Project Director

Elevance Health•Indianapolis, IN

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Project Director will coordinate Proof of Concept and implementation efforts to manage a claims modernization initiative as an integrated program. The role oversees reporting, RAID management, governance cadence, and readiness, while guiding and supporting working teams. It partners with the PMO on CMS touchpoints and escalations and serves as a connection point to the Wellpoint Federal Leadership Team, ensuring leaders have visibility into significant risks, decisions, dependencies, and areas needing support. This role leads complex cross-functional projects involving Operations, IT, the PMO, and other business areas. It provides strategic direction, defines project scope and governance, oversees comprehensive project plans and vendor relationships, and establishes quality gates, approvals, training, and operational-readiness requirements. The Project Director also coaches project teams and project managers and oversees post-implementation stabilization and warranty periods. The position is hybrid and requires associates to work in an office three days per week. Alternate locations may be considered for candidates within commuting distance of an office. Listed locations are Baltimore, Maryland; Hingham, Massachusetts; and East Syracuse, New York. The position is part of Wellpoint Federal. Foreign national applicants must have lived in the United States for at least three of the past five years. The role may be designated sensitive and subject to additional background checks or government clearances, training, monitoring, and sensitive-data handling requirements.

Requirements

BA/BS in a related field and at least 9 years of professional project management experience, including at least 7 years leading and directing large project tasks, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
If assigned to a Government Business Division entity, comply with applicable sensitive-position requirements, which may include additional background checks or government clearances, segregation of duties, role-specific training, monitoring, and sensitive-data handling instructions.
For foreign national applicants to this Wellpoint Federal position, residency in the United States for at least three of the past five years is required.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in project management.
Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
Ability to navigate ambiguity, establish structure, and drive clarity and alignment in complex, evolving environments.
Cross-functional leadership skills, including overseeing multiple workstreams, identifying dependencies, anticipating risks, and driving issue resolution.
Sound judgment and decision-making, including proactively addressing challenges and appropriately escalating issues to leadership.
Knowledge of project and program management methodologies, particularly governance, execution oversight, implementation readiness, and successful outcomes.
Strong operational and technical acumen, connecting business and technical considerations, constructively challenging assumptions, and influencing teams without requiring deep technical expertise.
Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and executive presence, balancing strategic priorities with operational details and building credibility with project teams, senior leadership, and government customers.

Responsibilities

Lead complex cross-functional projects across Operations, IT, the PMO, and other business areas, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and successful implementation.
Partner with senior leadership and CMS stakeholders, communicating effectively and navigating complex or sensitive discussions.
Provide strategic direction and influence stakeholders to drive decisions, resolve challenges, and achieve project outcomes.
Define project scope, requirements, critical success factors, and governance structures.
Develop and oversee project management plans covering resource allocation, risk mitigation, quality, cost, scope, and implementation schedules.
Coordinate vendor partnerships, contractual agreements, service-level agreements, and implementation and post-implementation activities.
Establish project quality gates, approval processes, training plans, and operational readiness requirements.
Coach and mentor project teams and project managers on methodologies, best practices, tools, and performance expectations.
Oversee post-implementation stabilization and warranty periods.
Oversee reporting, RAID management, governance cadence, and readiness across Proof of Concept and implementation efforts.
Partner with the PMO on CMS touchpoints and escalations and provide the Wellpoint Federal Leadership Team visibility into risks, decisions, dependencies, and support needs.