Sr. IT Project Manager

dfa; Kansas City (KS); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

DFA is seeking an experienced IT Project Manager to oversee large and complex projects in the US market. You will guide internal teams and contractors, define scope and KPIs, and ensure delivery on time and within budget using DFA's governance framework.

You will coordinate across IT disciplines, manage risks, and drive change management to enable successful adoption of new systems and processes, with a focus on stakeholder value realization.

Qualifications

• 8+ years project management experience, preferably in manufacturing or fluid milk marketing environment.
• PM certifications preferred (PMP; SAP certifications; Six Sigma Black Belt).
• Familiar with Agile and Waterfall methodologies and hybrid approaches.

Responsibilities

• Direct and manage project delivery from start to finish with milestones.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to define business case, value realization, and success metrics.
• Define scope, goals, and deliverables with IT/business leadership; ensure alignment with business goals.
• Develop project artifacts, plans, status updates, communications, and architecture diagrams.
• Recruit/assign resources; manage external vendors and budget; ensure on-time, within-budget delivery.
• Coordinate multi-location communication and stakeholder management processes.
• Plan change management and service introduction for new systems and processes.

Skills

Project leadership

Stakeholder communication

Risk management

Change management

Decision making

Team coaching

Analytical thinking

Prioritization

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science / Information Technology / Business Administration

Tools

SAP

JDE

Salesforce

Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint)

Job description

Manage all aspects of project delivery for large and/or complex projects as assigned by the IT PMO which may include working with business and IT stakeholders to define detailed requirements to meet project objectives, resource planning, usability design, sprint planning, risk management, change management, training, and service introduction. Resource planning may include identifying skillsets needed for the duration of the project and recruitment of external resources.

A critical component of this position’s purpose is communicating with project stakeholders, informing and escalating, as needed.

Guide the efforts of project team members, including internal resources and/or third-party contractors to deliver the project according to plan. At times, projects will require the acquisition/selection of resources and new technologies. Projects could encompass all IT disciplines including infrastructure, applications, reporting, end user technologies and will be managed using the DFA IT project implementation methodology which allows for waterfall, agile, and hybrid processes, as needed.

This role will be considered a champion for DFA IT governance processes and will coach others across DFA to support ongoing expansion, as needed.

A key measure of success in this role is the ability to plan, execute, and deliver projects that meet the expectations of the stakeholders on time and within budget.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Direct and manage project delivery from beginning to end, ensuring all critical project milestones are met
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to fully understand the business case, value realization plan, and post go live success criteria and metrics
• Define project scope, goals, and deliverables; work with IT and business leadership to ensure the project goals support the business goals
• Define the implementation approach and utilize the DFA IT project implementation methodology
• Develop and/or oversee development of all project artifacts including detailed project plans, status updates and communications, presentations, requirements documentation, architecture diagrams, training bundles, etc. as required by the DFA IT project implementation methodology
• Develop project staffing plan and work with business and IT stakeholders to recruit/assign resources; where required, lead the selection and contracting of external resources, technology, and service providers
• Develop project budget, when required, and work with IT and business stakeholders to successfully deliver the project within budget
• Liaise with project stakeholders on an ongoing basis, across multiple locations and leadership levels
• Work with business stakeholders to define the project stakeholder management, change management, and project communications approach. At times, creating and executing a comprehensive change and communications plan might require collaboration with the HR and the Communications organizations
• Set and continually manage and communicate project expectations to team members and other stakeholders
• Ensure solution is fully tested with documented test results utilizing test plans, scenarios and test scripts
• Proactively manage, communicate, and mitigate project issues and risksProactively manage changes in project scope and assumptions
• Identify and manage project dependencies and critical path
• Manage the delivery of work across multiple IT organizations, as needed
• Coach, mentor, motivate, and supervise project team members and contractors and influence them to take positive action and accountability for their assigned work
• Cultivate business relationships vital to the success of the project
• Facilitate escalation, as needed
• Develop and execute change management plans to ensure the organization is ready to adopt new systems and processes
• Plan and execute service introduction steps to ensure successful support of the new systems and processes
• Ensure steady state support goals are achieved as per the agreed schedule prior to the completion of the hyper‑care phase
• Complete project close and sunset review with project stakeholders
• The requirements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work to be performed, but is not a complete list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Other duties may be assigned as required.

Minimum Requirements:

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, or business administration
• 8+ years project management experience, preferably in a manufacturing or fluid milk marketing environment, coupled with strong leadership skills and experience implementing large/complex projects
• Experience with one or more of the following is preferred: SAP, JDE, Salesforce, Networking, Infrastructure
• Certification and/or License
  • Project Management Institute PMP certification preferred; SAP certifications, Six Sigma Black Belt, or other similar certifications preferred

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of Agile and Waterfall methodologies
• General understanding of IT technical infrastructure including basic networking, phone systems, servers, database, cloud, and disaster recovery
• Able to facilitate work sessions for business process re‑engineering and optimization
• Able to drive IT and business process standardization and best practices
• Able to demonstrate solid business judgment and decision‑making skills; able to make well‑informed and reasoned decisions in a short period of time
• Able to elicit cooperation from a wide variety of sources, including upper management, clients, and other departments
• Able to work independently and in a team‑oriented, collaborative environment
• Able to conform to shifting priorities, demands, and timelines through analytical and problem‑solving capabilities
• Able to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, for a diverse range of internal and external audiences; able to communicate technical information to non‑technical individuals
• Able to bring project to successful completion through political sensitivity
• Able to build a collaborative working environment
• Able to effectively prioritize and execute tasks in a high‑pressure environment
• Able to learn, understand, and apply new technologies
• Skill in conducting research into project‑related issues and products
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, specifically Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams, and Share Point
• Must be able to read, write and speak English

An Equal Opportunity Employer including Disabled/Veterans