Senior Client Project Manager

Highmark Health; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Highmark Health is seeking a skilled Lead Project Manager to drive planning, execution, and delivery of complex initiatives across the organization. The role requires a hybrid schedule with in-office presence Tue–Thu at Pittsburgh or Camp Hill locations, and candidates must be US citizens due to contract requirements.

The successful candidate will own all project lifecycle aspects, manage scope, budget, and resources, and provide strategic guidance to executives while fostering continuous

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in healthcare, IT, business, or related field.
• At least 5 years of project management experience delivering complex projects on time and within budget.
• Experience in healthcare or health insurance is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end planning, execution, and delivery of large to extra-large projects.
• Manage scope, schedule, budget, and resources, identifying and mitigating risks.
• Drive readiness for new initiatives and oversee change management.
• Champion process improvement and business transformation.
• Provide executive-level presentations and decision support.
• Mentor and guide junior project managers.
• Promote continuous improvement and explore automation/AI opportunities.
• Apply healthcare operations knowledge to project delivery.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder comms

Analytical skills

Organization & time mgmt

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare/IT/Business

Tools

MS Project

Jira

Asana

Job description

Company : Highmark Health Job Description :

JOB SUMMARY This role requires a hybrid work schedule, with in-office presence Tuesday through Thursday at either our Pittsburgh or Camp Hill location. CANDIDATE MUST BE US Citizen (due to contractual/access requirements) Highmark Health is seeking a highly skilled and strategic Lead Project Manager to drive the successful planning, execution, and delivery of complex, high-impact initiatives. This role is crucial for advancing our business and operational excellence across the organization, touching critical areas such as operational and business readiness, change management, and process improvement. The Lead Project Manager will own all aspects of the project lifecycle, from initial concept through final delivery, ensuring projects are completed on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards. This involves proactive resource management, robust risk mitigation, and fostering effective communication with all stakeholders, including executive leadership. Beyond traditional project management, the ideal candidate will operate as a trusted advisor, demonstrating strong organizational leadership, strategic planning capabilities, and the ability to influence stakeholders across a matrix environment. This individual will translate strategic objectives into actionable plans, effectively present to executives, and provide decision support that consistently delivers measurable business value. A passion for continuous improvement, process optimization, and a keen eye for leveraging automation and AI enablement will be highly valued.

What will you do:

• Lead the end-to-end planning, execution, and delivery of large to extra-large projects, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives.
• Manage project scope, schedule, budget, and resources effectively, proactively identifying and mitigating risks.
• Drive operational and business readiness for new initiatives, overseeing change management activities to ensure smooth adoption.
• Champion process improvement and business transformation efforts, focusing on enhancing customer and member experience.
• Cultivate strong relationships with stakeholders, acting as a trusted advisor and providing executive-level presentations and decision support.
• Mentor and guide less experienced project managers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and development.
• Promote and implement continuous improvement methodologies, including lessons learned, operational excellence, and the exploration of automation and AI enablement opportunities.
• Apply deep understanding of healthcare operations, including claims, billing, customer service, and provider experience, to project delivery.

What will make you shine in this role?

• Strategic, business-minded delivery leader
• Seamlessly own execution
• Proactively manage risk
• Influence stakeholders at all levels
• Understand complex operational impacts
• Communicate effectively with executives
• Drive projects, not just coordinate them
• Act as a trusted advisor
• Consistently deliver measurable business value
• Contribute to our digital transformation journey

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Strategic Planning & Execution: Develop comprehensive project plans, including detailed schedules, resource allocation, budget management, and risk assessments. Proactively identify and mitigate potential project roadblocks.
• Scope Management: Define and manage project scope, ensuring all deliverables align with business objectives. Manage changes to scope effectively and efficiently.
• Resource Management: Allocate and manage project resources (human, financial, and material) effectively to optimize performance and meet project deadlines.
• Stakeholder Management: Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, communicating project progress, addressing concerns, and managing expectations.
• Risk & Issue Management: Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate project risks and issues, implementing appropriate corrective actions. Maintain a detailed RAID log.
• Reporting & Documentation: Prepare and deliver comprehensive project status reports, maintaining meticulous documentation, including project plans, meeting minutes, project artifacts, and approvals.
• Team Leadership & Collaboration: Lead and motivate project teams, fostering a collaborative and productive work environment.
• Quality Assurance: Implement quality control measures to ensure projects meet defined quality standards.
• Other duties as assigned or requested.

EDUCATION

• Required Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare, Information Technology, Business or related field or relevant experience and/or education as determined by the company in lieu of bachelor’s degree.
• Preferred None

EXPERIENCE

• Required 5 years of experience in project management to include successfully delivering complex projects on time and within budget and managing multiple projects concurrently.
• Proficiency in project management software (e.g., MS Project, Jira, Asana, etc.)
• Preferred Experience in project management in the healthcare or health insurance industry
• Preferred Experience using a range of project methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, etc.)
• Preferred Experience delivering projects in the billing/payer space, customer service and payment.

LICENSES or CERTIFICATIONS

• Required None
• Preferred Project Management Professional (PMP)

SKILLS

• Strong understanding of project management principles and best practices.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present information clearly and concisely to diverse audiences.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, with a demonstrated ability to prioritize tasks and manage competing demands.
• Language (Other than English): None
• Travel Requirement: 25% - 50%

PHYSICAL, MENTAL DEMANDS and WORKING CONDITIONS

• Position Type Office-based
• Teaches / trains others regularly
• Rarely Travel regular from the office to various work sites or from site-to-site
• Occasionally Works primarily out-of-the office selling products/services (sales employees)
• Never Physical work site required Yes
• Lifting: up to 10 pounds
• Constantly Lifting: 10 to 25 pounds
• Rarely Lifting: 25 to 50 pounds
• Never

DISCLAIMER

The job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this job title. It may not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to do this job. Compliance Requirement: This job adheres to the ethical and legal standards and behavioral expectations as set forth in the code of business conduct and company policies. As a component of job responsibilities, employees may have access to covered information, cardholder data, or other confidential customer information that must be protected at all times. In connection with this, all employees must comply with both the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) as described in the Notice of Privacy Practices and Privacy Policies and Procedures as well as all data security guidelines established within the Company’s Handbook of Privacy Policies and Practices and Information Security Policy. Furthermore, it is every employee’s responsibility to comply with the company’s Code of Business Conduct. This includes but is not limited to adherence to applicable federal and state laws, rules, and regulations as well as company policies and training requirements.

NOTICE

Highmark Health and its affiliates prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on any category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. California Consumer Privacy Act Employees, Contractors, and Applicants Notice Highmark Health is a national, blended health organization that includes one of America’s largest Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers and a growing regional hospital and physician network. Based in Pittsburgh, Pa., Highmark Health’s 35,000 employees serve millions of customers nationwide through the nonprofit organization’s affiliated businesses, which include Highmark Inc., Allegheny Health Network, HM Insurance Group, United Concordia Dental, HM Health Solutions and HM Home & Community Services. Highmark Health’s businesses proudly serve a broad spectrum of health-related needs including health insurance, health care delivery, population health management, dental solutions, reinsurance solutions, and innovative, technology solutions.