Sr. Project Manager - Spend Optimization Services

Senior Project Manager - Spend Optimization Services (SOS)

The Senior Project Manager - Spend Optimization Services (SOS) is responsible for leading complex, high-visibility customer engagements and strategic internal initiatives from initiation through completion. This role ensures projects are delivered within agreed scope, schedule, quality, and contractual expectations while maintaining alignment with customer objectives, SHI delivery standards, business priorities, and internal stakeholder requirements. The Senior Project Manager serves as a trusted delivery leader for cross-functional teams, senior internal stakeholders, and executive-level customer contacts. In addition to managing assigned engagements, this role supports Project Management Office (PMO) maturity through mentoring team members, strengthening delivery governance, improving project health, supporting continuous improvement initiatives, and assisting with the recovery of at-risk engagements. This position reports to the Project Management Operations Manager and may be based in Austin, TX or Somerset, NJ. Frequent domestic and international travel is required (3050%).

Role Description

• Lead complex, high-visibility customer engagements and strategic internal initiatives from initiation through closure, ensuring outcomes align with customer objectives, SHI delivery standards, contractual obligations, and business priorities.
• Establish project strategy, delivery approach, governance structure, milestones, dependencies, communication plans, and success criteria for assigned engagements.
• Lead and influence cross-functional teams across multiple workstreams, ensuring accountability, alignment, and timely resolution of risks, issues, dependencies, and critical decisions.
• Operate independently with sound judgment to proactively identify delivery challenges, recommend solutions, and escalate matters requiring leadership intervention.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with senior internal stakeholders, executive-level customer contacts, delivery leaders, consultants, partners, and other key contributors.
• Deliver executive-level communications regarding project status, progress, risks, issues, dependencies, decisions, recommendations, and next steps.
• Facilitate project kickoff sessions, governance meetings, status reviews, steering committee discussions, and executive updates to maintain alignment, transparency, momentum, and decision readiness.
• Serve as the primary delivery owner and escalation point for assigned engagements, ensuring expectations, assumptions, responsibilities, constraints, and success measures are clearly defined and understood.
• Assess overall project health, including scope, schedule, quality, risks, issues, stakeholder engagement, action items, dependencies, and decision tracking to support early intervention and leadership visibility.
• Lead corrective action planning and project recovery efforts for at-risk engagements by strengthening governance, clarifying ownership, improving delivery structures, and driving accountability across teams and leadership.
• Promote consistent application of PMO methodologies, project management disciplines, reporting standards, documentation practices, and delivery governance frameworks.
• Mentor Project Managers, Project Coordinators, and project team members while contributing to onboarding, lessons learned, PMO maturity initiatives, continuous improvement efforts, and delivery best practices.

Behaviors and Competencies

• Collaboration and Influence Builds partnerships and trust across stakeholders to achieve shared outcomes without positional authority.
• Strategic Orientation Connects project work to organizational priorities and anticipates downstream impacts.
• Execution Discipline Maintains structure, organization, and precision across multiple simultaneous projects.
• Communication Excellence Delivers information clearly, concisely, and appropriately for diverse audiences.
• Adaptability and Resilience Quickly adjusts to shifting priorities or constraints while maintaining a positive approach.
• Accountability and Ownership Delivers on commitments and upholds high standards of integrity, reliability, and quality.

Skill Level Requirements

• Ability to lead complex, high-visibility customer engagements from initiation through closure.
• Strong project governance capabilities, including project planning, scheduling, reporting, RAID management, escalation management, and decision tracking.
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects, workstreams, stakeholders, dependencies, and competing priorities simultaneously.
• Strong leadership and influence skills across cross-functional teams and diverse stakeholder groups.
• Advanced communication, facilitation, and executive presentation skills.
• Strong analytical, organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Ability to assess project health and proactively identify risks, issues, and opportunities for improvement.
• Experience working with Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, and hybrid project delivery methodologies.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Project or similar project management platforms.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 tools and collaboration platforms.
• Familiarity with software licensing, IT Asset Management (ITAM), Software Asset Management (SAM), IT infrastructure, and professional services delivery.
• Ability to mentor and coach Project Managers, Project Coordinators, and project team members.
• Ability to drive process improvement, project recovery efforts, delivery governance enhancements, and PMO maturity initiatives.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Project, Visio, SharePoint, Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft 365 collaboration tools.
• Advanced understanding of IT lifecycle management, including licensing, purchasing, deployment, optimization, renewals, and vendor management considerations.
• Second-language communication skills are preferred, with French being particularly beneficial.

Other Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience preferred.
• Minimum of 8 years of IT project management experience.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in project management within professional services, consulting, IT Asset Management (ITAM), Software Asset Management (SAM), software licensing, IT service delivery, or related environments preferred.
• 35 years of experience within SAM, ITAM, consulting, professional services, or related service delivery environments.
• Demonstrated success leading enterprise-scale or high-visibility customer engagements.
• Experience working directly with senior stakeholders and executive-level customer leaders.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 3050%.

Preferred certifications include:

• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• PRINCE2
• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
• PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
• Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
• Equivalent project management or service delivery certifications

The estimated annual pay range for this position is $125,000 - $165,000 which includes a base salary. The compensation for this position is dependent on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and market location and, therefore, will vary from individual to individual. Benefits may include, but are not limited to, medical, vision, dental, 401K, and flexible spending.

Equal Employment Opportunity M/F/Disability/Protected Veteran Status