The Sr. Project Manager will maintain, strengthen, and grow relationships with key clients through the management and delivery of multiple new client onboarding
& implementation projects concurrently, with limited to no supervision. Must have excellent communication skills and flawless planning capabilities. Responsible for supervising and coordinating the efforts of creative, media, product, tech, and QA teams to effectively deliver upon contracted deliverables and client expectations. The ideal candidate has extensive previous experience as a project manager in an agency environment and has moderate to high level of technical aptitude. This role will report into the Director of Project Management and may oversee projects assigned to Project Managers or Project Coordinators to help identify and mitigate roadblocks and risks.
Duties/Responsibilities:
- Responsible for managing execution of new client onboarding & implementation engagements with a focus on quality, budget and schedule in order to both set (i.e., plan and scope) and meet (i.e., manage) upon contracted requirements
- Active ownership and accountability for all assigned projects through final delivery and client sign-off, meeting all timeline milestones and delivering within the approved budgets
- Monitor all assigned project processes and operations for time and resource efficiencies, cost management, and process improvement opportunities
- Monitor financial, resource and quality “health” of all assigned projects and recommend course corrections to mitigate issues
- Provide client engagement and PMO leadership team regular updates on project health (schedule, scope, quality, budget, and risks). This may include executive level reporting
- Develop, update and monitor project schedules and timelines for all assigned projects within enterprise project management tool (i.e., Jira/BigPicture)
- Manage development requirements and tasks within project management tool (i.e., Jira); Facilitate proper quality assurance testing and user acceptance testing
- Conduct and lead kick-off and status meetings regularly and ensure thorough communication with all stakeholders at all stages of every project (including clients and third party vendors)
- Identify, document, and inform of perceived risks and impacts, both internally and to the client
- Closely monitor budgets and scope, establish plans and processes to avoid and/or resolve scope creep, budget overages, or efficiency issues
- Maintain optimal utilization of internal project team members and help identify when contract or fulltime staff augmentation is necessary
- Champion existing processes while also identifying and presenting potential improvements to PMO leadership
Required Skills/Abilities:
- Broad delivery expertise (management of schedule, scope, quality, budget, and risks)
- Experience working with product, tech, & QA resources and a thorough understanding of related deliverables and processes
- Ability to multitask and prioritize under ever-changing needs and schedules, handling multiple projects at once while meeting tight deadlines and adhering to budgets
- Adaptability; able to refocus team priorities and tasks, delegating effectively
- Proven project management skills with an understanding of processes (timeline development, trafficking, risk management, etc.) and quality assurance/control (QA/QC) and project acceptance protocols
- Experience with financial processes for projects - includes forecasting, scoping/estimating, and burn rates
- Team leader with strong interpersonal skills, including problem solving and conflict resolution, and the ability to articulate ideas clearly in both oral and written communication
- Excellent analytical skills, strategic thinking, and solution oriented
- Self-motivated with effective decision-making skills
- Demonstrated strong planning and organizational skills; highly detail-oriented
- Solid computer skills, including proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and project management tools (such as MS Project)
- Experience with Jira, BigPicture, Teams, and/or SharePoint a plus
- Strong working knowledge of all current and relevant project management methodologies (i.e., Agile, Waterfall, Kanban, etc.)
Education and Experience:
- 5+ years of client and project management experience with an interactive agency managing digital programs
- Bachelor’s Degree or Advanced Degree preferred
Physical Requirements:
- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer