Senior Project Manager (Long-Term Contract – Remote – Raleigh, NC)

Our client is seeking a highly skilled Senior Project Manager to join their team. This long-term contract position is 100% remote, based out of Raleigh, North Carolina, offering exceptional flexibility for the right candidate.

What’s the Job? Driving Project Success in a Remote Environment

As a Senior Project Manager, you’ll be instrumental in leading complex initiatives from inception to successful completion. Your responsibilities will revolve around meticulous planning, vigilant oversight, and proactive problem-solving to ensure projects meet their objectives, even within a fully remote setting.

• Maintain Project Workstream Timeframes and Budgeting Estimates: You will meticulously maintain project workstream timeframes, ensuring that all project phases and tasks adhere to established schedules. You’ll also rigorously manage budgeting estimates, tracking financial expenditures against plans to ensure projects remain within their allocated financial parameters. Your diligence in these areas is crucial for project efficiency and financial accountability.
• Develop Roadmaps/Schedules and Track Progress: You will be responsible for developing comprehensive roadmaps and detailed schedules for various projects. This involves outlining key milestones, dependencies, and resource allocations. You will then vigilantly track progress against these plans, proactively identifying any deviations and implementing corrective actions to keep projects on course.
• Utilize Project Management Tools for Performance and Adherence: You will expertly utilize a range of industry-standard project management tools to track project performance and ensure schedule adherence. This includes proficiency with platforms such as MS Project, Jira, M&A Accelerator, Clarity, and Planview. Your command of these tools will provide real-time visibility into project health and enable data-driven decision-making.
• Schedule and Facilitate Discussions, Track Minutes: You will expertly schedule and facilitate crucial discussions with stakeholders, project teams, and external partners. Your facilitation skills will ensure productive meetings, leading to clear decisions and actionable outcomes. You will meticulously track minutes in a standard, predefined format, capturing key agreements, decisions, and action items for clear accountability and future reference.
• Generate Weekly Program Management Reports: You will be responsible for preparing and delivering weekly report-outs to program management. These reports will provide concise and accurate updates on project status, progress, upcoming activities, and any identified risks or issues, ensuring consistent communication and transparency at the program level.
• Conduct Risk Assessments for Projects: You will systematically conduct thorough risk assessments for projects. This involves identifying potential threats, evaluating their likelihood and impact, and developing proactive mitigation strategies. Your foresight in risk management is crucial for minimizing negative impacts and ensuring project resilience.
• Establish and Maintain Project’s RAID Log: You will be responsible for the establishment and ongoing maintenance of a project’s RAID log (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies). This critical document will capture all relevant project dynamics, enabling proactive management of potential blockers, clear communication of assumptions, and efficient resolution of issues.
• Identify and Organize Working Sessions: You will proactively identify and organize necessary working sessions to meet project goals and drive progress. This involves recognizing when cross-functional collaboration, technical deep-dives, or strategic planning meetings are required, and efficiently coordinating these sessions to ensure impactful outcomes.
• Identify Project Goals, Needs, and Scope: You will play a crucial role in the initial project phases by clearly identifying project goals, defining specific needs, and meticulously outlining the project scope. This foundational work ensures that all stakeholders are aligned from the outset, preventing scope creep and setting clear boundaries for project execution.
• Plan, Monitor/Control, and Document Tasks: You will engage in the core project management functions of planning, monitoring/controlling, and meticulously documenting tasks throughout the project lifecycle. This includes creating detailed task breakdowns, assigning responsibilities, tracking progress, managing changes, and ensuring all activities are recorded for auditability and future reference.
• Ensure Timely Delivery of Tasks, Deliverables, and Materials: You are accountable for ensuring all tasks, deliverables, and project materials are delivered promptly. You will also take proactive steps in reporting any delays in a timely fashion to relevant stakeholders, allowing for swift adjustments and transparent communication regarding project status.
• Manage Resources for Project Execution: You will efficiently manage all resources necessary for project execution in conjunction with program management and delivery leadership. This involves optimizing resource allocation, addressing any resource constraints, and ensuring that teams have the necessary tools and support to achieve project objectives.
• Foster Effective Communication with Stakeholders: You will cultivate and foster effective communication and meetings with stakeholders concerning project status. This ensures that all key parties are regularly informed about progress, challenges, and next steps, building trust and maintaining alignment throughout the project’s duration.
• Foresee and Strategically Eliminate Blockers and Potential Risks: You possess a proactive mindset, enabling you to foresee and strategically eliminate blockers and potential risks before they impact project timelines or objectives. Your ability to anticipate challenges and implement preventive measures is crucial for smooth project execution.
• Work Effectively with Program Manager and Leads: You will work effectively with the Program Manager and various leads (e.g., technical leads, functional leads) to ensure the successful delivery of project goals and objectives. This collaborative approach ensures seamless integration of efforts across different project workstreams.
• Document Each Step of the Process: You will rigorously document each step of the process using various project management tools. This meticulous approach ensures complete traceability, auditability, and provides a clear record of all project activities, decisions, and outcomes.
• Ensure Top-Quality Results and Project Success: Your ultimate responsibility is to ensure top-quality results and overall project success. This commitment to excellence drives high standards in deliverables, processes, and stakeholder satisfaction, delivering tangible value to the business.

What’s Needed? Your Qualifications for Senior Project Management

To excel as a Senior Project Manager in this remote role, you’ll need extensive experience in project management, a strong understanding of project tools, and exceptional communication and leadership skills.

• Extensive Project Management Experience: You possess extensive experience in project management, demonstrating a proven track record of successfully leading complex projects from initiation to closure. This includes managing schedules, resources, and budgets for diverse IT initiatives.
• Proficiency in Project Management Tools: You are highly proficient in using various project management tools such as MS Project, Jira, M&A Accelerator, Clarity, and Planview. Your expertise ensures effective tracking of project performance, schedule adherence, and robust reporting.
• Strong Communication Skills: You have strong written and verbal communication skills, essential for developing roadmaps, documenting schedules, facilitating discussions, tracking minutes, and providing clear report-outs to program management and stakeholders.
• Risk Assessment and Management Expertise: You possess proven expertise in conducting risk assessments for projects and establishing/maintaining a project’s RAID log. This includes foreseeing and strategically eliminating blockers and potential risks.
• Independent Work and Proactive Problem-Solving: You demonstrate the ability to work independently while also being proactive in identifying project goals, needs, and scope. Your self-starting approach enables you to quickly identify and resolve potential issues without constant oversight.
• Experience in Cross-Functional Coordination: You are adept at identifying and organizing working sessions necessary to meet project goals and drive progress, demonstrating strong cross-functional coordination skills in a remote environment.
• Resource Management Expertise: You have experience managing all resources necessary for project execution in conjunction with program management and delivery leadership, ensuring optimal team allocation and efficient project delivery.
• Stakeholder Communication and Expectation Management: You are skilled at fostering effective communication and meetings with stakeholders concerning project status, ensuring transparency and managing expectations effectively in a remote setting.