Position Type: Contract
Contract Rate: $80.00–$90.00/hr
Location: Chicagoland preferred – hybrid 1 to 2 days per week; remote considered for highly qualified candidates
Role Overview
We are seeking an experienced and highly independent Senior IT Project Manager to lead complex technology initiatives from planning through implementation. This individual will partner closely with project teams, development teams, and senior leadership to establish project structure, coordinate resources, manage financial performance, and ensure successful delivery.
The ideal candidate is a hands-on project leader who can independently manage multimillion-dollar budgets, build and maintain detailed Microsoft Project plans, triage risks and issues, and translate project activity into clear executive-level presentations and status updates. This role requires someone who can provide structure, accountability, and direction while working effectively across technical and business teams.
Key Responsibilities
Lead Complex IT Projects: Independently manage technology projects from initiation through completion, including scope, schedules, deliverables, resources, dependencies, and project governance.
Build and Manage Project Plans: Create, maintain, and actively manage detailed project schedules in Microsoft Project, ensuring milestones, dependencies, ownership, and delivery dates remain accurate.
Partner with Senior Leadership: Provide clear project updates, financial reporting, risk assessments, and critical decision points to executives and senior business and technology leaders.
Manage Multimillion-Dollar Budgets: Forecast project requirements, prepare and manage budgets, track expenditures, analyze variances, and initiate corrective action when financial performance is off plan.
Coordinate Development and Business Teams: Manage the daily activities of development teams and cross-functional partners while maintaining alignment with user departments, technology teams, and business stakeholders.
Drive Risk and Issue Management: Proactively identify, triage, escalate, and resolve project risks, issues, and dependencies before they negatively affect delivery.
Develop Executive Presentations: Build strong PowerPoint presentations that clearly communicate project status, accomplishments, financial performance, risks, decisions, and next steps.
Support Technology Strategy: Help define and execute strategic plans for implementing technology solutions that support organizational goals, user needs, security requirements, and operational efficiency.
Maintain Technology Controls: Support system audits, disaster recovery procedures, backup processes, information security controls, and organizational technology standards.
Target Candidate Profile & Qualifications
Independent Project Leader: Proven ability to work autonomously, establish project structure, and lead project and development teams without requiring constant direction.
Senior Leadership Experience: Strong executive presence with experience presenting project status, financial information, risks, and recommendations to senior leadership.
Microsoft Project Expertise: Advanced experience building, maintaining, and managing complex project plans using Microsoft Project is required.
Enterprise IT Project Management: 5+ years of project management experience within IT, including exposure to development work, technical teams, and customer or business stakeholder interaction.
Financial and Resource Management: Demonstrated experience managing multimillion-dollar budgets, forecasting project costs, analyzing financial variances, and coordinating resources across multiple teams.
Risk and Delivery Management: Strong ability to manage project schedules, dependencies, risks, issues, corrective actions, and daily execution activities.
Communication and Presentation Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to create polished executive presentations and tailor updates for leadership and working teams.
Education and Certification: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Business Management, Business Administration, or a related discipline is required. PMP certification is also required.
Nice-to-Haves
Enterprise Technology Experience: Experience leading technology implementations involving development teams, data centers, information security, infrastructure, or technology operations.
IT Governance and Controls: Experience establishing technology policies, procedures, quality standards, disaster recovery processes, or control structures.
Strategic IT Planning: Strong knowledge of current technology practices, project governance models, and long-term IT planning.
IT Project Manager IV
Contract
Chicago