Senior Project Manager

Founded in 1995, The Cobalt Group is North America’s leading provider of automotive marketing services, offering automotive dealers and manufactures the industry’s best online retailing, CRM, fixed operations and search engine marketing solutions. For more than a decade, Cobalt’s exclusive mission has been to help automobile dealers and manufacturers increase their retailing effectiveness and profits. Cobalt provides marketing services to more than half the automotive dealerships in the United States, Canada and Mexico and is endorsed by more than two-thirds of the world’s major automotive manufacturers. Cobalt is endorsed by the American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA).The Professional Services Senior Project Manager is responsible for managing multiple projects related to a multi-faceted client program. The clients sponsoring these programs are major manufactures in the automotive industry. The projects focus on delivery of custom solutions build on Cobalt’s core products including custom website designs, custom integrations, and custom reporting. This position is responsible for ensuring completion of deliverables, managing schedules, meeting milestones, delivering within budget, and ensuring solutions meet the client’s needs. This position is also responsible for assisting in setting the program’s tactical direction and developing a program roadmap with the client.Key responsibilities include: ensure all aspects of internal and external program communications, establish and track program performance metrics, requirements analysis, program planning, manage program timeline and budgets, and a mastery of Cobalt project management processes and best practices.The Senior Project Manager is a high energy individual, highly organized, articulate, detail-oriented, has highly developed business acumen, and is comfortable leading and delegating within a cross-functional project team structure. The Senior Project Manager may also function as a solutions consultant for Cobalt clients.Essential Functions Lead projects to deliver custom solutions for OEM clients from inception through implementation.
Write detailed business requirements based on business objectives and high level requirements provided by clients.
Construct business cases
Ensure completion of project deliverables and adherence to timelines and budgetsAnalyze and resolve issues that have the potential to jeopardize the ability to meet agreed upon deliverables.
Proactively identify changes in work scope and ensure appropriate planning measures are taken with internal and external clients to reassess and amend the scope of work requirement, budget, and timeline.
Provide full and accurate project communication with external clients, other supporting suppliers and internal; stakeholders.
Manage day-to-day activities of multiple projects including coordination of cross-functional teams
Manage internal and external client expectations on all project requirements and deliverables
Consistently report weekly status for projects, determining when to escalate issues to appropriate levels of management
Directs activities of one or more Project Managers managing large scale or multiple small/medium scale projects
Work with the Account Management and Enterprise Sales on strategic and proactive management of the client program
Actively contribute to the continuous improvement of the Cobalt software development methodology.
May be involved in the research and communication of industry trends and standards to fellow Project ManagersRequired SkillsDemonstrated ability in managing internal and external client expectations on project requirements and deliverables
Experience working with iterative software development methodologies and overall expertise in project management discipline
Demonstrated experience in costing and sizing small-large size projects
Subject matter expert in the application of Internet and Information Technology to business solutions, with automotive retailing experience a plus
Highly developed business acumen
Skilled requirements analysis and management
Demonstrated experience in performing as a solutions consultant to external and internal clients
Demonstrate the ability to become a Program Manager
Strong writing, mentoring, negotiation, communication, and meeting facilitation skills
5+ years of software Project Management or Program Management experienceMust include 2+ years direct responsibility as project lead for projects/clients within the media industry (newspaper, TV, internet) that included multiple sites, from project concept through completion, ongoing maintenance, and direct interaction with related external clients. Clients within the newspaper industry preferred.
Demonstrated experience leading a cross-functional core team within a formalized software development methodology
Proven competence in analyzing client needs and working with the team to deliver complex software solutions to internal and external clients
Experience developing project-specific and high-level milestone deliverable master plans to meet defined business objectives; Experience in helping perform Work Breakdown Structures in creating project schedules and estimates
Experience working with MS Office Suite (including MS Project and Visio)
Experience working with OOAD, JAVA, J2EE, Artesia Teams, Oracle, Sun, or Microsoft technologies
Automotive market experience preferred, but not required
Must have demonstrated experience working directly with external clients and vendorsBased in Seattle, Cobalt has offices in Detroit; Columbus, Ohio; Redwood City, California; and Bangalore, India. In addition, Cobalt hires all over the US for positions in the field. Automotive retailing solutions continue to be a growth industry as more and more dealerships and manufacturers recognize the operational efficiencies and the extraordinary marketing potential of Cobalt’s technology. Accordingly, Cobalt’s customer base and its need for talented, creative and hardworking individuals continue to grow.The Cobalt work environment is fast-paced, energized, informal and fun, but with a serious focus on quality, customer service, innovation, and an ongoing commitment to excellence. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision for employee and dependents (including domestic partners), life insurance, paid vacation time, personal days, sick leave and paid holidays, 401K with match, employee referral bonuses, stock option plan, subsidized parking and free bus pass, onsite gym, and more. For more information, go to www.cobaltgroup.com.
REQUIREMENTS
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