Project Manager

Project Manager

Work setting: Hybrid (manager preference for Buffalo, NY or Cleveland, OH area)

Start date: 07/06/2026

End date: 01/29/2027

Pay rate: $65.00/hr (W2)

***Candidates must work on our W2 without needing sponsorship at any time now or in the future

***We do not work with Corp to Corp in any manner including any form of referral bonus.

If after reading the description you would like to be submitted, please complete the questions below. Answer in implied first person and in a stand-alone sentence. These will go along with the resume to the client.

1. Which project methodology suits your experience – waterfall or agile? What projects have you delivered in either methodology?
2. Tell me about a time you identified a major risk or gap in a project that others had overlooked. What did you do, and what was the outcome?
3. In a project where leadership or key stakeholders were aligned on a direction you disagreed with, how did you challenge that direction? What was the result?
4. Describe your experience working with financial services processes, especially payments or transaction flows. How did you ensure controls and compliance were properly addressed?
5. When you join a project midstream and suspect gaps in process, controls, or documentation, how do you go about assessing the current state quickly?
6. Give an example of how you went beyond traditional PM responsibilities to materially improve a project outcome.
7. How do you balance being a partner to the team while also holding them accountable or challenging their assumptions?
8. What specific risks are commonly overlooked in payments-related initiatives or operational reviews, and how would you proactively address them?
9. This role may require identifying gaps and then helping drive remediation. How do you transition from assessment to execution, especially when resistance or ambiguity exists?
10. What’s your approach to benchmarking processes against industry best practices when formal documentation or standards are limited?

Job Description

We are seeking a Project Manager with financial services experience to lead multiple initiatives in a fast-paced environment. This role focuses on proactive leadership, strong facilitation and communication, and the ability to influence without authority. The ideal candidate is a non-technical Project Manager with experience in risk management and payments-related work, comfortable partnering with leadership and driving outcomes across cross-functional and third-party teams.

What We’re Looking For (Top Priorities)

• Financial services experience as a Project Manager (payments, transaction flows, risk management, regulatory remediation preferred)
• Non-technical Project Management background
• Evidence of proactive leadership (surfacing risks/gaps early and driving action)
• Strong facilitation, planning, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Strong PowerPoint and Excel skills; comfort across the MS Office suite
• 5 years of Project Management experience (preferred)
• PMP, CSM, or SSM (or similar) certifications preferred

Essential Job Functions

• Manage multiple projects in a dynamic environment, including third-party resources and virtual teams.
• Coordinate team activities using organizational change management methods and project lifecycle practices.
• Orient project team members on the standard project lifecycle framework.
• Ensure business partners understand the project lifecycle, quality milestones, transition point reviews, project standards, and responsibilities.
• Perform project registration/consolidation/prioritization and administer pipeline checkpoints to drive delivery and reduce bottlenecks.
• Define and manage scope, objectives, requirements, deliverables, and value proposition across multiple stakeholders.
• Build and maintain an integrated project plan; manage dependencies/critical paths; track and report milestones and status.
• Estimate and manage resources; track utilization; manage on/off-boarding; monitor vendor performance.
• Identify, track, escalate, and resolve issues/conflicts; perform impact analysis and prioritization; manage dependencies; escalate risks with mitigating actions.
• Tailor methods and metrics; manage configuration/version control; adhere to standards; perform assessments; coach teams; manage deliverable reviews and sign-offs.
• Lead communication planning and execution; provide reporting; partner with key stakeholders.
• Support change management planning, design, and implementation (communications and training).
• Manage documentation and knowledge transfer to business-as-usual teams; conduct lessons-learned reviews.
• Manage execution of vendor contracts and ensure adherence to contract provisions where applicable.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required.
• Knowledge of standard project development/management methodologies and tools required.
• Financial services industry experience preferred (risk management, regulatory remediation, payments/services activities).
• 3 years of Project Management experience required.
• PMP, CSM, or SSM certification (or equivalent) preferred.

Competencies and Skills

• Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and conflict management; ability to “connect the dots.”
• Ability to think, plan, and execute on multiple levels.
• Highly organized and self-disciplined; able to lead others toward shared outcomes.
• Ability to assess and coach team strengths and development needs; share knowledge to develop others.
• Credible, polished leader who can present ideas and gain buy-in.
• Confident communicator (written, verbal, presentation) who adjusts messaging to audience.
• Proactive in learning the business impact, staying current on trends, and applying industry best practices.
• Ability to manage vendor contracts and ensure adherence to contract provisions.