Title: Senior Project Manager
Type: 6 Months contract (with the possibility of extension)
Industry: Financial Services
Location: Toronto, Ontario (Hybrid - 3-4 days/week in office)
Position Overview
Reporting to the Portfolio Director, the Senior Project Manager manages complex projects. In this role, the Senior Project Manager is responsible for coordinating the efforts of the project team and managing the budget and work plan across the Project Management Lifecycle (i.e. scope management, issues management, risk management, quality, etc.). To ensure desired outcomes are achieved including benefits realization.
Scope: Manage complex approved Projects for a business unit as a program in accordance with internal policy and procedure. Work closely with, peers, business unit heads, sponsors and key stakeholders through all project lifecycle phases, including initiation, selection, analysis, design, development, integration realization ensuring desired outcomes. Deliver (as part of each project) guidelines for ongoing maintenance & support of solutions delivered;
Position Responsibilities
- Responsible for the overall direction, coordination, implementation, execution, control and completion of specified projects ensuring consistency with PMO Methodology.
- Ensures alignment with the PMO Project Portfolio to ensure identification and management of cross-project dependencies – i.e. risks, issues, requirements, design or solution to be able to usefully manage these.
- Proactively identify risks to the project schedule and find ways to mitigate them. Monitor milestones; ensure they are completed according to timelines and budgets. Execute a project plan that strikes the right balance between budget, time, and risk
- Collaborate with sponsor(s) and stakeholders to identify which projects can be managed as a project.
- Help sponsors, stakeholders and the project subject matter experts define project scope, prepare project charter plan and other project materials
- Has oversight of the purpose and status the project and can use this oversight to support project-level activity to ensure goals are met.
- Manages project communication, scope, schedule risk assessment, quality standard cost and resources within a dynamic matrix environment.
- May need to identify/close skill or knowledge gaps on a project team in order to ensure best outcomes.
- Ensure entry / exit criteria are agreed to and met at each project gate – ensures appropriate sign-off is obtained
- Builds and maintain relationships with internal partners, external vendors/consultants with the ability to flag concerns in early stages for escalation and prompt corrective action
- Ability to track, monitor and resolve project issues
- Provide timely project status updates to the Portfolio Director, project sponsors, user community and internal IT management
- Collaborate with project ream members as needed to resolve related issues, e.g. Infrastructure, planning, cross process impact, operational readiness, etc.
- Ensure proper hand-over to Application Support Team at system deployment, including training and/or documentation
- Work closely with QA Team to develop integration test strategy, test plan and scripts
- Work closely with users to develop and execute UAT test plan
- Coordinate internal IT testing with Application Support Group and participate in actual testing when necessary
- Prepare necessary documents and check list to ensure successful system implementation
- Work with internal customers to identify business issues, problems and/or enhancements and provide highly innovative and creative solutions that achieve quality and process improvements with available hardware, software, databases and peripherals
Required Experience
- 8-10 years of experience in project management, primarily in financial services
- Valid PMP designation from the Project Management Institute (PMI) is an asset
- Ability to lead and influence executive and peers to ensure best possible outcomes
- Good verbal/written communication skills
- Good listening, coaching, group facilitation and conflict resolution skills
- Good problem-solving skills