Sr. Project Manager

Summary
The position is responsible for the successful delivery of project initiatives. This position resides in the Portfolio and Project Management Group and executes business plan projects that enable realizing the strategic objectives and tactical business plan goals.
Project Manager
The below highlights key accountabilities for this role. It is not fully inclusive of all possible tasks that may be expected to be performed by this role.

• Manages IT projects from start to finish. Projects may consist of one or a combination of implementation or customizations of commercial off-the-shelf insurance software applications, mobile/web technologies, system integrations, software upgrades, Intelligent Automation (RPA), and infrastructure (hardware).
• Manages up to three (3) or more projects simultaneously, depending on project complexity, duration, and lifecycle phase. The average duration of most projects is 6 - 8 months.
• Manages a project team of matrixed resources. Resolves challenges presented by resource and schedule availability in matrixed organizations (project team members, including the PM, are rarely 100% dedicated to a single project).
• Builds effort-driven and auto-scheduled project schedules using MS Project/Project Server.
• Reconciles project team time cards from the time card system with planned hours in the project plan; investigates and resolves variances between planned and actual time reported on time cards; adjusts project task effort/duration with the project plan as necessary to maintain a correct forecast of ETC.
• Maintains and reconciles the project financial forecast in the project financial accounting tool; investigates and resolves variances between forecast and actual project costs. Proactively releases excess project funds if not needed or requests additional funding when necessary due to requested baseline changes.
• Prepares an Initial Charter that describes the project scope, schedule, budget, and deliverables at a high level and defines the target date and cost to complete the planning phase.
• Prepares an Amended Charter that describes the committed project scope, schedule, budget, and deliverables after project planning activities (detailed requirements and design) are complete, adjusting estimates made in the Initial Charter as necessary due to discoveries made in Planning.
• Utilizes established Project Change Request processes to manage proactively all requests to change the approved baseline of a project.
• Accurately follows all documented PPM processes, procedures, and templates.
• Anticipates, identifies, and manages project risks, issues, assumptions, and decisions; escalates appropriately and timely.
• Monitors and controls the Execution (coding, testing) phases; works with QA Lead to secure all testing environments; ensures a test plan and strategy are in place for QA testing; may act as the coordinator for UAT planning and execution activities.
• Prepares deployment (implementation) plan in collaboration with the project team; ensures all necessary approvals have been obtained to migrate project solution from lower environments to production.
• Ensures appropriate preparation and Execution of service transition activities from development teams to operations teams.
• Monitors and controls post-implementation acceptance of the project; manages support activities for the new solution for at least 30 business days (warranty period).
• Accurately closes the project by preparing a Project Close Summary Report and completing the project plan in the PPM tool.
• Prepares bi-monthly project status reports for each assigned project that explains project progress.
• Meets regularly with project team(s), business sponsors/stakeholders, portfolio manager(s), PPM Delivery Manager (PM's direct manager), and monthly with AVP of PPM Delivery and Operations or as required by project workload.

Core Competencies
The below descriptions are typical experiences and skills needed for the roles but do not guarantee placement. Actual placement will be determined from an interview with the candidate. These items are not in order of importance.

• 5+ years of recent project management experience delivering IT projects with a minimum budget of $150K.
• Has successfully delivered IT projects with timelines of less than one year from start to finish .
• Familiar with or has used effort-driven project planning techniques in MS Project.
• Demonstrates high-level capability in all project management competencies, including Planning, executing, monitoring, and controlling IT projects.
• Must have experience with MS Project 2016; MS Project Server is desired but not required.
• Experience managing vendors, requesting, and executing SOWs.
• Demonstrates a personal sense of urgency to complete day-to-day work. Must drive for results from self and project team members. Must know when to push back on perceived limitations and when to be flexible and accept the limitation.
• Exercises strong leadership capabilities; presents "executive presence" - especially when delivering complex messages to stakeholders and leaders; calm and collected under pressure; takes accountability for the entire project and outcomes.
• Demonstrates strong customer focus; is responsive, consultative, collaborative, and accurate work approach. Considers project impacts and outcomes from the business (customer's) perspective.
• PMP credential in good standing or plans to obtain PMP within 12 months
• Experience directly managing and forecasting project financials (reconciling invoices, timekeeping, etc.)
• Able to create clear, concise messaging for all organizational levels.
• Exercises sound judgment, making informed, successful decisions from a set of complex options.