Project Management Leader

Overview

Cognite operates at the forefront of industrial digitalization, building AI and data solutions that solve high-impact problems. With an industrial heritage and a suite of AI capabilities, Cognite accelerates the digital transformation to drive operational improvements. Our moonshot is to unlock $100B in customer value by 2035 and redefine how global industry works. We thrive in challenges, challenge assumptions, and execute with speed and ownership. Join us in this venture where AI and data meet ingenuity, and together we forge a smarter, more connected industrial future.

Ownership As the PM Leader for Value Delivery Europe, you will own and elevate the Project Management function across the region. Your primary mission is to ensure that all projects are delivered with predictability, discipline, and Cognite-Grade delivery standards, while building a consistently high-performing PM community. You will lead the uplift of PM skills, delivery governance, and execution quality—ensuring that project plans are realistic, risks are anticipated early, communication is clear, and outcomes are achieved on time and on budget. You will coach Project Managers to operate as outcome owners, trusted customer-facing leaders, and strategic partners to Solution Architects, Data teams, Sales, and Customer Success. This is a capability-building leadership role, and therefore your involvement in customer-facing or billable delivery will be limited to a maximum of 20%, allowing you to prioritize uplifting the Project Management function across the region. This role is crucial to ensuring our customers experience a smooth, transparent, and value-focused delivery journey, and that Cognite’s delivery reputation becomes a competitive differentiator.

Responsibilities

• Own the region’s end-to-end project delivery governance and execution quality for all customer projects.
• Ensure consistent application of delivery standards, including baselining, RAID management, stage management, and stakeholder communication.
• Drive execution excellence across Quick Starts, complex multi-workstream programs, and strategic accounts.
• Champion a delivery approach that connects all project activities to measurable customer outcomes.
• Ensure PMs lead projects with proactive communication, transparent risk management, and a focus on accelerating Time-to-Value.
• Act as a senior escalation point, resolving issues with structure, empathy, and urgency.
• Partner with Sales and Customer Success to support scoping, feasibility analysis, and delivery readiness for expansion opportunities.
• Strengthen PM contributions to multi-year services plans, roadmap handshakes, and program-level execution.
• Improve predictability and reduce rework to unlock capacity for scale.
• Drive project-level profitability through accurate forecasting, disciplined change control, and effective resource planning.
• Oversee project health indicators across scope, schedule, cost, and risk—ensuring early detection of issues and timely intervention.
• Improve portfolio-level visibility through consistent reporting, dashboards, and operational rigor.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing community of Project Managers.
• Define and implement the PM competency model, training curriculum, career paths, and certification standards.
• Build a culture of operational excellence, ownership, and continuous improvement.
• Run regular PM forums, retrospectives, masterclasses, and capability uplift programs.
• Ensure your own project participation remains capped at 20% utilization, dedicating the majority of your time to capability uplift, coaching, and strengthening delivery consistency across the PM community.
• Ensure seamless collaboration between PMs, Solution Architects, Data Engineers, Data Scientists, Product Ambassadors, TAMs, and Sales.
• Strengthen the handshake between Sales → Delivery → Customer Success.
• Contribute to cross-functional operational improvements and standardization efforts that simplify delivery and improve quality.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in project or program management within SaaS, enterprise software, cloud, or industrial technology settings.
• Demonstrated ability to lead PM teams or PMO functions in fast-paced, multi-stakeholder environments.
• Proven track record delivering complex programs on time, on budget, and with high customer satisfaction.
• Expert-level knowledge of project governance, RAID management, stakeholder engagement, and delivery controls.
• Strong communication and executive presence; able to simplify complex topics for senior stakeholders.
• Skilled in operational planning, forecasting, and risk mitigation.
• Able to coach PMs on leadership, planning discipline, and customer engagement.

Mindset & Success Metrics

• Passionate about developing talent and uplifting delivery maturity across a growing PM organization.
• Operates with a structured, detail-oriented leadership style grounded in transparency and accountability.
• Thrives in dynamic, scaling environments where clarity, discipline, and customer value are essential.
• Customer Outcomes: High CSAT for project execution and communication; Reduced Time-to-Value; Strong referenceability.
• Delivery Performance: ≥85% on-time, on-budget project delivery; reduction in escalations; adherence to governance.
• Team Health & Capability: PM maturity growth, high engagement, strong internal mobility; scalable training programs.

Equal Opportunity

Cognite is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment at work and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive the same level of consideration for employment.