Senior Client Project Manager

Lead Project Manager

Highmark Health is seeking a highly skilled and strategic Lead Project Manager to drive the successful planning, execution, and delivery of complex, high-impact initiatives. This role is crucial for advancing our business and operational excellence across the organization, touching critical areas such as operational and business readiness, change management, and process improvement.

The Lead Project Manager will own all aspects of the project lifecycle, from initial concept through final delivery, ensuring projects are completed on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards. This involves proactive resource management, robust risk mitigation, and fostering effective communication with all stakeholders, including executive leadership.

Beyond traditional project management, the ideal candidate will operate as a trusted advisor, demonstrating strong organizational leadership, strategic planning capabilities, and the ability to influence stakeholders across a matrix environment. This individual will translate strategic objectives into actionable plans, effectively present to executives, and provide decision support that consistently delivers measurable business value. A passion for continuous improvement, process optimization, and a keen eye for leveraging automation and AI enablement will be highly valued.

The role requires a hybrid work schedule, with in-office presence Tuesday through Thursday at either our Pittsburgh or Camp Hill location. The candidate must be a US Citizen due to contractual/access requirements.

What will you do:

• Lead the end-to-end planning, execution, and delivery of large to extra-large projects, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives.
• Manage project scope, schedule, budget, and resources effectively, proactively identifying and mitigating risks.
• Drive operational and business readiness for new initiatives, overseeing change management activities to ensure smooth adoption.
• Champion process improvement and business transformation efforts, focusing on enhancing customer and member experience.
• Cultivate strong relationships with stakeholders, acting as a trusted advisor and providing executive-level presentations and decision support.
• Mentor and guide less experienced project managers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and development.
• Promote and implement continuous improvement methodologies, including lessons learned, operational excellence, and the exploration of automation and AI enablement opportunities.
• Apply deep understanding of healthcare operations, including claims, billing, customer service, and provider experience, to project delivery.

What will make you shine in this role?

• Strategic, business-minded delivery leader
• Seamlessly own execution
• Proactively manage risk
• Influence stakeholders at all levels
• Understand complex operational impacts
• Communicate effectively with executives
• Drive projects, not just coordinate them
• Act as a trusted advisor
• Consistently deliver measurable business value
• Contribute to our digital transformation journey

Essential Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning & Execution: Develop comprehensive project plans, including detailed schedules, resource allocation, budget management, and risk assessments. Proactively identify and mitigate potential project roadblocks.
• Scope Management: Define and manage project scope, ensuring all deliverables align with business objectives. Manage changes to scope effectively and efficiently.
• Resource Management: Allocate and manage project resources (human, financial, and material) effectively to optimize performance and meet project deadlines.
• Stakeholder Management: Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, communicating project progress, addressing concerns, and managing expectations.
• Risk & Issue Management: Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate project risks and issues, implementing appropriate corrective actions. Maintain a detailed RAID log.
• Reporting & Documentation: Prepare and deliver comprehensive project status reports, maintaining meticulous documentation, including project plans, meeting minutes, project artifacts, and approvals.
• Team Leadership & Collaboration: Lead and motivate project teams, fostering a collaborative and productive work environment.
• Quality Assurance: Implement quality control measures to ensure projects meet defined quality standards.
• Other duties as assigned or requested

Education

• Required: Bachelor's degree in Healthcare, Information Technology, Business or related field or relevant experience and/or education as determined by the company in lieu of bachelor's degree.

Experience

• Required: 5 years of experience in project management to include successfully delivering complex projects on time and within budget and managing multiple projects concurrently. Proficiency in project management software (e.g., MS Project, Jira, Asana, etc.)

Skills

• Strong understanding of project management principles and best practices.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present information clearly and concisely to diverse audiences.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, with a demonstrated ability to prioritize tasks and manage competing demands.

Travel Requirement: 25% - 50%

Physical, Mental Demands and Working Conditions

Position Type: Office-based

Teaches / trains others regularly: Rarely

Travel regularly from the office to various work sites or from site-to-site: Occasionally

Works primarily out-of-the office selling products/services (sales employees): Never

Physical work site required: Yes

Lifting: up to 10 pounds: Constantly

Lifting: 10 to 25 pounds: Rarely

Lifting: 25 to 50 pounds: Never

Disclaimer: The job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this job title. It may not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to do this job. Compliance Requirement: This job adheres to the ethical and legal standards and behavioral expectations as set forth in the code of business conduct and company policies.

Highmark Health and its affiliates prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on any category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

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