Finance - Senior Project Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Senior Finance Project Manager Must live within driving distance of Urbandale, IA

NOTE: This is not an IT Project Manager role

Location: Hybrid in Urbandale, IA
Work Arrangement: Hybrid | Onsite Monday–Wednesday, with flexibility when needed
Employment Type: 18-Month Contract with Potential for Extension or Conversion
Schedule: Flexible Business Hours
Interview Process: Two Interviews
Start Date: As Soon as Possible

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Finance Project Manager to support a large-scale transformation program within a global organization. Reporting to the Project Lead, this position will manage multiple business workstreams and ensure project strategies, plans, and deliverables are completed successfully.

This is a business-focused project management role, not an IT Project Manager position. The Senior Project Manager will work closely with finance and accounting leaders while coordinating initiatives involving people, processes, technology, real estate, and target operating model development. A finance or accounting background is strongly preferred because project discussions will regularly involve accounting and financial topics.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, prepared, and confident working with executives. They can manage meetings effectively, ask thoughtful questions, capture important details, and keep project plans and stakeholders aligned in a fast-paced environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage multiple projects and workstreams within a large finance transformation program.
• Develop, maintain, and monitor detailed project plans, schedules, trackers, milestones, and deliverables.
• Ensure projects remain on schedule and aligned with the overall program strategy and workstream vision.
• Prepare meeting agendas in advance and gather feedback from leaders before meetings.
• Lead meetings with executives, stakeholders, and geographically dispersed teams.
• Ask effective questions, facilitate discussions, and guide teams toward clear decisions and next steps.
• Document meeting outcomes, decisions, action items, owners, and deadlines.
• Provide regular project status reports to finance leaders and other stakeholders.
• Coordinate direct and indirect resources across regions and business functions.
• Communicate project activities, priorities, dependencies, and expectations clearly to team members and leadership.
• Prepare business cases, assessments, communication plans, implementation materials, and other strategic project documents.
• Support transitions and integrations involving people, processes, technology, and real estate.
• Help deliver the future-state target operating model for the finance organization.
• Identify project risks, issues, and dependencies and escalate their potential business impact appropriately.
• Facilitate problem-solving and decision-making on important project matters.
• Manage project governance, controls, compliance requirements, and change-control processes.
• Coordinate with change management resources to ensure their activities remain aligned with the workstream.
• Adapt project plans and priorities as business needs and program direction change.
• Drive assigned objectives to completion with minimal oversight.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• At least five years of project management experience, with some flexibility based on the candidate’s overall background.
• Experience managing large projects, programs, or multiple workstreams simultaneously.
• Finance or accounting experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting finance transformation initiatives is highly desirable.
• Proven ability to develop and maintain detailed project plans, trackers, schedules, and status reports.
• Experience managing meetings and presenting project updates to executives and senior stakeholders.
• Strong project governance, risk management, issue management, and change-control experience.
• Ability to coordinate resources and stakeholders across different locations and business functions.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Teams, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft Office applications.
• Familiarity with AI productivity tools is helpful.
• Experience with target operating models is preferred but can be learned in the role.

Key Competencies

• Executive presence and confidence working with senior leadership.
• Strong meeting leadership and facilitation skills.
• Ability to ask thoughtful questions and listen carefully.
• Exceptional attention to detail and follow-through.
• Strong organization and advance preparation.
• Ability to identify clear next steps while actively managing meetings.
• Adaptability in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Collaborative approach and ability to work effectively within a close-knit project team.
• Self-motivated and capable of driving work forward with minimal direction.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a detail-oriented Senior Project Manager with experience supporting finance or accounting initiatives. They are comfortable leading video meetings with executives and large stakeholder groups, arrive prepared with clear agendas, and know how to ask the right questions to keep projects moving.

They are also an attentive listener who can capture key details, decisions, and next steps while facilitating a meeting. They maintain accurate project plans and trackers, provide consistent status reporting, and adapt quickly when priorities or program direction change. Most importantly, they are a collaborative team member who can contribute effectively to a large, fast-moving transformation program.

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