Manager, PMO & Strategic Planning

Description

The Manager, PMO & Planning will serve as a hands-on leader responsible for driving successful delivery of critical projects while introducing consistent project management practices to support operational clarity and execution. This role blends direct project leadership with the development of processes, tools, and lightweight planning frameworks that enhance coordination across teams. Working closely with stakeholders across the business, the manager will help bring visibility, structure, and alignment to key initiatives to support the delivery of outcomes while setting the foundation for scalable project management and planning as the company continues to grow.

Key Result Areas

Project Execution and Strategic Delivery

Lead cross-functional projects while establishing credibility through hands-on execution

• Manage high-impact projects from initiation through completion, applying appropriate PM and BA methods.
• Partner with stakeholders to define scope, align on goals, and establish clear success metrics.
• Coordinate timelines, dependencies, risks, and resources across departments to ensure effective delivery.
• Translate business objectives into actionable plans while adapting to evolving requirements.
• Provide visibility into project health through consistent updates, structured reporting, and issue escalation.

PMO Foundation and Process Development

Establish and evolve the foundational practices that will shape the company's project delivery culture

• Design and implement core PMO processes, including intake, prioritization, planning, and reporting.
• Develop scalable tools, templates, and documentation standards to support consistent project execution.
• Introduce lightweight governance practices that create alignment without unnecessary overhead.
• Partner with leadership to ensure the PMO structure aligns with broader strategic planning needs.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement and propose adjustments based on organizational maturity.

Cross-Functional Partnership and Enablement

Build trust and capability across the business while supporting the professional growth of project staff

• Engage with existing project coordinators to understand current practices, pain points, and opportunities.
• Provide informal mentorship and coaching to encourage adoption of new standards and tools.
• Deliver training and enablement activities to raise project management capabilities across teams.
• Support a cultural shift toward structured execution, transparency, and ownership.

Requirements

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in project management, strategic planning, or business analysis
• Experience standing up or maturing a PMO, project framework, or similar delivery function
• Strong understanding of both waterfall and agile methodologies
• Proven ability to manage cross-functional projects with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to guide without formal authority
• Familiarity with common project and portfolio management tools (e.g., Smartsheet, Asana, Jira, MS Project, or similar)

Preferred Experience:

• Industry experience in telecom or infrastructure-heavy environments
• Exposure to OKRs or similar strategic planning frameworks
• Ability to operate effectively in environments with ambiguity, limited documentation, or evolving priorities
• PMP (Project Management Professional)
• PMI-ACP (Agile Certified Practitioner)
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
• CBAP (Certified Business Analysis Professional) or similar

Skills

• Proven ability to lead complex projects from initiation through delivery, balancing timelines, resources, and stakeholder expectations.
• Strong analytical and communication skills to translate business objectives into clear project scopes, success metrics, and actionable plans.
• Experience developing project documentation, workflows, and reporting mechanisms that improve transparency and alignment.
• Skilled at engaging cross-functional teams to surface dependencies, manage risks, and drive consensus around priorities.
• Comfortable introducing new processes and tools in a way that supports adoption without disrupting existing workflows.
• Ability to operate independently in ambiguous environments while coordinating with leadership on priorities and progress.
• Experience facilitating stakeholder discussions, leading status reviews, a