Senior Project Manager - HR PMO

Company : Highmark Health Job Description : JOB SUMMARY The Senior Project Manager is a critical leadership role within the Human Resources Project Management Office (HR PMO), responsible for leading the planning and delivery of the organization's most strategic and complex HR initiatives. This role partners across Human Resources, HR Technology, Operations, Finance, Information Technology, vendors, and business stakeholders to successfully deliver initiatives that drive measurable business outcomes. While this position does not have direct people-management responsibilities, the incumbent serves as the functional leader of cross-functional project teams and is accountable for influencing, aligning, and driving execution across diverse stakeholder groups. The Senior Project Manager must effectively balance competing priorities, navigate organizational complexity, identify and mitigate risks, and escalate issues appropriately to ensure successful project delivery. This role is responsible for managing multiple highly visible initiatives simultaneously, often involving executive leadership priorities, organizational transformation, HR technology implementations, mergers and acquisitions, process improvements, regulatory requirements, and enterprise-wide change initiatives. ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES Work with business and technical organizations to drive out program strategy and approach. Organize, plan, and maintain program roadmap consisting of cross-functional activities/projects. Work with business and technical organizations to assemble project teams. Lead Project Managers and/or Program team in the development and maintenance of comprehensive plans for a defined program. Work with Executive Sponsor and Business Owner of a Program, and other management as required, to achieve the Program objectives. Acquire understanding of the business objectives for an assigned area. Monitor, evaluate and report on Program status inclusive of scope, schedule, budget and alignment to Program and strategic goals. Direct corrective action, as needed, to maintain the viability of the Program. Develop and maintain positive customer relationships. Deliver presentations of project status to effectively communicate throughout the project life-cycle. Adhere to the Organization's project management methods, project life-cycle methodologies, and audit requirements. Support and contribute to the improvement of project management methods and practices. Other duties as assigned or requested. Key Responsibilities Lead the end-to-end delivery of complex, strategic HR programs and projects from initiation through implementation and stabilization. Partner with executive sponsors, HR leaders, HR Technology, Operations, Finance, Legal, Compliance, and external vendors to achieve project objectives. Build, maintain, and execute comprehensive project plans, including scope, schedule, budget, risks, dependencies, milestones, and resource plans. Facilitate alignment and decision-making across multiple stakeholder groups with competing priorities and interests. Proactively identify risks, issues, roadblocks, and interdependencies, developing mitigation strategies and driving timely resolution. Determine when escalation is required and present recommendations, impacts, and decision options to leadership. Drive accountability across matrixed teams and influence outcomes without direct reporting authority. Establish and monitor project success metrics, ensuring initiatives deliver intended business value and organizational outcomes. Lead project governance, status reporting, executive communications, and steering committee updates. Support organizational change management and adoption activities to maximize project success. Mentor project managers and contribute to continuous improvement of PMO standards, tools, methodologies, and best practices. EDUCATION Required High School Diploma or equivalent Substitutions None Preferred Bachelor's degree EXPERIENCE Required 4 years of experience in a project manager role Preferred Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent project management training. Experience managing enterprise-wide HR, operations, technology, or transformation initiatives. Experience supporting executive leadership priorities and strategic organizational initiatives. Experience with mergers, acquisitions, integrations, divestitures, or workforce transitions. Understanding of project management methodologies including Agile, Waterfall, and Hybrid delivery approaches. Experience managing vendor relationships and third-party implementation partners. Strong business acumen with demonstrated ability to connect project execution to organizational strategy and business outcomes. Experience managing complex projects involving multiple stakeholder groups, significant dependencies, and organizational impact. Experience leading matrixed teams without direct supervisory authority. Strong executive presence with the ability to communicate effectively with leaders at all levels of the organization. Ability to identify risks, manage ambiguity, and make sound recommendations in a fast-paced environment. Experience developing and presenting executive-level project updates, business cases, and risk assessments. Strong facilitation, negotiation, conflict resolution, and stakeholder management skills. Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously while maintaining focus on strategic outcomes. LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS Required None Preferred None SKILLS Experience with customer relationship management Presentation skills Negotiation skills Experience with conflict resolution Experience with Risk Mitigation Planning Language (Other than English) None Travel Requirement 0% - 25% Position Type Office-based Teaches / trains others regularly Occasionally Travel regularly from the office to various work sites or from site-to-site Occasionally Works primarily out-of-the office selling products/services (sales employees) Never Physical work site required Yes Lifting: up to 10 pounds Constantly Lifting: 10 to 25 pounds Occasionally Lifting: 25 to 50 pounds Occasionally Disclaimer: The job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this job title. It may not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to do this job. Compliance Requirement: This position adheres to the ethical and legal standards and behavioral expectations as set forth in the code of business conduct and company policies. As a component of job responsibilities, employees may have access to covered information, cardholder data, or other confidential customer information that must be protected at all times. In connection with this, all employees must comply with both the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) as described in the Notice of Privacy Practices and Privacy Policies and Procedures as well as all data security guidelines established within the Company’s Handbook of Privacy Policies and Practices and Information Security Policy. Furthermore, it is every employee’s responsibility to comply with the company’s Code of Business Conduct. This includes but is not limited to adherence to applicable federal and state laws, rules, and regulations as well as company policies and training requirements. 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