Sr. Project Manager

Job Title

Job Description Summary

Job Description

The Senior Project Manager is accountable for the successful delivery of complex, high-risk, and high-visibility initiatives. This role operates with a high degree of autonomy and judgment, anticipating delivery risks and executive decision needs before escalation is required.



Senior Project Managers are trusted delivery leaders who engage confidently with sponsors, steering committees, and executives (VP and C-suite). They consistently translate complexity into clear options, guide executive decision-making, and model strong delivery and leadership behaviors across the PMO. Senior Project Managers maintain executive trust through transparent delivery health reporting, credible financial forecasts, and early identification of risks and trade-offs.

Responsibilities:

Delivery Leadership

• Lead end-to-end delivery of complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives across scope, schedule, budget, risk, and quality
• Anticipate delivery risks, dependencies, and constraints beyond what is explicitly documented
• Proactively identify and address issues before they require executive escalation
• Drive disciplined execution while adapting approach based on project complexity and business context
• Own project financial management, including budget planning, forecasting, variance analysis, and proactive identification of cost risks and trade-off options
• Ensure formal project closeout, transition to operations, and lessons learned capture

Governance & Decision Readiness

• Operate with PMO standards and governance as baseline expectations
• Prepare executive-ready deliverables that anticipate leadership questions and decision friction
• Present clear options, trade-offs, impacts, and recommendations to sponsors and steering committees
• Engage governance forums proactively rather than reactively
• Provide clear, accurate financial insights and options to support timely executive and steering committee decision-making
• Escalate material issues through appropriate channels with complete context and options

Executive & Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as a primary delivery interface with senior leaders, including CIO, VPs, and CXOs
• Tailor communication style and content to executive audiences
• Build and maintain strong sponsor relationships through transparency and credibility
• Navigate competing stakeholder priorities with maturity and emotional intelligence

Vendor & Partner Leadership

• Lead vendor and partner delivery activities
• Hold implementation partners accountable to contractual commitments, delivery milestones, and quality expectations
• Identify vendor risks early and escalate with recommended actions when required
• Ensure vendor activities align with overall project objectives and governance standards

PMO Influence & Mentorship

• Model mature delivery leadership and professional behaviors for Project Managers and Coordinators
• Mentor other PMs through influence, example, and informal coaching
• Share lessons learned and delivery insights to improve PMO practices
• Contribute to continuous improvement of delivery processes, governance, and standards
• Responsibilities may vary within the range of tasks and activities described.

Decision Authority & Escalation

• Full authority for project-level delivery decisions, prioritization, and risk mitigation
• Responsible for preparing and presenting decision-ready options to sponsors and steering committees
• Escalates cross-project, systemic, or portfolio-level risks to the Portfolio Manager
• Operates as a trusted advisor in executive decision forums

Financials & Budget

• Provide oversight and guidance on project financials for assigned initiatives
• Help identify financial risks and trends as visibility improves
• Partner with Project Managers to improve budget tracking, forecasting practices, and financial narratives
• Support clearer communication of financial risks and trade-offs to senior leaders
• Contribute to improving financial maturity over time through coaching, standardization, and lessons learned

Success Measures

• Predictable delivery of complex initiatives with minimal surprises
• Executive confidence and trust in delivery leadership
• Early identification and mitigation of risks and dependencies
• High-quality escalation materials that enable efficient decision-making
• Positive influence on PMO delivery maturity and team capability

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Information Systems, or a related field.  Master’s or MBA preferred
• 8+ years of years of progressive project management experience, including complex, enterprise-level initiatives 
• Project Management qualification such as PMP, and/or Scrum Master strongly preferred
• Ability to travel 10% or less of time

Knowledge & Experience:

• Experience leading complex, multi-system initiatives involving data, integrations, and enterprise platforms, with the ability to coordinate across technical and business teams without acting as a functional subject matter expert
• Proven ownership of project financials, including budget planning, forecasting, variance management, and clear financial reporting
• Proficiency using Smartsheet as a primary project planning and tracking tool; experience with other project management tools such as Microsoft Project, Jira, Asana, or Azure DevOps is beneficial
• Solid understanding of software development life cycles, with experience applying both Agile and traditional (predictive) project management approaches based on project needs
• Working knowledge of data governance concepts, financial planning processes, and system optimization from a delivery leadership perspective
• Demonstrated ability to manage and lead remotely located, cross-functional project teams
• Highly organized and adaptable, with the ability to prioritize effectively, manage competing demands, and operate confidently under pressure

Skills & Personal Qualities:

• Demonstrated emotional intelligence with the ability to read situations, adapt communication styles, and navigate complex stakeholder dynamics
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence outcomes without formal authority
• Exceptional communication skills, including the ability to convey complex information clearly and confidently to technical teams, business partners, vendors, and executive audiences (VP and C-suite)
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively across cross-functional teams and organizational boundaries
• Sound judgment and decision-making capability, particularly in ambiguous or high-pressure situations
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability for delivery outcomes and overall project success
• Ability to set, manage, and recalibrate priorities to meet aggressive timelines and changing demands
• Business-oriented mindset with the ability to understand and articulate the purpose and value of initiatives
• High attention to detail while maintaining focus on broader objectives and outcomes
• Strong written communication skills, including executive-ready status reporting and decision materials
• Effective time management and organizational skills to manage multiple competing priorities
• Flexibility to adjust working hours as needed to support critical project phases, stakeholder needs, or executive engagement
• Acts as a role model for delivery discipline, professional behavior, and leadership within the PMO