeholder relationships with clarity, professionalism, and precision.
• Experience with project cost management, budget tracking, and resource capacity planning.
• Strong business process analysis and process mapping skills.
• Experience implementing change management strategies to support organizational readiness and project success.
• Experience indirectly managing team members, including supporting work assignment, training, and development.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to prepare executive-ready materials and communicate complex topics effectively.
• Proven ability to manage risks, issues, dependencies, and cross-functional coordination in a highly visible project environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• PMP Certification required or strongly preferred.
• Agile certifications such as PSM (Professional Scrum Master) or PSPO (Professional Scrum Product Owner) are a plus.
• ITIL v3 or ITIL v4 certification is a plus.
• Familiarity with the energy/utilities industry is a plus.
• Experience supporting business continuity, contingency planning, workforce readiness, or operational preparedness initiatives is highly preferred.

Core Competencies

• Project Leadership
• Work Continuity / Business Continuity Planning
• Executive Communication
• Cross-Functional Stakeholder Management
• Risk and Issue Management
• Change Management
• Process Analysis and Documentation
• Resource and Capacity Planning
• Budget and Cost Tracking
• Operational Readiness and Governance

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a highly organized, proactive, and polished project leader who can manage ambiguity, drive alignment, and execute effectively in a sensitive and business-critical environment. They bring strong experience leading cross-functional initiatives, partnering with senior stakeholders, and building structured plans that ensure operational continuity and readiness.