Sr. IT Project Manager

Sr. IT Project Manager

The Senior IT Project Manager is responsible for significant, client projects, typically with large budgets and sizeable staff, focused on meeting project commitments, including communications with sponsors, stakeholders etc.; would not necessarily have strategic or operational responsibilities. Spends majority of time on project management responsibilities. Leads the design, testing, planning, and implementation of complex projects for systems that typically affect many users while adhering to the project management methodology.

Principal Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of a broad, coordinated set of plans and programs to meet the goals and priorities of the IT department's internal & external customers.
• Monitor & control project schedules, budgets, risks and issues while ensuring project deliverables are of the highest quality and meet customer requirements.
• Participate in outside professional activities to maintain knowledge on developments in the project management, portfolio management and PMOs.
• Establish liaisons with client departments and other IT stakeholders to build relationships that will benefit.
• Continuously improve project management toolkits and methodologies used.
• Provide expertise and consulting to junior project managers in the process of project management and in the softer skills of team dynamics, team building and group motivation
• Keep abreast of technologies that are used to implement deliverables for the projects that you will manage. Client's core IT systems are ESRI arcGIS, IBM Maximo, OpenText Livelink and Infor Lawson.
• Identifies, develops, and initiates innovations and solutions where precedents and procedures may not exist. Works cross-functionally to solve problems and implement changes. Analyzes decisions and actions for their support of the larger area's strategic direction. Works with senior management to resolve more complex problems
• Fosters and manages productive relationships with executive level sponsors. Handles broad-based, often complex, communication for internal and/or external audiences. Creates a forum and format for ongoing open communication within functional area or among departments.
• Defuses emotionally charged situations and uses them to constructively build greater shared commitment to end goals of assigned projects
• Regularly makes decisions and takes independent action on matters directly affecting project objectives (both business and project management objectives).
• Guides staff and project managers in learning and applying useful decision making approaches.
• This position is expected to be onsite 5 days a week, with very few exceptions (inclement weather, emergencies etc.)

Basic Qualifications/Technical Skills:

• Minimum 10 years of increasingly responsible experience, with at least 7 years of managing increasingly complex projects in a highly technical environment.
• Able to work effectively and efficiently toward goals in a complex, diverse environment with multiple and changing demands. Known for effective leadership of staff. Passion for client satisfaction.
• Understanding of the water utility industry (or utility sector in general) and its technology requirements and challenges. Especially critical for this position is a deep understanding of and hands-on experience with work management processes (work order management, work planning & scheduling, asset management etc.) and technologies (specifically IBM Maximo) plus mapping technologies (specifically ESRI ArcGIS). There will be no exceptions to this requirement.
• Must have managed development teams, whether on-shore or off-shore on projects that use varying development technologies. Must have some knowledge of how these technologies worked and are used by developers and technical leads.
• Outstanding record of project management success, both in results achieved (delivering projects on-time, on-budget and to specifications) and in use of professional methodology such as PMI's PMBOK.
• Demonstrated track-record leading multidisciplinary teams, leading technical projects, and collaborating across business units to develop ideas and solutions successfully.
• Dynamic, self-starter with strong attention to detail and the ability to function independently. Good verbal and written communication skills. Strong planning and organizational ability
• Deep knowledge of principles, practices and theories in project management discipline is required. PMI's PMP certification is a must. Knowledge of agile project management is a plus.
• Thorough understanding of project management phases, techniques and tools:
• o Initiate: project charter, preliminary schedules/budgets
• o Planning: definition/scope/requirements
• o Execute & Control: scope, work plans, resources, deliverables, Q/A, transition planning, etc.
• o Close: completion and assessment
• Understands who is the client and what are the client's needs; provides realistic expectations; establishes specific customer satisfaction standards and actively monitors client satisfaction
• Demonstrates superior collaboration skills and techniques which appropriately define alternate solutions; resolve conflicts; and create lasting, productive partnerships with clients
• Projects a credible executive image when strategically communicating and planning for change
• Demonstrates superior inter-personal skills, conflict resolution, and negotiating skills.