Implementation Project Manager at SAS

Job description

Serves as customer liaison on projects to assure success throughout entire customer life cycle. Interacts with clients/customers, staff, Group Managers, and applicable departments at SAS. Leverages domain and industry expertise. Understands the sales cycle and the concept of business solution selling.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Assumes fiscal responsibility for the projects, including managing budget, expense management, timely invoicing, receivables tracking and monitoring /managing subcontractor expenses.
• Identifies, documents and escalates any performance issues and skills deficiencies of members of the project team to the appropriate management team.
• Assists in the response to RFIs and RFPs, utilizing the RFP Repository and coordinating the consulting resources that are providing the technical information.
• Prepares sample or high level project plans to satisfy customer requirements to close deals, identify potential implementation options and provide recommendations on implementation approaches.
• Participates in deal review sessions with account teams and senior management.
• Completes risk assessment documents for projects, meeting articulated criteria (sizeable financial concerns, heavy use of subcontractors, implementation of new solutions, etc.)
• Participates with account management teams to write, estimate and review proposals for software, hosting, and services deals.
• Identifies and /or reviews assignment of team members for Discovery Workshops, Assessments and other presales activities that require matching skills with specific agendas and services, and participate in these activities, including adding domain, administration and contracts expertise.
• Understands win/win negotiation principles.
• May support Senior Project Managers or Program Managers on large projects and may independently manage small scale projects.
• Manages internal or external customer expectations fully and acts as customer liaison.
• Manages SAS Software implementation projects throughout the project life cycle.
• Communicates the role of the project manager to the project team and internal or external client(s) by outlining authority, decision and communications chains.
• Identifies and matches skills of project team members with the implementation requirements and tasks, including subcontractors if required, and verifies that team members know and understand their assignments.
• Leverages methodologies, enablers and best practices to accelerate project delivery.
• Ensures quality assurance and test plans are developed for the project.
• Maintains an accurate project plan, adheres to deadlines and communicates weekly project status reports, issues, alerts, signoffs and closure to the team, management and the customer.
• Forecasts revenue and resource requirements for the duration of the project.
• Follows established change management procedures should project plans or schedules be adjusted.
• Ensures project designs and specifications provide a reliable blue print for implementation.
• Builds relationships with clients that characterize partnership, cooperation and trust.
• Provides leadership and drives customer success while overcoming barriers and satisfying staff, management and stakeholder commitments.
• Resolves any conflict between the project and other organizational units in a satisfactory manner, including engaging management as necessary.
• Communicates project goals to those outside the project and engages management or leadership in other units as needed to ensure customer success.
• Completes engagement/project summary, project closeout procedures and skills inventory updates, when applicable, at end of project.
• Assures overall customer satisfaction through project health checks, surveys and Delivery Excellence agreements according the the governing Project Management Methodology.
• Oversees knowledge management activities of the delivery team using knowledge server or comparable tool.
• Performs other duties, as assigned

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree preferably in Business, Marketing, or Computer Science
• 8+ years of project management experience including applications development projects or adequate services experiences from other areas
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification preferred.
• Knowledge of Project Management Practice procedures and tools.
• Excellent facilitation skills, including meeting content/agenda and proactive/creative management of issues.
• Very good domain and industry expertise in datawarehouse or Business Intelligence as well as an understanding of SAS internal processes and organization.
• Very good problem-solving, organizational, written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and with a team.
• Travel as business requirements dictate at management discretion.