Project Manager - Digital

Crescent Recruitment; Queenstown; On-site; NZD 96,000 - 152,000; Part time

Job summary

Crescent Recruitment in Queenstown, South Island, seeks an experienced contract Project Manager to lead a complex software replacement across multiple sites. You’ll oversee end-to-end delivery from planning to go-live and hypercare, balancing people, process, and vendor engagement in a fast-paced environment.

You will work closely with sponsors, on-site SMEs, the software vendor, and external partners to keep the project moving, manage ambiguity, and deliver a practical, hands-on implementation.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering software implementations or system replacements.
• Strong stakeholder management across diverse groups.
• Ability to coordinate external vendors and keep delivery on track.

Responsibilities

• Own delivery from planning through go-live and hypercare.
• Manage timelines, risks, issues, dependencies, and stakeholder expectations.
• Collaborate with software vendor and internal project team.
• Coordinate activity across multiple sites and stakeholder groups.
• Maintain visible, well-governed delivery and reporting.
• Support BA/change resource and internal SME.
• Manage project reporting and escalation.
• Prepare business readiness for transition to the new platform.
• Stay flexible and hands-on when required.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Vendor management

Communication & reporting

Job description

Crescent Recruitment – Queenstown, South Island

A well-established South Island organisation is looking for an experienced contract Project Manager to lead the delivery of a business-critical software replacement project across a complex, multi-site operational environment.

The organisation is replacing an end-of-life system used across a range of customer-facing facilities and operational teams. The current system supports workflows including bookings, memberships, payments, direct debits, retail/POS, customer check-in, scheduling, and related operational processes.

The replacement platform is currently being selected, with implementation expected to begin later this year and continue through to go-live and hypercare next year.

This is not a desk-bound PM role. We are looking for someone who can provide safe, practical delivery leadership while staying close to the people, process, vendor, and operational detail. You will need to be comfortable working with busy stakeholders, managing ambiguity, coordinating external vendors, and keeping the project moving without needing heavy hand-holding.

You will work closely with the internal sponsor, operational stakeholders, an on-site SME, the successful software vendor, and potentially other third-party suppliers involved in related operational or hardware components.

What you’ll be doing

• Owning project delivery from implementation planning through to go-live and hypercare
• Managing timelines, risks, issues, dependencies, and stakeholder expectations
• Working closely with the selected software vendor and internal project team
• Coordinating activity across multiple operational sites and stakeholder groups
• Keeping delivery practical, visible, and well-governed
• Supporting the BA/change resource and internal SME
• Managing project reporting and escalation
• Helping ensure the business is ready to transition from the current system to the new platform
• Staying flexible and hands-on when the project requires it

What we’re looking for

You’ll be an experienced Project Manager with a strong track record delivering software implementations, system replacements, or operational technology projects. You do not need to have worked in this exact domain before, but you do need to understand how to lead a vendor-led implementation in a complex stakeholder environment.

You’ll ideally bring:

• Proven project management experience across software implementation or systems replacement projects
• Strong stakeholder management skills across operational and non-technical user groups
• Experience working with external software vendors or implementation partners
• Confidence managing delivery in ambiguous or evolving environments
• Strong communication, planning, and reporting capability
• A practical, people-facing style rather than a purely process-driven approach
• The ability to work autonomously and take ownership
• A calm, flexible approach and willingness to step outside a narrow job description when needed
• Experience with booking, membership, payment, POS, recreation, facilities, ERP-style, or operational platforms would be useful, but is not essential

This is an hourly-rate contract opportunity expected to start around September/October and run through to approximately July next year.

Remote work can be considered, although some planned travel to regional South Island sites will be required at key stages of the project, particularly around planning, stakeholder engagement, go-live, and hypercare. Travel would be planned in advance.

This role would suit a reliable, commercially mature Project Manager who can be trusted to get close to the business, partner well with vendors, and keep a critical implementation on track.