Remote Contract-to-Hire Client Engagement Project Manager

Go Fractional; United States; Remote; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Ardent is seeking a Client Engagement Manager (Project Manager) to drive client satisfaction and project health across accounts. You will lead end‑to‑end engagements, coordinate design, development and production, and ensure timely milestone handoffs and proactive status updates with clients and teams.

Ideal candidates bring 5+ years as a client-facing PM, experience with Smartsheet or MS Project, and strong budgeting and multi-timezone collaboration skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent years of experience required.
• 5+ years' experience as a client facing Project Manager; experience in the learning industry is a plus.
• Experience with Smartsheet, Microsoft Project or other project management tools.
• Competency in Microsoft applications including Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Proven ability to manage budgets.
• Willingness to support clients across multiple timezones (EST, CST, PST).
• High competence in project and client services management; able to embrace the flexibility and ambiguity needed in our client services environment.
• Effective client communications, including being confident having difficult conversations.

Responsibilities

• Leads the full lifecycle of client engagements and oversees design, development, and production of projects to ensure client specifications and deadlines are met.
• Ensure timely and efficient milestone handoffs internally and externally throughout project.
• Provide proactive status updates to team members, management and clients. Hold internal and external status meetings. Document and communicate decisions and actions from each status meeting.
• Adhere to Ardent's project management standards and best practices, embracing flexibility where possible.
• Develop, maintain, and monitor progress reports, project plans, timelines and budgets with focus on attention to detail and client satisfaction — speaking up when deliverables are not in alignment with Ardent standards.
• Develop detailed project plan(s) to monitor and track progress.
• Manages people and vendor resources required for client engagements – reworking plans and prioritizing needs effectively with Resource Manager.
• Provide project support to participating internal and external talent.
• Develop purchase orders, track projects from purchase order through invoicing.
• Obtain client feedback and work through edits and revisions.
• Escalate any project changes that may affect scope, time, cost and or quality.
• Perform risk management to minimize project risks.
• Stay in tune with client needs, strengthening Ardent's position as learning consultants.
• Travel locally to and from the client location as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Job description

Ardent is seeking a Client Engagement Manager (Project Manager) to drive client satisfaction and project health across accounts. You will lead end‑to‑end engagements, coordinate design, development and production, and ensure timely milestone handoffs and proactive status updates with clients and teams.

Ideal candidates bring 5+ years as a client-facing PM, experience with Smartsheet or MS Project, and strong budgeting and multi-timezone collaboration skills.