VP, Project Manager

VP, Project Manager Chicago, Illinois Direct Hire Salary Range : $140,000 - $180,000 Benefits : Full benefits Vice President, Project Management Location: Chicago, IL (Hybrid) Department: Technology Solutions Compensation: $140,000 - $180,000 base + discretionary bonus + full benefits The Role We are looking for a seasoned program and project management leader to own the end-to-end delivery of enterprise technology initiatives. This is a hands-on program leadership role — not a people manager title — requiring deep expertise in full lifecycle project execution, vendor management, and executive stakeholder communication. You will serve as the primary driver of complex, multi-workstream implementations from initiation through decommissioning. What You’ll Own Program Leadership and Governance Full lifecycle ownership of technology programs from initiation through planning, execution, and closure Establishing and maintaining governance structures including steering committees, working groups, RACI tables, and decision logs Ensuring alignment with organizational goals, departmental standards, and enterprise architecture Planning, Scheduling, and Resource Management Building and maintaining integrated project plans covering scope, milestones, timelines, dependencies, and critical path Coordinating resources across business units, technology teams, and third-party vendors Managing concurrent workstreams across configuration, integrations, data migration, testing, change management, training, and deployment Vendor and Stakeholder Management Serving as primary liaison with external vendors, managing deliverables, SLAs, risks, and change requests Facilitating alignment between vendor teams and internal technical stakeholders Building relationships with business partners, executives, SMEs, and technology teams to ensure shared understanding at all levels Project Lifecycle and Technical Delivery Partnering with functional and technical SMEs to define future-state architecture and integration requirements Ensuring all integration points — APIs, middleware, authentication, data flows — are documented, validated, and approved Overseeing system testing, integration testing, UAT, and performance testing planning and execution Leading cutover strategy, runbook development, and contingency planning Coordinating data migration activities including mapping, validation, and reconciliation Managing controlled decommissioning of legacy systems and post-implementation support Conducting lessons-learned sessions and producing project close-out documentation Risk, Issues, and Change Control Identifying risks early and maintaining proactive mitigation strategies Facilitating issue resolution, escalation management, and decision tracking Maintaining change control processes for scope, schedule, and budget Communication and Reporting Owning the communication plan including executive updates, team status, milestone tracking, and roadmap visuals Delivering concise, transparent reporting to senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders Maintaining organized, accessible project documentation throughout the program lifecycle What We’re Looking For 10-15 years of project and program management experience in complex technology environments Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Business, or a related field Expert-level proficiency in Microsoft Project — this is a hard requirement Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office suite including Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio Demonstrated experience managing enterprise system implementations with multi-party vendor relationships Background in financial services or another regulated industry strongly preferred Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills — able to communicate with both technical teams and executive leadership Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple competing priorities without losing track of the critical path Self-directed and resourceful; comfortable operating with ambiguity and driving clarity #J-18808-Ljbffr Hirewell