Project Manager VCF - Modern Data Center

AHEAD; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance

401(k)

Paid holidays

Paid time off

Parental and caregiver leave

Job summary

AHEAD is seeking a Project Manager to join the VCF team in the United States. You will lead end-to-end VMware Cloud Foundation projects, drive PMO process maturity, and partner with account teams and pre-sales to align client priorities with project plans.

You will manage risks, coordinate resources, and ensure delivery quality while leveraging tools like Salesforce, SmartSheet, and Jira. Strong communication and executive-facing skills are required to drive adoption and client satisfaction.

Qualifications

• IT infrastructure or data center experience (compute, storage, and networking)
• Knowledge and expertise with VCF (VMware Cloud Foundation)
• Budget and resource management experience with SalesForce preferred
• Experience with PM tools such as SmartSheet and Jira
• Ability to independently manage medium to high risk projects driving adoption
• Applied knowledge of project management standards and PM methodologies using Agile and Waterfall
• Knowledge of PMBOK best practices
• Foundational understanding of IT project lifecycles and methods
• Excellent problem-solving, conflict and time management skills
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Adept negotiation to reach agreement with diverse viewpoints
• Ability to communicate with executive level clients
• Ability to set clear expectations and build team morale
• Willingness to take initiative beyond core responsibilities

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage end-to-end VCF projects from initiation to closure
• Collaborate with account teams and pre-sales to formulate project plan and backlog
• Ensure service delivery success and customer satisfaction
• Develop, define, and execute project plans and Agile boards
• Identify resources and liaise with sub-contracting team
• Coordinate activities among internal stakeholders
• Manage risks, issues, and progress to meet goals
• Serve as liaison between technical and non-technical teams
• Identify process gaps or areas for improvement
• Utilize Salesforce, SmartSheet, and Jira
• Develop customer relationships and identify additional sales opportunities

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Risk management

Communication

Negotiation

Tools

SalesForce

SmartSheet

Jira

Job description

AHEAD builds platforms for digital business. By weaving together advances in cloud infrastructure, automation and analytics, and software delivery, we help enterprises deliver on the promise of digital transformation.

At AHEAD, we prioritize creating a culture of belonging, where all perspectives and voices are represented, valued, respected, and heard. We create spaces to empower everyone to speak up, make change, and drive the culture at AHEAD.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and do not discriminate based on an individual's race, national origin, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, marital status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law, whether actual or perceived.

We embrace all candidates that will contribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas and perspectives at AHEAD.

Project Manager

This Project Manager will be a part of the VCF (VMWare Cloud Foundation) team at AHEAD. This presents a unique opportunity to be a part of a rapidly growing team and not only drive customer projects, but help develop and mature PMO processes and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage end-to-end VCF projects, from initiation to closure.
• Collaborate with AHEAD account teams and pre-sales specialists to evaluate client priorities and initiatives in order to formulate project plan and activity backlog.
• Ensure service delivery success and customer satisfaction through effective project management.
• Develop, define, and execute project plans and/or agile boards.
• Identify and validate resources needed to ensure project success; liaise with sub-contracting team if needed.
• Coordinate activities and tasks among internal stakeholders including project team members, OA, Resource Management, Delivery Leadership, and more
• Manage project risks, issues, and overall progress to ensure project goals (e.g., deadline, scope and quality) are achieved.
• Serve as liaison between technical and non-technical teams to ensure all project requirements are met.
• Help identify process gaps or areas for improvement.
• Utilize tools such as SalesForce, SmartSheet, and Jira.
• Develop customer relationships and aids in identifying additional sales opportunities.

Qualifications

• IT infrastructure or data center experience is required (compute, storage, and networking)
• Knowledge and expertise with VCF (VMWare Cloud Foundation)
• Financial (budget) and resource management experience with SalesForce is preferred
• Experience with PM tools such as SmartSheet and Jira
• Ability to independently manage medium to high risk projects that drive new adoption throughout customer environments.
• Applied knowledge of project management standards, processes, procedures and guidelines using both Agile and Waterfall methodologies
• Knowledgeable of project management best practices (i.e., Project Management Body of Knowledge - PMBOK).
• Foundational understanding of IT project methodologies and life cycles (e.g., conversions, incremental, rapid delivery, classic or traditional waterfall phases of analysis, design, development, testing, and implementation)
• Excellent problem-solving, conflict, and time management skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Must be adept with the use of negotiation techniques to reach agreement when there are widely differing viewpoints.
• Effectively communicate with executive level clients.
• Ability to consistently set clear expectations, manage team performance, and build high morale among project team members.
• Willingness to show initiative in areas outside of core responsibilities when needed.

The compensation range indicated in this posting reflects the On-Target Earnings ("OTE") for this role, which includes a base salary and any applicable target bonus amount. This OTE range may vary based on the candidate's relevant experience, qualifications, and geographic location.

Why AHEAD:

Through our daily work and internal groups like Moving Women AHEAD and RISE AHEAD, we value and benefit from diversity of people, ideas, experience, and everything in between.

We fuel growth by stacking our office with top-notch technologies in a multi-million-dollar lab, by encouraging cross department training and development, sponsoring certifications and credentials for continued learning.

USA Employment Benefits include:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 401(k)
• Paid company holidays
• Paid time off
• Paid parental and caregiver leave
• Plus more! See benefits for additional details.

Use of AI:

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, assessing responses, or to capture recordings and create transcriptions or summaries during interviews. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans.

If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please refer to the Candidate Privacy Notice or contact us at . You may opt-out of the review or analysis of your application and resume by AI tools by using the General Application. Please include the role you wish to apply for in the Additional Information field. You may also choose to opt-out of recording and transcription at any time, including after joining an interview. Candidates will not be penalized for choosing to opt-out.