IT Project Manager Lead/Specialist

IT Project Manager Lead/Specialist

Location: Oklahoma City, Ok

Description:
Responsible for leading IT related agile and/or waterfall projects within our new SAP/ S4 system. Ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget and their defined scope, while also fostering a collaborative and high-performing environment. This includes overseeing the entire project lifecycle from initiation through project completion, defining the project objectives, managing risks and dependencies, as well as acquiring, mentoring and coordinating project team members.

Level of Responsibility: 
Responsibilities are varied and complex. Often works outside area of assigned duties. Applies advanced skills in multiple areas. Resolves complex issues which impact business operations both inside and outside own department. Makes unreviewed decisions related to the area of responsibilities. Opinions carry significant weight in policy and strategy decisions.
 
Essential Functions: 

• Proactively manage project scope, timeline, risks and budget according to Project Management Office (PMO) processes from beginning to end.
• Develop and maintain detailed project schedules with dependencies, milestones, critical path and appropriate resource allocations.
• Communicate and provide continuous visibility to a current schedule according to PMO processes and procedures.
• Forecast and manage project spend according to PMO processes and procedures.
• Lead project teams in conflict and issue resolution, risk identification and mitigation.
• Implement and maintain Agile practices, ensuring adherence to methodologies and Project Management Office (PMO) standards
• Effectively plan and manage team resources including staffing and budget allocations
• Maintain positive vendor relationships
• Effectively communicate project status, managing expectations and collaboration with stakeholders to ensure alignment with project goals
• Conduct project post mortems/lessons learned and create a recommendations report in order to identify successful and unsuccessful project elements.
• Effectively communicate project Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and success expectations to team members and stakeholders in a timely and clear fashion.
• Develop and grow relationships with project leaders and stakeholders vital to the success of the projects.
• Monitor overall PMO performance based on measures and observation and implement improvement mechanisms.
• Provide coaching on PMO processes to include deliverables, planning, budget management, risk and issue identification and remediation, escalation procedures, project governance, troubled project recovery and other areas that will contribute to project success and process compliance.
• Provide thought leadership to project teams and stakeholders on project success criteria.
• Ensure consistency and quality in the project management methodologies, services and deliverables; identifying and implementing improvements.
• Assist other project managers to ensure governance controls are identified and documented when working with third parties.
• Provides input for contract, associate, staff and senior level project managers’ performance reviews and oversees their day-to-day activities.
• Utilizes leadership skills to effectively and professionally communicate issues and concerns.
• Utilizes leadership skills to coach, mentor and training new and contract project managers on PMO standards and processes.
• All other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: 

• Adept in providing coaching on the ability to be persuasive, encouraging, and motivating.
• Experience with a range of project management software such as: Microsoft Project, JIRA and other company software, such as SAP.
• Possesses problem solving skills.
• Ability to work both independently and in a team-oriented, collaborative environment.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Proven leadership and team management experience
• Ability to adapt and manage evolving project requirements
• Aptitude for conducting research into project-related issues and products.
• Ability to successfully work in deadline-focused, results oriented environment.

Education/Work Experience: 

• Bachelor's Degree in Project Management, Business, Information Technology or related discipline, And 7 years of directly related experience; Or
• Associate's Degree in Project Management, Business, Information Technology or related discipline, And 10 years directly related experience; Or 12 years directly related experience.
• Related experience includes leading or managing projects within an IT setting, working with large data sets and making data-driven analytical decisions.
• Experience with SAP related IT projects is preferred
• Experience with Scrum is preferred
• Experience with JIRA is preferred

Licenses & Certifications:

• Project Management Professional Certification (preferred)
• Agile Certified Practitioner or Certified Scrum Master (preferred)