Job Location: INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46205
Position Type: Full Time
Education Level: Bachelor Degree
Job Overview
The Senior Software Project Manager is responsible for driving the successful delivery of software solutions that are implemented on time, within budget, and to the satisfaction of stakeholders. They foster a productive and collaborative work environment, ensuring that software products and daily support activities align with client business objectives, delivering value by improving organizational efficiency, productivity, or profitability.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership: Communication, Collaboration, Customer Satisfaction
- Prior experience leading and overseeing diverse teams of 5 people or more.
- Demonstrated ability to coordinate across departments and drive collaboration between team members and multiple teams.
- Provide constructive feedback to people and adapt strategies considering client, organizational, and team needs.
- Influence strategic decisions at the highest stakeholder level by effectively communicating complex projects to technical and non‑technical stakeholders, ensuring understanding of benefits, risks, and limitations.
- Act as the primary point of contact for stakeholders, including clients, management, and other departments, and facilitate communication between business analysts, software developers, designers, QA testers, and support staff.
- Conduct regular meetings and presentations to communicate project status, changes, and outcomes.
- Provide regular project updates to stakeholders, including risks, issues, and mitigation strategies.
- Establish client satisfaction check‑ins with the Project Director or other leadership and solicit qualitative and quantitative feedback.
Project Planning and Documentation
- Define the problem or opportunity the project aims to address and identify specific objectives and goals for success.
- Evaluate multiple approaches or solutions, present recommendations, timelines, resources, level of effort, cost, key milestones, and responsibilities to aid decision‑making.
- Perform financial analysis in the form of business cases and scenarios to analyze the impact of potential solutions relative to client goals.
- For approved projects and enhancements, clearly define scope, goals, objectives, and deliverables that align with stakeholder needs and contractual obligations.
- Develop and maintain appropriate project documentation, including communication plans, change management plans, project plans, schedules, budgets, resource allocations (WBS), and RAID logs.
Project/Product Management and Execution
- Manage budgets and continuously allocate shifting resources to ensure projects operate at capacity while maintaining financial alignment and profitability.
- Adhere to comprehensive risk management plans, identifying, monitoring, and controlling risks and strategies to keep projects on time and within budget.
- Establish and monitor performance metrics for each project, enhancement, and ongoing support activity.
- Resolve conflicts and negotiate solutions across departments, sometimes working under pressure to meet deadlines and minimize impacts on timelines, deliverables, and budget.
- Manage testing and quality control processes to identify and rectify defects.
- Continuously monitor and communicate project details to ensure stakeholder satisfaction.
Continuous Improvement
- Drive strategic requirements and initiatives by working closely with senior management and stakeholders to understand business needs and long‑term goals.
- Lead change management strategies and drive adoption across the organization.
- Optimize current processes strategically to identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement.
- Identify opportunities where technology can drive business growth and recommend valuable solutions.
- Analyze project outcomes to identify improvement areas and implement best practices in software development and project management.
Technical Skills and Understanding
- Demonstrated ability to analyze complex problems, identify potential solutions, and implement effective strategies using technology.
- Strong analytical and problem‑solving abilities and ability to understand complex business processes and translate them into technical requirements.
- Gather, report on, and analyze software development metrics such as defect rates and development estimates versus actuals.
- Experience developing IT roadmaps and managing progress toward delivery.
- Advanced understanding of designing comprehensive, scalable, and sustainable solutions, considering resource management and future‑proofing.
- Familiarity with underlying principles and mechanisms of technology, including programming languages, software architecture, hardware components, networking, and databases.
- Strong understanding of SDLC, Agile methodologies, and project management tools (e.g., Jira, Trello).
Other Duties
- Occasionally participate in RFP processes, providing detailed plans, anticipated resources, and other required information to support responses.
- Complete any other duties and tasks as assigned by management.
This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties may change at any time with or without notice.
Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Project Management, Information Technology, or a related field.
- Certifications: Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP).
- Experience: 7 or more years of project management experience, with extensive experience in software project management and a proven record of successfully delivering complex software projects in a development environment.
- Experience with requirements management tools, project management software, modeling tools (UML, BPMN), and software development methodologies (Agile, Scrum) and AI tools.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Azure DevOps (or equivalent); ability to learn additional software solutions and drive AI initiatives.
Preferred Qualifications
- Certifications: PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI‑ACP), Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), or equivalent.
- Technical Knowledge: Experience with specific software platforms, programming languages, or database management systems relevant to the organization.
- Industry Experience: Knowledge of and experience with ECEC (Early Childhood Education and Care) programs at federal, state, or local level; experience working with federal, state, or local government customers.
Working Conditions
- Work Hours: Standard business hours, with potential for extended hours during project deadlines or critical phases. Standard hours are typically 8:30AMEST to 5:00PMEST, but may vary by client needs.
- Travel: Some travel may be required depending on client needs.