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.
- 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.
Highmark Health and its affiliates prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on any category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
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For accommodation requests, please contact HR Services Online at [email protected]
California Consumer Privacy Act Employees, Contractors, and Applicants Notice
Skills Required
- High School Diploma or equivalent
- 4 years of experience in a project manager role
- Experience with customer relationship management
- Presentation skills
- Negotiation skills
- Experience with conflict resolution
- Experience with risk mitigation planning
- Bachelor's degree
- Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent training
- Experience managing enterprise-wide HR, operations, technology, or transformation initiatives
- Experience supporting executive leadership priorities and strategic initiatives
- Experience with mergers, acquisitions, integrations, divestitures, or workforce transitions
- Understanding of Agile, Waterfall, and Hybrid delivery approaches
- Experience managing vendor relationships and third-party implementation partners
- Experience leading matrixed teams without direct supervisory authority
- Strong executive presence and ability to develop executive-level updates and business cases
Highmark Health Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Highmark Health and has not been reviewed or approved by Highmark Health.
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Healthcare Strength — Medical, prescription, dental, and vision coverage are emphasized alongside 100% coverage for preventive exams, with onsite pharmacy access and fitness center availability at major campuses.
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Retirement Support — An employer‑sponsored 401(k) with a company match is highlighted, with AHN materials illustrating a 100% match on the first 4% plus an additional 1% employer contribution as an example within the enterprise.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Wellness programs include stress‑management classes, health coaching, incentives for healthy activities, team‑member discounts, and volunteer incentives, with paid volunteer time also noted in the overall package.
Highmark Health Insights
What We Do
Highmark Health, a Pittsburgh, PA based enterprise that employs more than 40,000 people who serve millions of Americans across the country, is the second largest integrated health care delivery and financing network in the nation based on revenue. Highmark Health is the parent company of Highmark Inc., Allegheny Health Network, and HM Health Solutions. Highmark Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates provide health insurance to nearly 5 million members in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware as well as dental insurance, vision care and related health products through a national network of diversified businesses that include United Concordia Companies, HM Insurance Group, and Visionworks. Allegheny Health Network is the parent company of an integrated delivery network that includes eight hospitals, more than 2,800 affiliated physicians, ambulatory surgery centers, an employed physician organization, home and community-based health services, a research institute, a group purchasing organization, and health and wellness pavilions in western Pennsylvania. HM Health Solutions focuses on meeting the information technology platform and other business needs of the Highmark Health enterprise as well as unaffiliated health insurance plans by providing proven business processes, expert knowledge and integrated cloud-based platforms. A national blended health organization, Highmark Health and our leading businesses support millions of customers with products, services and solutions closely aligned to our mission of creating remarkable health experiences, freeing people to be their best. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, we're regionally focused in Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia and New York, with customers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. We passionately serve individual consumers and fellow businesses alike. Our companies cover a diversified spectrum of essential health-related needs, including health insurance, health care delivery, population health management, dental solutions, reinsurance solutions, and innovative technology solutions. We’re also proud to carry forth an important legacy of compassionate care and philanthropy that began more than 170 years ago. This tradition of giving back, reinvesting and ensuring that our communities remain strong and healthy is deeply embedded in our culture, informing our decisions every day.
