Job Title: Project Manager

Location: Gent

Role:
Plans and manages project activities on European scale to ensure that goals and objectives of projects are accomplished within the approved baseline of scope, time and budget.

Main Responsibilities:
• Plans, directs and coordinates activities pertaining to technology and business projects for a given business unit being the project sponsor.
• Manages the international project delivery teams that implement the projects during the different phases of the project lifecycle whilst constantly searching for creative ways to elevate the capabilities of technology systems to meet business needs, keeping best standard solution vision in mind.
• Manages the project stakeholders, scope, cost, schedule, quality, procurement, risk, communication, and project team resources (see below for more detailed description).
• Works closely together with the resource manager to timely acquire the required resources for the project by preparing an accurate forecast based on the WBS.
• Reviews together with the business LPL or sponsor the business case on regular base, minimum at each gateway (evaluation moment), and communicate the result to the PMO team as input for Portfolio Management.
• Propose and defend Project technology strategies with HME ISD senior management to get approval to proceed in line with ISD strategy.

Stakeholder management
• Stakeholder mapping and management across the impacted business organizations and other involved internal/external parties within scope of the project.
• Keep close, direct contact with key end-user representatives to ensure technologies are providing valuable information-sharing capabilities to customers.
• Work closely with end users, business technologists and others to understand and prioritize business goals and information needs.

Resource management
• Provide leadership and motivation to project team members throughout the project life cycle.

Scope management
• Ensures that project goals are accomplished and in line with business objectives, scope and level of effort.
• Manage the project scope by applying the prescribed Change Management process. Coordinate and respond to requests for changes from original specifications.
• Review project proposals or plans to determine time frame, funding limitations, procedures for accomplishing projects, staffing requirements and allotment of available departmental resources to various project phases.

Cost management
• Estimate workload based on the scope and activities defined in the Work Breakdown Structure.
• Monitor the budget using Earned Value Management Technique.
• Define actions when applicable to stay within the approved cost baseline.
• Prepare and present the required background information to request budget increases to vice presidents in the IT Committee meetings.

Schedule management
• Develop project strategies and plans, and identify the methods and tools required for the project.
• Identify and schedule project deliverables, milestones and required tasks.
• Establish WBS and staffing for each phase of projects and arrange for recruitment or assignment of project personnel.
• Confer with project staff to outline work plan.
• Responsible for assembling project plans and teamwork assignments, directing and monitoring work efforts on a daily base, performing quality review; and escalating functional, quality, timeline issues and risks appropriately.
• Assign duties, responsibilities and scope of authority to project personnel.
• Direct and coordinate activities of project personnel to ensure project progresses on schedule and within budget.
• Modify Schedules or plans as required and monitor progress against plan.
• Monitor the critical path of the project to avoid delays in delivering the project.

Procurement management
• Coordinate the procurement activities to define the Procurement Management Plan.
• Conduct Procurement to make the appropriate decision on vendor and/or solution in coordination with HME Procurement team.
• Execute Control Procurement activities to assess whether vendor is delivering according to contract terms and conditions.
• Support HME Procurement team in preparing the contract approval proposal for European Contract Committee when applicable.

Risk management
• Perform risk management to minimize their impact on the project through risk identification, mitigation and control.
• Monitor the project risks from third parties supporting the project implementation.

Communication management
• Develop communication plan defining the communication strategy with the different stakeholders.
• Keep the project stakeholders informed on the progress, costs, risks, issues and their mitigation plans.
• Review status reports prepared by project personnel.
• Prepare project reports for management, clients or others.
• Escalate issues to the appropriate level in the organization when applicable.
• Explain the status of the project to senior management (Business and IT) at each gateway to obtain approval to proceed with the next project phase.

Quality management
• Review supplier contracts on their completeness prior to sign-off.
• Define acceptance criteria as part of the supplier contracts.
• Develop quality assurance test plans.
• Direct quality assurance testing.
• Assures requirements are met as put forward by the PMO regarding project management and methodology deliverables, gates, documentation, reporting, ...
• Lead the effort in creative approaches to problem solving and quality deliverables supporting business needs.
• Ensure easy access to information that is useful to users.
• Understand how to leverage applications for competitive advantage.

Integration management
• Confer with project personnel to provide technical advice and to resolve problems.
• Organize a formal project closure, conduct a formal review of the project and define the successes, problems and lessons learned to improve future project executions.
• Coordinate project activities with activities of business units.
• Get projects off the ground, keep them on track and on budget, and resolve issues with customers.
• Track project performance by analysing KPI’s related to time and budget using Earned Value Management technique.
• Monitor project activities, ensuring the accuracy, quality, and integrity of the information, while providing consistency in content and "look and feel" across the enterprise. Assures this is aligned with the PMO expectations and requirements.
• Responsible for overall coordination, status reporting and stability of project-oriented work efforts.

KPI’s
• Projects delivered on committed date.
• Projects delivered within budget.
• Projects delivered according to scope and (functional and non-functional) requirements.
• Projects with formal release approval / cancelled prior to implementation.
• Projects that adhere to a common / standardized delivery methodology and defined estimating model and have agreed project/quality/risk plans.
• Time allocation (Project Mgt / Analyze / Design / Build / Test / Deploy; Direct / Value-add / Administrative)

Qualifications, skills and experience required:
Mandatory
• Ability to manage internal and external development projects from inception to successful implementation, in close cooperation with business and supplier, aligned with related projects of the programme.
• Solid understanding of the software development process, including requirement gathering, analysis/design, development tools/technologies, release/version control, contemporary testing methodologies and deployment management
• Strong analysis, design and implementation experience with technologies
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills; expertise in setting and managing customer expectations
• Skill in conceptualizing creative solutions, as well as documenting them and presenting/selling them to senior management
• Strong knowledge and understanding of business needs, with the ability to establish and maintain a high level of customer trust and confidence
• Strong customer focus and ability to manage client expectations
• Ability to communicate needs and schedules to IT and clients, as well as ensure that plans are in place and standards are adhered to
• Solid project management skills with ability to multitask and manage multiple small to large projects in a cross-functional environment
• Demonstrated ability to lead and motivate staff and to apply skills and techniques to solve dynamic problems (Conflict management).
• Ability to present and explain technical information in a way that establishes rapport, persuades others and gains understanding
• Strong teamwork and interpersonal skills at all management levels.
• Ability to apply PMI practices to manage the project.
• Ability to operate under a dual reporting relationship (IT, customers).
• Ability to manage projects in parallel.
• Ability to travel to meet different stakeholders.
• Ability to lead project related meetings with IT and business members.

Desirable
• Understanding of current technologies, including S4Hana suite (ecommerce, emarsys) , Blue Yonder, Pricing softwares
• Solid understanding of project methods including Waterfall, Agile.
• Understanding of how to leverage business applications for competitive advantage
• Technical proficiency in hardware and systems software, as well as experience implementing packages and working with vendors
• Ability to develop and deliver projects using leading-edge technology
• Ability to blend creative, problem-solving and technical skills for refining existing theories or developing new system approaches to seize opportunities and sust