Project Manager

Pay Rate $65.00This position can be Remote however the manager would prefer them to be in Buffalo NY or Cleveland area.The questions below must be submitted when you submit your candidates resume, if they are not your candidate will be rejected.Questions to include:

1. Which project methodology suits your experience – waterfall or agile?  What projects have you delivered in either methodology?
2. Tell me about a time you identified a major risk or gap in a project that others had overlooked. What did you do, and what was the outcome?
3. In a project where leadership or key stakeholders were aligned on a direction you disagreed with, how did you challenge that direction? What was the result?
4. Describe your experience working with financial services processes, especially payments or transaction flows. How did you ensure controls and compliance were properly addressed?
5. When you join a project midstream and suspect gaps in process, controls, or documentation, how do you go about assessing the current state quickly?
6. Give an example of how you went beyond traditional PM responsibilities to materially improve a project outcome.
7. How do you balance being a partner to the team while also holding them accountable or challenging their assumptions?
8. What specific risks are commonly overlooked in payments-related initiatives or operational reviews, and how would you proactively address them?
9. This role may require identifying gaps and then helping drive remediation. How do you transition from assessment to execution, especially when resistance or ambiguity exists?
10. What's your approach to benchmarking processes against industry best practices when formal documentation or standards are limited?

Top 3 things looking when reviewing resumes:  

• Financial Services Experience as Project Manager
• Non-technical Project Managers
• Evidence of Proactive Leadership

Expertise in facilitation, management, communication and planning.  Comfort in interactions with leadership and the ability to influence without authority.  Experience in the financial services industry is preferred, specifically in risk management and payment services activities. Skilled user in PowerPoint and Excel, comfort with MS Office suite 5+ years' experience in Project Management Candidates with PMP, CSM or SSM certifications (or similar) are preferredESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS Manages multiple projects in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, which may include directing third party resources as well as virtual teams. Must be familiar with system scope and project objectives, organizational change management methodologies and techniques, as well as the role and function of each team member to effectively coordinate the activities of the team. Orients members of the project team on the Standard Project Lifecycle Framework. Ensures Business Partners understand the Project Lifecycle, Quality Milestones, Transition Point Reviews, Project Standards and project responsibility of the Business Leader/Product Owner      Performs project registration/consolidation/prioritization as required and administers project pipeline checkpoints to drive delivery and mitigate/resolve bottlenecks  Defines and manages project scope, scope changes, objectives, requirements, deliverables, and value proposition that support the diverse business goals and interests of multiple stakeholders Develops integrated project plan; identifies and manages project dependencies and critical paths; and tracks/reports project milestones as well as status Estimates resources needed to achieve project goals; tracks utilization; determines and assesses need for additional staff and/or vendors; manages on/off-boarding; and monitors/manages vendor performance on labor resources Identifies, tracks, escalates and resolves issue conflicts; performs impact analysis and prioritization; manages dependencies and track/monitors; and escalates risk with corrective/mitigating actions Tailors methods and metrics; administers configuration management/version control; adheres to project policies/ standards; performs project assessments; coach/mentors teams; and manages deliverable reviews and sign-offs Leads communication planning, execution and reporting with project team members; liaises with key stakeholders Supports development of change management planning, design and implementation including communication and training. Manages documentation and the knowledge transfer to the "business as usual” functions; conducts "lesson-learned” reviews Manages the execution of vendor contract(s) and ensures adherence to contract provisions, where applicable    REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS Education/Certifications:  Bachelor's Degree or equivalent work experience required; PMP, CSM or SSM certification or equivalent preferred.  Knowledge and experience with standard project development/management methodologies and tools required; knowledge and experience within the financial services industry preferred, specifically in risk management and regulatory remediation.   Experience: Three or more years of project management experience required.    Competencies and Skills: ·         Demonstrates critical thinking, problem solving and conflict management skills; ability to "connect the dots”·         Thinks, plans and executes on multiple levels.·         Organized, self-disciplined, leads others towards common outcomes and strategy execution.·         Assesses and coaches to strengths and developmental needs of project team members and direct reports.  Shares knowledge, insights, and experiences to help others develop.       Credible leader with established reputation for presenting and gaining support for ideas/solutions·         Proven demonstration of Key leadership competencies.·         Can clearly articulate vision for future state; provide big-picture view/ enterprise view; decisive and directive when necessary.·         Fosters and encourages frequent, open and honest feedback; learns from setbacks and mistakes to drive improvements; independently seeks out learning opportunities.·         Highly polished and confident communication ability; possess written, verbal and stand-up presentation skills. Adjusts communications to audience.·         Takes the initiative to understand the business impacted by the project, current, trends and information that could impact the business and organization. Stays up to date on current industry best-practices.·         Manages the execution of vendor contracts to ensure adherence to contract provisions.