Contractor Lead Project Manager

Responsibilities:

• Drive project initiation
• Coordinate RFP/RFI process with Sourcing partners for vendor/product selection, focusing on Generative AI technologies.
• Oversee project planning during discovery phases, ensuring a robust understanding of AI technologies and their business implications.
• Collaboratively scope & prioritize roadmaps
• Actively collaborate with business sponsors and product owners to scope projects and prioritize roadmaps, aiming for quick wins that align with strategic business goals while delivering tactical outcomes.
• Play a key role in bridging technical and business aspects of AI projects, ensuring that the scopes are feasible, aligned with technical capabilities roadmap, market maturity, and targeted towards tangible business values.
• Manage execution of program
• Coordinate and facilitate delivery of project goals
• Ensure completion of tasks, maintaining project schedule and target dates
• Lead high-priority matrix projects, which often require considerable resources and high levels of functional integration and interaction with project sponsors and teams
• Conduct project meetings at leadership and executive director levels
• Develop and manage a project change control process to ensure project team operates within the scope of change approval process
• Provide input and feedback to team members
• Identify and evaluate the risks associated with project activities and take appropriate action to mitigate the risks
• Review available resources to maintain first-hand knowledge of where resources can be best allocated; reevaluate current resources to determine project resource surplus and shortfalls
• Ensure adherence to quality standards and review deliverables
• Track progress and review project activities to make certain deadlines are met appropriately
• Assess project issues and identify solutions to meet productivity, quality, and customer goals
• Prepare and execute project communication
• Coordinate with stakeholders, managers, and cross-functional teams to support and deliver projects efficiently.
• Organize regular meetings, maintain clear communication, and ensure alignment with stakeholder requirements.
• Develop and present reports and updates to executive leadership and stakeholders.
• Oversee project documentation, status, issues, risks, and scope definition.
• Manage project timelines, prioritize tasks, resolve resource conflicts, and lead scrum ceremonies for effective project execution.
• Manage project budget
• Ensure that projects operate within the approved budget
• Monitor all budgeted project expenditures
• Ensure that all financial actuals for the project are up-to-date
• Work with Finance analysts to oversee budget expenditures.
• AI Industry Expertise
• Maintain an up-to-date understanding of Generative AI advancements to ensure the integration of the latest AI technologies and methodologies into project planning and execution.
• Facilitate collaboration with AI experts and vendors.

Skillset / Experience:

• BA in Information Tech., Business, or related field
• 5+ years of Program/Project management experience in software development of AI, with a preference of latest experience in Generative AI/ LLM projects and leading cross-functional teams.
• Technical understanding of LLMs and experience working with AI vendors
• Proficiency in Agile methodologies, Scrum management, with a history of successful project velocity and completion forecasting.
• Demonstrated expertise using project management tools, especially JIRA, Confluence, and GitHub.
• Familiarity with cloud technologies (AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Azure) and a strong understanding of current LLM technologies, and their business applications.
• Excellent attention to detail, problem-solving, and communication skills, capable of engaging effectively with both business and technical teams.
• Experience with financial/budget management and complex cost-benefit analysis
• Experience managing and prioritizing projects withing the portfolio.
• A commitment to delivering high-quality software under challenging conditions.
• Understanding of AI product management methodologies is a plus.

Nice to Have:

• Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification
• Agile Certifications (CSM; ACP; CSPO; SAFe; LeSS)
• Generative AI/ LLM certifications

Our benefits package includes:

• Comprehensive medical benefits
• Competitive pay
• 401(k) Retirement plan
• ...and much more!