About the Opportunity
We are currently seeking an experienced Project Manager for a permanent opportunity with a well-established organization in North York.
The Project Manager will be responsible for leading and delivering a variety of business and technology initiatives, including software and application development projects. This individual will manage multiple projects simultaneously and work closely with business leaders, technology teams, vendors and other stakeholders to ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget and according to scope.
This position requires someone who combines strong project management expertise with outstanding communication and stakeholder management capabilities. The successful candidate will be comfortable presenting to Steering Committees and senior leadership, navigating competing priorities, managing project risks and influencing cross-functional teams.
Key Responsibilities
- Plan, manage and oversee the successful implementation of multiple projects simultaneously.
- Develop and manage detailed project plans, schedules, work breakdown structures, budgets, milestones and deliverables.
- Manage projects from initiation through implementation and closure, ensuring delivery is on time, within scope and within budget.
- Lead cross-functional project teams and coordinate activities across business, technology and vendor groups.
- Identify, assess and manage project risks, issues, dependencies and impacts.
- Develop appropriate risk mitigation strategies and communicate project risks to stakeholders and leadership.
- Monitor project financials, budgets and forecasts and address variances or issues as required.
- Provide clear and timely project status reporting to management, Steering Committees and key stakeholders.
- Lead project meetings, presentations and executive-level discussions.
- Manage stakeholder expectations by understanding business priorities, challenges and requirements.
- Build strong working relationships across multiple levels of the organization.
- Monitor implementation activities and transition issues to identify potential business risks and recommend appropriate solutions.
- Manage project scope and change requests while maintaining alignment with project objectives.
- Understand and manage the critical path, dependencies and competing project priorities.
- Conduct post-project reviews to ensure project objectives and success criteria have been achieved.
- Apply established project management methodologies, standards and best practices throughout the project lifecycle.
- Support systems implementations across requirements and process analysis, design, configuration, testing, training, change management and implementation.
- Influence and negotiate with stakeholders to gain alignment and drive projects toward successful outcomes.
Required Qualifications
- 5+ years of experience as a Project Manager, with a demonstrated track record of successfully delivering business and technology projects.
- Experience within Financial Services, Insurance and/or Retail environments.
- Strong experience managing software development and/or application development projects.
- Strong understanding and practical experience with SDLC and PMLC.
- Experience working with both Agile and Waterfall methodologies.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
- Strong understanding of technology environments, software implementations and business processes.
- Experience managing project scope, schedules, budgets, resources, risks, issues and dependencies.
- Strong project financial management skills, including budgeting, forecasting and cost management.
- Experience managing cross-functional project teams and engaging both business and technology stakeholders.
- Ability to assess the priority and severity of issues by considering business objectives, technical considerations and user requirements.
- Strong understanding of project critical paths and dependencies.
- Proven ability to influence, negotiate and obtain agreement from cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
- Excellent planning, organization and prioritization skills.
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities and tight deadlines.
- Strong attention to detail and sound judgment when resolving project issues.
Communication and Stakeholder Management
Exceptional communication skills are a critical requirement for this position.
The successful candidate must have:
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong executive-level presentation and facilitation skills.
- Confidence presenting project updates, risks, decisions and recommendations to Steering Committees and senior leadership.
- Ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders at all organizational levels.
- Strong relationship management and interpersonal skills.
- Excellent negotiation, influencing and conflict-resolution capabilities.
- Ability to translate complex business and technical information into clear, concise communication for different audiences.
Technical and Project Management Experience
Candidates should have substantial experience with project management and collaboration tools, including:
- Microsoft Project
- Microsoft Visio
- Azure DevOps and/or JIRA
- Microsoft 365
Experience across the systems implementation lifecycle, including requirements gathering, business/process analysis, design, configuration, testing, training, change management, implementation and post-implementation support, is highly valued.
Additional Assets
The following would be considered an asset:
- PMP certification.
- Agile and/or Scrum certification.
- Formal project management education.
- University degree.
- MBA or other relevant advanced education.
- Experience delivering projects within the life insurance industry.
- Knowledge of insurance products, systems and business processes.
- Experience with IT infrastructure projects in addition to application/software development projects.
Compensation and Benefits
This permanent opportunity offers:
- Salary up to $120,000 annually
- Annual bonus of 5–15%
- 3 weeks of vacation
- Defined pension/matching program
- Hybrid work model with 2 days per week in the North York office
