Associate Project Manager Jobs in Arkansas (NOW HIRING)

Position Title:Project Manager (PMP)

Position Summary:

The Project Manager is responsible for driving the successful delivery of complex, high-impact initiatives by blending traditional project management discipline with Agile delivery leadership. This position plays a critical role in enabling predictable delivery and ensures projects are delivered on time, budget, within scope, and with high quality while fostering a collaborative, adaptive, and outcome-driven Agile environment. The incumbent brings strong project planning, governance, execution and stakeholder management skills, along with hands-on experience leading Agile teams as a Scrum Master.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Project Planning:Develop comprehensive project plans, outlining scope, objectives, timelines, dependencies, resources, and deliverables. Ensure alignment with overall business goals and objectives. Identify, track, and communicate critical milestones, risks, action items, decisions, and dependencies.
• Stakeholder Management:Establish and maintain strong relationships with clients, stakeholders, and team members. Communicate effectively to manage expectations, address concerns, and provide project updates to ensure project alignment. Build strong working relationships with cross-functional teams.
• Risk Management:Identify potential risks and issues throughout the project lifecycle. Develop mitigation strategies and contingency plans to minimize disruptions and ensure smooth project progression.
• Resource Allocation:Allocate resources effectively to achieve project goals. Monitor resource utilization and adjust as necessary to optimize project performance.
• Budget Oversight:Manage complex project financials, monitor expenses, and ensure adherence to financial constraints. Collaborate with finance teams to track expenditure and make informed decisions.
• Quality Assurance:Maintain a focus on delivering high-quality results that meet or exceed expectations. Implement best practice quality control processes and conduct thorough reviews of project deliverables.
• Communication:Facilitate clear and timely communication among project team members and stakeholders. Prepare and deliver status reports, presentations, and updates to keep all parties informed. Provide leadership and guidance to project teams, fostering a collaborative and results-driven environment.
• Change Management:Effectively manage changes in project scope, budget, timelines, or objectives. Evaluate the impact of changes and communicate adjustments to relevant parties.
• Agile and Scrum Master Responsibilities:
  • Lead Agile ceremonies (e.g., daily stand-ups, sprint planning, retrospectives).
  • Coach team members on Agile principles and practices and ensure the team adheres to Scrum practices and principles.
  • PI Planning Enablement: Assist Agile teams in preparing for Program Increment (PI) Planning by facilitating prePI readiness activities, including backlog refinement, dependency identification, capacity planning, and risk assessment.
  • Enterprise initiatives:Drive Enterprise initiatives by breaking down large-scale projects into smaller, manageable increments, allowing for faster delivery and quicker response to market demands.
  • Customer Experience Enhancement:Improve customer experience by encouraging frequent customer feedback and engagement throughout the development process.
  • Regulatory Compliance:Navigate regulatory and compliance requirements effectively, ensuring that Agile practices align with industry standards and regulations.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration:Promote cross-functional collaboration to enhance product development and innovation.
  • Iterative Development:Emphasize iterative development to create value more frequently and respond quickly to changing market conditions.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in project management, Business Administration, or related field; or equivalent mix of education and work experience required.

Certifications:

• PMP Certification required.
• Agile Project Management certification, such as SSM (SAFe Scrum Master) or equivalent preferred.

Experience:

• A minimum of four years of progressive work experience in project management on diverse project types is required. Project Management work experience in the Financial Industry preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Results-driven project manager demonstrates a proven track record of delivering measurable outcomes through effective leadership and project execution.
• A strong understanding of IT systems, software development lifecycles, and cloud technologies is highly desirable
• Experience leading larger teams working on multiple complex projects.
• Proven record of excellent project management and analysis skills.
• Extensive experience in project management methodologies, and techniques with prior experience in Financial Institutions a plus.
• Proficiency in project management software and collaboration tools, such as Microsoft Project/Smartsheet, JIRA is essential
• Ability to confidently engage with staff at all levels to define needs and expectations, collaborate on projects, and communicate effectively to drive results.
• Excellent organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Adaptable, flexible, and able to thrive in a fast-paced, changing environment.
• Ability to work confidentially when needed.