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