Project Manager

Role: Project Manager
Location: Hybrid/Buffalo, NY (4 days onsite/1 day remote
Duration: 6+-month contract to Hire

We are looking for a hands-on Project Manager who can provide strong project analysis, planning, governance, and execution support within a complex transformation.

Please prioritize candidates with experience in:

-Maintaining RAIDD logs, integrated plans, milestones, and cross-workstream dependencies, ensuring owners and due dates are clear and followed through

-Supporting program governance, including preparing materials, coordinating inputs, documenting decisions and actions, and driving follow-up

-Producing clear, concise executive-level status reporting and synthesizing information across multiple workstreams

-Proactively identifying gaps, risks, dependencies, and schedule impacts and ensuring they are elevated appropriately

-Supporting integrated planning and re-planning/re-baselining across multiple workstreams

-Tracking vendor and consultant commitments and deliverables, following up on at-risk items, and driving accountability

-Working effectively across business, technology, and third-party teams in a complex transformation environment

-Using Jira, ServiceNow SPM, and Microsoft Planner to support planning and execution

Preferred experience:

-Large-scale transformational programs

-Financial services

-Debit/card modernization, conversion, or platform migration

-Familiarity with Fiserv Optis

Skill Set 1: Project Management & Execution Support

Skill Set 2: Integrated Planning & Dependency Management

Skill Set 3: Program Governance & Executive Reporting
OVERVIEW:
Under direction of a more Senior Project Manager, manages multiple small-sized projects. Manages changes to project scope, schedule and costs, using appropriate verification techniques to keep the project plan accurate, updated, reflective of authorized project changes as defined in the change management plan and facilitate customer acceptance.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Under direction of a more senior Project Manager, manage multiple small projects. Ensure familiarity with scope and project objectives and establish clear rules and responsibilities for project team members. Projects may be of a technical and/or non-technical nature.
Develop project plan, forecast and schedule. Work with stakeholders to record detailed project requirements, constraints and assumptions to establish project deliverables, using requirement gathering techniques (e.g. planning sessions, brainstorming, focus groups) and the project charter.
Ensure plans for assigned projects include work breakdown, project organization chart, cost/budget and communication, risk, quality and resource plans.
Communicate project plans to affected parties to ensure a common understanding, set expectations and align stakeholders and project team members.
Ensure execution of tasks defined in the project plan to achieve the project goals. Execute all parts of the project plan and manage the budget/forecast. Monitor and control project work including change controls.
Measure project performance utilizing appropriate tools and techniques to monitor progress, identify and quantify variances; complete any required corrective actions and communicate to all stakeholders.
Implement approved actions and workarounds required to mitigate project risk events. Improve project team performance by building team cohesiveness, leading, mentoring, training and motivating to facilitate cooperation; ensure project efficiency and boost morale.
Support larger project initiatives working under direction of higher management.
Under direction of more senior Project Manager, manages smaller projects, responsibility for the projects include all aspects from initiation to close. Must be familiar with system scope and project objectives, as well as the role and responsibility of each team member, to effectively coordinate team activities.
Understand and adhere to the Company's risk and regulatory standards, policies and controls in accordance with the Company's Risk Appetite. Identify risk-related issues needing escalation to management.