Senior Project Manager

Rocket Software is a company that believes in the importance of their work. As a Senior Project Manager, you will lead complex mainframe modernization projects, coordinating multi-function teams to achieve customer outcomes while ensuring project alignment with business goals.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the entire project lifecycle for large, high-risk, and often multi-region initiatives—managing timelines, deliverables, and quality standards to meet aggressive yet achievable deadlines
• Define and document clear project scope and objectives, preventing scope creep by continuously aligning all stakeholders with the project’s goals and deliverables
• Utilize Rocket’s project management framework to optimize workflows, accelerate time to value, and ensure customer-centric outcomes
• Coordinate requirement-gathering sessions, project kickoff meetings, status updates, and review meetings, maintaining transparency and alignment between internal teams and external clients
• Act as the primary interface with customers, forging trust-based relationships grounded in Rocket’s core values of Empathy, Humanity, Trust, and Love
• Monitor project risks and proactively address any challenges, conflicts, or schedule deviations to maintain project momentum and a positive customer experience
• Collaborate with internal and customer stakeholders to match project resources, schedules, and financial parameters with contractual requirements
• Maintain transparent communication to set clear expectations around timelines, scope, and any potential risks affecting delivery or cost
• Provide reliable financial forecasts to management, adjusting as necessary based on evolving project scopes and timelines
• Collaborate closely with Sales to proactively identify and pursue additional revenue opportunities, particularly for complex, high-risk engagements, by leveraging on-the-ground insights during project delivery to align emerging customer needs with Rocket’s broader solutions portfolio
• Lead or support early qualification and opportunity assessment for significant modernization projects, ensuring alignment with Rocket’s strategic objectives
• Maintain a well-rounded portfolio of customer engagements, balancing priorities and resource allocations to maximize both revenue potential and customer satisfaction
• Implement and continuously improve standardized policies, procedures, and best practices that support consistent, high-quality project delivery
• Track key performance indicators (KPIs) and analyze project data to identify trends, address inefficiencies, and enhance operational effectiveness
• Use data-driven insights to inform decision-making, refine delivery approaches, and recommend process optimizations that reduce complexity, cost, and time-to-market
• Establish clear governance structures and reporting processes, providing stakeholders with real-time visibility into project progress, financial health, and risk status
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that reinforce Rocket’s commitment to innovation, operational excellence, and delivering transformative customer outcomes
• Mentor and coach project managers to enhance their leadership and delivery capabilities
• Guide project managers in handling customer escalations with a problem-solving mindset, ensuring resolutions align with Rocket’s values and maintain strong customer trust
• Develop and implement career development plans for team members
• Drive a culture of continuous learning, fostering knowledge sharing across teams
• Implement coaching frameworks to support exceptional customer experiences and project outcomes
• Partner with Account Executives during project delivery to keep them informed on progress, collaborate on customer challenges, and seek their support in resolving key issues
• Collaborate with Product Development to align project execution with the product roadmap
• Work closely with Customer Success Management, Product Engineering, and Delivery Engineering to ensure seamless customer engagements
• Facilitate communication between technical and business stakeholders, driving alignment on project goals and priorities

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Project Management, a related field, or equivalent experience
• 12+ years of progressive project management experience, preferably with enterprise-scale portfolios in a professional services organization of a software company (or equivalent related experience)
• 6+ years leading senior-level customer-facing project managers in a strategic or operational leadership role
• Proven track record of driving revenue growth and business transformation through project delivery in a software, SaaS, or enterprise software environment
• Experience in cross-functional collaboration within SaaS companies, enterprise software organizations, or consulting environments, working across teams to align project goals and ensure successful delivery
• Project management certification preferred (e.g., PMP, PgMP)
• Additional certifications in Agile methodologies are beneficial
• Executive-level communication skills
• Advanced coaching and mentoring abilities
• Transformational leadership with a focus on operational excellence
• Expertise in cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management
• Resource optimization and portfolio management
• Advanced project planning and risk management
• Process improvement and change management expertise
• Strong understanding of revenue recognition principles
• Experience in financial management, budgeting, and performance monitoring
• Ability to analyze and address complex operational challenges