Senior Project Manager

Project Manager

It's an exciting time to join defi!

defi SOLUTIONS is a pioneer in end-to-end, SaaS loan originations, servicing, and managed servicing solutions. Our customers include the highest volume captive auto lenders, banks, credit unions, and finance companies in North America. We have more than three decades of experience helping lending reduce time-to-market, streamline operations and customer lending processes with proven, scalable performance.

About the Role:

defi SOLUTIONS is seeking an experienced project manager for its Project Management Office. Candidates must have a strong, demonstrated history of executing successful project management practices in a large, complex business environment delivering mission critical services. The ideal candidate will have extensive, practical, and relevant experience developing and executing technology projects across multiple product delivery teams operating in a distributed model across disparate geographies.

This staff-level position will support day-to-day execution of project management activities, including ensuring predictable, consistent, and successful delivery of detailed project plans, coordinating, and monitoring small, medium, and large scale engagements, managing client expectations and deliverables, and meeting budgetary guidelines. The project manager will provide the practical knowledge, personal experience and effective business acumen needed to execute project management in accordance with enterprise standards, as well as producing the metrics and reporting necessary to ensure defi's product development and delivery is aligned to its business strategy.

Essential Job Responsibilities:

• Provide experienced project management, applying the appropriate knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to efficiently manage the different project phases, including initiating, planning, executing, implementing and closing.
• Employ personal experience, subject matter expertise and lessons learned from previous engagements to define key project deliverables and milestones and identify the tasks that must be completed for each to achieve the desired project outcome.
• Develop detailed project plans that define project scope, schedule and budget, working across departments to ensure all requirements are satisfied within the confines of the project and budgetary restrictions.
• Work with key stakeholders to create integrated project plans focused on attaining the outlined goals and manage project progress and budget to ensure key milestones are achieved.
• Compare and report actual performance against planned/scheduled performance.
• Manage and review the work of third-party vendors or partners to ensure acceptable deliverables.
• Ensure that issues are proactively identified and resolved effectively to keep the project on track.
• Execute efficient internal and client-facing communications with all levels within the team.
• Continuously monitor and report on progress of project to stakeholders and present routine reports defining project progress, risks, issues and resolutions.
• Create and maintain prescribed project-related artifacts in accordance with enterprise PDLC standards and governance model.
• Provide presentations and written and verbal updates to executive management.
• Assist internal teams in preparing new project requests for the portfolio governance process -through concept, business case and approval phases.
• Execute project management work in approved enterprise tools, processes, templates, standards, and reporting formats.
• Execute the day-to-day project management activities in accordance with defined Project Management Office rules, tools, processes, and standards.
• Execute effective project management skills, including planning, organizing and decision-making, delegation, teamwork, negotiation, conflict management, adaptability, and stress tolerance.
• Employ advanced analytical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills to resolve complex business problems.
• Handle multiple tasks, meet deadlines, and adapt to changing priorities with broad guidance and without direct supervision.
• Communicate project progress and outcomes clearly, concisely, and accurately to leadership, steering groups, etc.
• Communicate, both verbally and written, with a high level of confidence and expertise across all levels of business, often as a change agent.
• Build trust-based relationships with and influence other functional areas.
• Craft and articulate effective presentations to various audiences, including executive leadership.
• Compile and analyze data and translate analysis into meaningful and fact-based conversations.
• Provide business visibility to enable defi to anticipate, proactively manage and mitigate risks to avoid program and client impacts.
• Coach and mentor associates, teams, product sponsors, managers, and other stakeholders.

Required Qualifications:

• BS in Computer Science, Engineering or comparable field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in project management, including delivering technology projects in a large, complex business environment.
• Established working knowledge of project management, best practices and demonstrated experience working in accordance with standard project management rules, tools and processes.
• Proven thought leader who thinks strategically, communicates with influence, and builds trust-based relationships.
• Proven experience operating in large, complex business environments, delivering mission critical services.

Personal Qualities/ Skills:

• Thought leader – brings new thinking to challenge existing operating models and processes and is excited with the prospect of driving change.
• Change agent – the ability to influence others and drive change across organizations with a strong passion for making things better and driving action.
• Strong communicator – able to communicate complex problems and solutions in a simple, clear and concise manner; excellent at communicating for influence (written, verbal, and presentation)
• Relationship-builder – skilled at building trust-based relationships across teams and with subordinates, peers, teams and other business functions.
• Driven – a results-oriented personality with a proven track record of delivering, having the character, energy and determination to drive successful outcomes.
• Sound decision-maker – the ability to work with broad guidance, manage multiple priorities, and make well-reasoned decisions, operating in an environment with ambiguity and/or incomplete information.
• Accountable – takes ownership of results; has a firm sense of responsibility for outcomes, with solid program management skills.
• Fast learner – builds business knowledge quickly, and demonstrates learning agility (i.e., flexible, adapts quickly to change); able to quickly develop a sound working understanding of complex environments and situations across various areas of the organization.

Travel Requirements:

• Business travel may be required; amount dependent upon business need and employee location.

Affirmative Action/EEO statement:

defi SOLUTIONS is an Equal Opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.