Project Manager

Job Title : Agile Project Manager

Location : Mettawa, Illinois (Hybrid) (onsite Mon-Thurs; Fri remote)

Duration : 6+ months contract

Interview Process : Video Interview

Job description:

Agile Project Manager is responsible for leading the end-to-end delivery of Artificial/ Business Intelligence, data warehouse, data analytics, and integration projects. This role partners with globally distributed, cross-functional teams, product owners, business stakeholders, and external vendors to deliver business value using Scrum, Kanban, and fit-for-purpose Agile practices. The ideal candidate is a servant leader who facilitates collaboration, removes impediments, manages dependencies, and supports continuous improvement while maintaining project scope, schedules, budgets, and applicable GxP requirements.

Requirements:

• Coordinate cross-functional teams of business analysts, developers, testers, and data specialists to deliver data and integration projects in a matrix organization.
• Define project charters, scope, delivery roadmaps, release plans, and RACI matrices; partner with product owners to align priorities, delivery milestones, and business outcomes.
• Facilitate daily stand-ups, sprint planning, backlog refinement, sprint reviews, and retrospectives; support clear sprint goals and actionable improvement commitments.
• Coordinate delivery across the SDLC, including Planning, Requirements Gathering, Design, Development, Testing,
• UAT, Deployment, and Hypercare Support; ensure release readiness and required documentation.
• Apply Scrum, Kanban, or hybrid delivery approaches as appropriate; manage project governance and financials in Clarity PPM and track backlogs and delivery progress in Jira or Azure DevOps while adhering to applicable GxP processes.
• Identify and manage project risks, issues, impediments, and cross-team dependencies; maintain budgets, forecasts, and monthly financial reporting, escalating decisions promptly.
• Provide weekly stakeholder updates on delivery progress, risks, dependencies, and financials; use metrics such as sprint goal achievement, cycle time, throughput, and release predictability to support delivery decisions and continuous improvement.
• Manage interrelated project activities within agreed scope, schedule, and budget; assess changing priorities with product owners and stakeholders and communicate their impact on delivery commitments.
• Support self-managing teams in planning and coordinating work; remove impediments, facilitate access to technical experts, and foster collaboration, accountability, and sustainable delivery practices.
• Facilitate feasibility assessments and collaborative effort, schedule, and cost estimation; support release planning and transparent communication of assumptions and constraints.
• Partner with IT leadership, product owners, business managers, and business analysts to clarify business needs, refine prioritized backlogs, and establish acceptance criteria and a shared Definition of Done.
• Coordinate with IT and Operations teams on production readiness, operational handoffs, and urgent issues; incorporate lessons learned into subsequent delivery cycles.

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of IT project delivery experience, including 5+ years leading Agile projects or serving as an Agile Project Manager or Scrum Master.
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, engineering, or a related field.
• Practical experience applying Scrum and Kanban, facilitating Agile ceremonies, and supporting backlog refinement, sprint planning, and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to foster collaboration, transparent communication, and a servant-leadership approach across globally distributed teams.
• Strong communication, facilitation, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to communicate delivery trade-offs clearly.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with experience managing scope, schedules, budgets, dependencies, risks, and issues in a matrix organization.
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to remove impediments, resolve conflicts, and use delivery metrics to guide improvement.
• Hands-on experience with Jira or Azure DevOps and familiarity with Clarity PPM, MS Project, or Smartsheet; proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. Experience delivering Business Intelligence, data warehouse, data analytics, or integration projects is preferred.
• Pharmaceutical industry experience and familiarity with GxP delivery, validation, and documentation requirements are preferred, not required.
• Prior AbbVie experience is an advantage.
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Professional Scrum Master (PSM), PMI-ACP, or PMP certification is preferred.