Senior Project Manager

Job Description:

Senior Project Manager Summary:

In this role the Project Manager establishes and leads assigned projects which have been initiated by the Accountable Executive. These include launching new products and services, application development, systems integration, operational efficiency improvements, process reengineering, and infrastructure upgrades and deployments. The Project Manager holds the primary project relationship with the Accountable Executive and/or Senior Project/Program manager as applicable. The Project Manager ensures that a successful business outcome is the prime measure of project success. The candidate needs solid understanding of their line of business and is able to facilitate communication with other program/project managers and stakeholders efficiently and effectively. This role directs, manages, and coordinates team members including other sub-project managers, business and technology resources, user groups, internal and external consultants and contractors, as well as vendors and external regulatory organizations.

Responsibilities:

• Directs complex projects often involving multiple internal and external constituents and matrix partners
• Typically exercises direct accountability for projects with up to 25 team members
• Works with people managers across business and T&O to ensure projects are staffed with the right mix of people who exhibit the required perspectives, skills and behaviors
• Accountable party for defining, planning, orchestrating, and delivering assigned projects, including all business, operational and IT deliverables
• Directly manages all aspects of the project lifecycle and works with matrix business, corporate and IT partners to oversee all phases of the project, and to ensure that related project processes are completed as required (including, as applicable, change management, process management, transition to business/operations, system development, quality management, etc.)
• Within the context of the assigned project, responsible for building and sustaining the day-to-day relationships and communications (including project briefings) with stakeholders at various levels of the organization, including executive level, as well as other internal and external resources. Sustains and manages the relationship with the Accountable Executive (and Program Manager, where applicable) throughout the duration of the project by providing sound advice, counsel and support
• Ensures end results are of the highest caliber with a clearly articulated scope and quantifiable business benefit
• Provides leadership, motivation, coaching, mentoring and professional development for project teams in order to obtain a high level of co-operation and contribution from all project members
• Chairs regular core team and key governance forums (e.g. Steering Committees, Operating Committees, Decision Forums) to review progress with key constituents. Represents the interests of the project or program in various project governance and inter-department forums
• Ensures the mechanisms of change management (plans , processes, tools) are in place and effectively executed
• Ensures project issues and risks are identified, quantified, managed and tracked
• Uses past experience to proactively "anticipate" risk and develop appropriate mitigation strategies and plans.
• Ensures risks, assumptions and constraints are appropriately communicated and escalated when necessary
• Rigorously manages scope to ensure commitments are achieved within agreed on time, cost, and quality parameters
• Manages and/or validates financial forecasts and provides on-going reconciliation of resources and other related project expenditures
• Defines and tracks project milestones while developing, maintaining, and reporting on an overall integrated delivery plan
• Develops project artifacts including charter, integrated plan, resource plan, contingency plan, and related PM artifacts, while complying with applicable enterprise standards(e.g. Risk, Audit, Compliance)
• Monitors and controls the project. Proposes recommendations and adjustments to the overall project manager (or Accountable Executive, as applicable) and publishes periodic project status reports
• Provides Accountable Executive with continued insight in the viability of the business case (e.g. costs, benefits, KPIs) as the project progresses
• Negotiates complex contracts with external vendors (in consultation with Strategic Sourcing) to ensure receipt of specific resources and materials, as well as best value for the Enterprise. Ensures day-to-day vendor relationship management occurs (including monitoring performance, reviewing and approving vendor invoices)
• Contributes to improve the best practices of the project management community within the Enterprise to help drive consistency, transparency and execution excellence on projects

Scope & Impact:

• Authority to manage project budget up to value of the approved funding (typically up to $10MM)
• Authority to approve selection of project/program team members
• Direct accountability for project team members and ability to direct all sub teams. Total impact up to 25 team members
• Provides input to performance reviews for all team direct reports
• Control over direct project budgets up to value of ISAP (up to $10MM)
• Project lengths 1 year to 3 years
• Impact to operations typically within one line of business

Desired Behaviors:

• Trusted advisor to Accountable Executives in a single line of business
• Demonstrates solid relationship or account management behaviors
• Delivery of business outcomes of project
• Delivering on time, cost and scope
• Maintains prime relationship management role with the business executive accountable for the project
• Chairs project steering committees
• Maintains relationships with business, technology and operations areas and orchestrates activities from all areas

Knowledge & Skills:

• Possesses a university degree and/or 10+
• Possesses advanced knowledge and 3 to 6 years of experience in project management, including managing at least two projects of significant complexity and value (> $2MM) with moderate to high risk
• Industry-specific knowledge and experience is an asset
• Holding a valid PMP designation from the Project Management Institute (PMI) is an asset
• Good relationship management and consulting skills which results in an ability to earn the trust of sponsors and key stakeholders, mobilize and motivate teams, set direction and approach, resolve conflict, deliver tough messages with grace, execute with limited information and ambiguity
• Solid change leadership and management skills
• Solid risk management skills
• Ability to navigate a matrixed organization effectively
• Solid stakeholder management and influencing skills, effective at the executive level
• Sound business and technical acumen
• Solid presentation, written and verbal communication skills which bring clarity and precision at various decision-making meetings
• Solid problem-solving and critical-thinking skills
• Solid core project management skills including multiple aspects of the PMBOK (i.e. Project Management Institute's PM Body Of Knowledge)
• Solid knowledge and expertise in the use of project management methodologies and tools (e.g. Clarity, MS Project, SharePoint repositories, Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) if applicable)

About Signature Consultants, LLC

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Signature Consultants was established in 1997 with a singular focus: to provide clients and consultants with superior staffing solutions. For the eighth consecutive year, Signature was voted as one of the “Best Staffing Firms to Work For” and is now the 14th largest IT staffing firm in the United States (source: Staffing Industry Analysts). With 26 locations throughout North America, Signature annually deploys thousands of consultants to support, run, and manage their clients’ technology needs. Signature offers IT staffing, consulting, managed solutions, and direct placement services. For more information on the company, please visit www.sigconsult.com.