Description
We are seeking a Senior Level IT Project/Program Manager for a 12+ month contract opportunity in the Atlanta GA area. The IT Project/Program Manager must be skilled in managing large scale application development projects within a large matrixed environment. The IT Project/Program Manager will be a detailed oriented, pragmatic, analytical professional with excellent communication skills. The ideal candidate is a self-starter who can drive, influence and collaborate with a multitude of stakeholders, sponsors and technical teams to meet project goals. He/she is a well-rounded, project manager with proven experience in managing multi-year, multi-phase enterprise software development projects.
The PM will lead planning and/or implementation of assigned enterprise IT projects through the full life cycle from project definition and approval through implementation; and all project deliverables in parallel. The PM will facilitate the definition of project missions, goals, tasks, and resource requirements; resolve or assist in the resolution of conflicts within and between projects or functional areas; develop methods to monitor project or area progress; and provide corrective supervision if necessary. She/he will advocate on behalf of customers and represent customer needs as appropriate to all levels of the project teams, while concurrently maintaining cost, schedule and requirement baselines and adhering to strict change control processes. The candidate will work cross-functionally to solve problems and implement changes. The ideal candidate will present oral and written reports defining plans, problems, and resolutions to appropriate levels of project team members, and stakeholders.
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES
- Manage all project life cycle process groups: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, and Closing.
- Manage all project management knowledge areas: Communication Management, Cost Management, Integration Management, Procurement Management, Quality Management, Human Resource Management, Risk Management, Time Management, Scope Management and Stakeholder Management
- Proactively identify and communicate potential project delays, roadblocks, risks/opportunities, issues, and potential resolutions, ensuring OMG management is presented with options/impacts for decision making prior to experiencing adverse impacts/outcomes.
- Ability to understand team capacity and ensure that project plans are achievable - not just happy pathing project plans but truly understanding team bandwidth and constraints.
- Develop and maintain integrated project plans including schedule, communications plan, and applicable project management artifacts required for the work to be successfully completed and delivered.
- Establish and manage the project cost, scope and schedule baselines. Work closely with Functional Owners, IT team members, PMO representatives and Finance representatives to monitor and control these attributes.
- Partner with the IT resources, key stake holders and external parties to clearly define the project scope, assumptions, constraints, dependencies, and deliverables of the initiative.
- Conduct periodic project progress meetings/stage gate reviews, and go/no go meetings with project team members and key stakeholders. Report results and status to senior leaders and stakeholders.
- Represent the project at executive meetings and in group discussions as requested.
- Understand and comply with all Program/Project Governance Policies and Procedures.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS
- 5-7 years of increasingly responsible project and program management experience, including successfully managing multi-year enterprise software projects.
- Experience managing multiple simultaneous projects; understanding and efficiently managing cross-dependencies.
- Outstanding grasp of IT concepts and methodologies including SDLC, Agile/Scrum.
- Vendor management (on/off-shore) experience is a definite plus.
- Ability to influence and build coalitions among the various stakeholders; and negotiates authority to move the project forward.
- Exceptional communication skills and ability to present ideas in user-friendly manner.
- Proven analytical and problem solving abilities.
- Track record of successful leadership with project management, business analyst, quality assurance, compliance, and software development staff in an enterprise IT organization.
- Strong understanding and experience in cultivating and applying project change management.
EDUCATION
- An Undergraduate degree is required; MBA or advanced degree in Computer Technology preferred.
- PMP certification is a plus.