Project Manager IV (Retirement and Income Solutions)

Principal Financial Group • Des Moines, IA

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

We’re looking for a Project Manager to join our Retirement and Income Solutions (RIS) team. In this role, you'll organize and lead medium-to-large initiatives in alignment with strategic initiatives. You'll manage multiple concurrent initiatives, collaborate with internal partners and external stakeholders, provide mentorship to team members, and act as a consultant for priority initiatives.
Operating at the intersection of financial services and technology, Principal builds financial tools that help our customers live better lives. We take pride in being a purpose-led firm, motivated by our mission to make financial security accessible to all. Our mission, integrity, and customer focus have made us a trusted leader for more than 140 years.
As Principal continues to modernize its systems, this role will offer you an exciting opportunity to build solutions that will directly impact our long-term strategy and tech stack, all while ensuring that our products are robust, scalable, and secure!

Requirements

• 6+ years project, program, initiative management experience or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, or education.
• Demonstrable skills, understanding, and application of project methodologies are essential, including quality and risk control, communication, and HR management and integration.
• Excellent leadership, communication, planning, decision making, and negotiation skills.
• Ability to work with people at all levels, including external consultants and vendors, and able to influence others without formal authority.
• Proven ability to build and maintain relationships and facilitate collaboration and communication.
• Must be results oriented and able to adapt and deal with ambiguous situations and manage expectations.
• Ability to execute effectively in matrix management environment.
• Sound knowledge of information technology and applications to discover opportunities for process improvement.
• Advanced knowledge of PC and project planning oriented software.
• Broad understanding of products and services affecting the project(s)
• Possess a solid understanding of negotiation and procurement processes for purchase of professional services and/or products.
• May be on-call for job responsibilities.
• Minimal travel may be required, including overnight stays.
• May be required to become an associated person of Principal Securities, Inc., which requires fingerprinting and a full background check.

Nice To Haves

• Ability to responsibly leverage AI tools to optimize project planning, analysis, and delivery, while validating outputs for accuracy, protecting confidential data, and complying with all security regulations.

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple complex, high-risk, high visibility, strategically aligned initiatives to successful completion simultaneously. Apply the appropriate project management methodology.
• Identify and manage risks, issues, decisions and dependencies. Leverage the team to research, negotiate, and facilitate the making of cost-effective and timely decisions for meeting objectives. Engage and partner with leaders. Balance competing demands and proactively escalate critical unresolved risks to the appropriate level of leadership to enable timely decision making an issue resolution.
• Demonstrate effective stakeholder management. Provide timely and transparent communication for intended audiences including timely risk awareness, progress updates, and results to the stakeholders and business unit(s).
• Lead activities with outside vendors and suppliers to ensure timely delivery and expected results of systems and services. Proactively manage the vendor relationship. Participate in negotiations, procurement, and contract administration activities.
• Apply problem-solving techniques to present clear problem definition and provide potential solutions and workarounds with impacts, including cost/benefit analysis. Partner with leaders to drive decisions on direction.
• Contribute to the organization learning by leading, mentoring, and coaching less experienced project managers, developing and sharing best practices, and taking action to facilitate improvements. Conduct reviews to regularly compare results against objectives. Build and sustain relationships through motivation, team building, influence, and empowerment. Implement strategies to handle organizational change and effectively lead the impact on the culture and individuals involved. May formally lead project managers or project analysts.

Benefits

• Flexible Time Off (FTO) is provided to salaried (exempt) employees and provides the opportunity to take time away from the office with pay for vacation, personal or short-term illness.
• Pension Eligible

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: No Education Listed