Project Manager

Job Title: Project Manager

Location: Remote (Preferred: Buffalo, NY or Cleveland, OH)

About The Company

Our client is a leading organization in the financial services industry with a strong focus on risk management and payment services. They are committed to operational excellence, proactive leadership, and delivering high-quality outcomes in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Job Summary

We are looking for an experienced, non-technical Project Manager to join our client’s team in a contract capacity. The ideal candidate brings 5 years of project management experience in financial services, demonstrates proactive leadership, and excels at facilitation, communication, and stakeholder management. This role requires comfort interacting with senior leadership and the ability to influence without authority.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, including directing third-party resources and virtual teams; orient team members on the Standard Project Lifecycle Framework.
• Ensure Business Partners understand the Project Lifecycle, Quality Milestones, Transition Point Reviews, and Project Standards; perform project registration, consolidation, and prioritization.
• Define and manage project scope, objectives, requirements, deliverables, and value propositions that support diverse stakeholder business goals.
• Develop integrated project plans; identify and manage dependencies and critical paths; track and report project milestones and status.
• Estimate resource needs; track utilization; manage on/off-boarding of staff and vendors; monitor and manage vendor performance.
• Identify, track, escalate, and resolve issue conflicts; perform impact analysis and prioritization; manage dependencies and escalate risks with corrective actions.
• Lead communication planning, execution, and reporting with project teams; liaise with key stakeholders.
• Support change management planning, design, and implementation, including communication and training efforts.
• Manage documentation and knowledge transfer to business-as-usual functions; conduct lessons-learned reviews.
• Manage vendor contract execution and ensure adherence to contract provisions where applicable.
  
  

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent work experience required.
• Experience: 3 years of project management experience required; 5 years preferred.
• Skills: Expertise in facilitation, planning, communication, and stakeholder management. Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (PowerPoint, Excel). Ability to influence without authority.
• Certifications: PMP, CSM, or SSM preferred.
• Other: Candidates must be located in or willing to work near Buffalo, NY or Cleveland, OH (remote considered).
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in financial services, specifically in risk management, regulatory remediation, or payment services.
• Demonstrated history of proactive leadership and strategic thinking.
• PMP, CSM, or SSM certification (or similar).
• Knowledge of organizational change management methodologies.
• Track record of managing cross-functional teams and vendor relationships effectively.
  
  

Key Competencies

• Critical thinking, problem-solving, and conflict management; ability to “connect the dots” across workstreams.
• Organized and self-disciplined; capable of leading others toward common outcomes.
• Highly polished communication skills — written, verbal, and presentation; adjusts style to audience.
• Credible, confident leader with a reputation for building support around ideas and solutions.
• Proactively seeks learning opportunities and stays current on industry best practices.
• Fosters open, honest feedback; learns from setbacks to continuously improve.