Database Project Manager Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

Senior Project Manager

Who We Are:

Dedicated to making a difference in law enforcement agencies across the U.S., our mission is to transform policing by elevating officer performance with a preventative-based early intervention system. Driven by data science and powered by machine learning, our offering analyzes officer performance data in order to identify potentially problematic behavior. In partnership with the University of Chicago, we’ve developed the world’s largest multi-jurisdictional officer performance database, and the only research-driven, evidence-based early intervention system available in policing today.

We’re also the only provider of a fully integrated, cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that simplifies essential policing workflows. This platform is designed to be a single-source solution for all operational needs, driving extensive efficiency gains and providing best-in-class advanced analytics and insights.

Benchmark Analytics provides a comprehensive, all-in-one solution that is advancing police force management through state-of-the-art technology and market-leading data and analytics.

The Role:

In this customer-facing role, you’ll lead a dedicated delivery pod — a Configuration Specialist, a Data Engineer, and a Reporting Analyst, all of whom report directly to you — jointly accountable for the end-to-end implementation and ongoing success of every agency in a shared book of accounts. You’ll drive implementation of our platform with that pod, balancing urgency with quality, while applying a consultative PM approach, enterprise SaaS configuration expertise, and proven rollout strategies. You’re motivated to understand how police and government agencies operate and to deliver software that exceeds their expectations. The role requires the technical depth to follow engineering and configuration conversations, read and reason about data mappings, ETL flows, and configuration specs, and use that understanding to build realistic plans, surface risks early, and translate between customer operational needs and engineering execution.

Our ideal candidate loves problem-solving, sweats the details, and works transparently and collaboratively. You’re a people manager first — coaching, developing, and unblocking your direct reports so the pod consistently delivers. Alongside managing customer implementations, you’ll partner with the delivery manager to improve processes and innovate.

Responsibilities:

• Lead a delivery pod — a Configuration Specialist, Data Engineer, and Reporting Analyst as direct reports — running simultaneous Benchmark Management System implementations across a shared book of accounts
• Manage, coach, and develop direct reports — setting goals, providing feedback, supporting career growth, and holding the pod accountable for outcomes
• Balance capacity across the pod, sequencing configuration, data, and reporting work to meet customer commitments without overloading any one function
• Develop project charters and plans grounded in scope and resourcing
• Communicate implementation progress to customers on a regular cadence
• Serve as Voice of Customer between engineering/product and end users
• Collaborate cross-functionally to keep project tasks on scope and on time
• Report project status and open risks to a broad internal audience
• Identify risks and lead internal escalations to mitigate them
• ?Create and deliver customer training and documentation
• Drive internal process improvements and build training materials that support change
• Partner with engineering and configuration teams to translate customer operational requirements into technical specifications, ensuring what gets built aligns with customer intent
• Scope ETL and data integration work alongside engineering—understand source systems, data mappings, transformation logic, and failure modes well enough to plan timelines, sequence dependencies, and flag risks
• Understand platform configuration and reporting capabilities in enough depth to answer customer questions, plan realistic timelines, and assess the impact of scope changes without escalating every detail
• Drive data quality through go-live, including source data review with the customer, reconciliation against source systems, and resolution of import exceptions ahead of acceptance

Job Qualifications:

• Demonstrates innovative and experimental mindset
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including with executive stakeholders
• Strong logical, analytical, and reasoning abilities
• Extremely detail oriented
• Naturally process-oriented and driven?
• Independent – enjoys taking on new challenges and running with them?
• Likes working in a collaborative, fast-paced environment
• Proficient with Salesforce, Confluence, Jira, and project management tools (Smartsheet, MS Project, or similar)
• Bachelor’s degree preferred; Master’s degree is a plus
• 5+ years of relevant technology/software implementation
• 4+ years in a SaaS environment, preferably with Enterprise customers
• 2+ years of direct people management experience, with a track record of coaching and developing technical individual contributors
• Demonstrated ability to read, interpret, and reason about technical artifacts such as data mappings, configuration specifications, integration designs, and source-system exports
• Prior experience planning or coordinating data integration or ETL work in implementations—data conversions, source-system extracts, file transfers, or similar—even when the build itself was done by engineering
• Comfortable holding their own in technical conversations with engineering, configuration, and data teams; can ask the right questions, understand the answers, and adjust project plans based on technical realities

The Ideal Candidate will also be:

• Comfortable under pressure, with high-stakes deadlines in a fast-paced environment?
• ?Able to interpret and communicate complex concepts clearly
• Able to communicate concisely and persuasively with customers, product managers and engineers
• ?Passionate about the Benchmark Analytics mission, and improving outcomes in the public sector?
• Technically grounded—able to follow engineering and configuration discussions in depth, spot risks in technical plans early, and adjust project scope, sequencing, and timelines based on technical realities rather than only on stated dates

What We Offer:

• A competitive salary and benefits package.
• Unlimited Paid Time Off.
• Ability to work in a fully remote environment (must be based in the U.S. and willing to work in Central Time Zone).
• Summer Half-Day Fridays.
• Freed Up Fridays during Spring, Fall, and Winter months to promote productivity and dedicated heads-down work time.
• Medical, dental, and vision plan offerings along with 401(k).
• Employer-paid Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, and Life Insurance.
• Other Voluntary Benefits include additional Life Insurance, Spouse Life Insurance, and Accident Insurance.
• The satisfaction that comes with being part of a solution that has real impact in the world.
• A diverse workforce and inclusive environment that embraces unique contributions and experiences.
• An empowered culture that encourages creativity and professional growth.

Estimated Annual Salary Range for this Role:

• $120k-$150k

Additional Information:

• Benchmark Analytics is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity of all kinds in our effort to create a stellar workforce of committed and passionate team members
• Unfortunately, we are not able to sponsor employment visas at this time