Sr. Technical Project Manager- Illustrations

At Northwestern Mutual, we are strong, innovative and growing. We invest in our people. We care and make a positive difference. Summary:

• Independently leads highly sophisticated departmental project/support assignments and/or participates in cross-departmental projects with responsibility for managing scope, risk, business value, schedule and budget.
• With department management, defines the objectives to be accomplished by the project team. With the team, develops the project plan. Directs team members to resolve the best methods to achieve the projects objectives. Allocates staff and budget resources required to achieve project objectives.
• Identifies and solves a range of problems in straightforward situations. Analyzes possible solutions and assesses each using standard procedures, developing a recommended approach.
• Conducts analysis to identify the scope and nature of a business and/or system problem. The incumbent is responsible for accomplishing the stated project objectives through key project management responsibilities that include building the project requirements and managing the triple project constraints of cost, time, and scope.
• Responsible for developing, maintaining and revising project deliverables. Responsible for gathering and delivering metrics as required by the project.
• At the direction of project manager lead, develops presentations and communications which incorporate a clear understanding of corporate communications theory and practice.
• Identifies alternative options in the development and enhancements for new policies and processes. Incumbent will act as subject matter professionals (SME) to build out new processes and systems that help realize efficiencies and cost savings for the division.
• Responsible to manage project risk through the development, maintenance and revision of reports and tracking tools. Using approved methodologies uses all available tools to identify potential problems before they occur.
• Understands the key business drivers as they relate to the projects. Adapts to the various internal procedures and forms close links with the business partner representatives, ensuring that the key issues of cost, time, scope and above all, client satisfaction, can be realized.
• Explains information and persuades others in straightforward situations. Effectively interact, negotiate and influence project teams and business partners to provide acceptable solutions and results.
• Acts as a liaison to facilitate an understanding and partnership between business clients. Manages the resources and vendors assigned to their projects by verifying progress and removing obstacles.
• Gathers and delivers day-to-day progress of a project as it relates to managing scope, schedule, cost and quality in order to support project management decisions and compliance with Company approved methodology and required deliverables.
• Other responsibilities may be assigned as necessary.

• Experience working on large complex initiatives/projects
• Experience working with technical projects
• Strong experience with creating timelines, risks management, dependencies and communication/presentation skills
• Experience working with vendors is a plus
• Experience with Jira, MS Office (Powerpoint and Excel -Pivot Tables)
• Proven experience/knowledge in processes and project management to include analysis, documentation.
• Ability to work with general direction to scope, plan and manage cross-department or multi-department projects
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage large and highly complex assignments.
• Ability to prioritize work and handle multiple tasks simultaneously, work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Seen as a teammate and is supportive of group decisions and ideas.
• Written and oral communications skills with the ability to build rapport within the company, field and /or outside vendors.
• High degree of personal initiative and motivation.
• Bachelor's Degree with an emphasis in, Business, Project Management or related field preferred OR a significant amount of directly-related work experience beyond the minimum required for the position.
• Experience with project methodology through project life cycle phases