Senior Project Manager

Pythian • Ottawa, ON

4d • CA$120,000 - CA$140,000 • Remote

About The Position

We are looking for an experienced and delivery-focused Senior Project Manager to join our PMO. In this role, you will own end to end delivery of technical engagements ranging from data migration, data engineering, cloud modernization, AI/ML, Gemini Enterprise AI Enablement, and database transformation projects. You will serve as the central coordination point between client stakeholders, engineering teams, our partners and internal Pythian stakeholders, driving projects to completion on time, within scope, and on budget. This is a hands-on, execution oriented role that requires strong leadership, proactive risk management, and the ability to operate with a high degree of autonomy in a fast-paced, client-facing environment.

Requirements

• 7+ years of project management experience in an IT Services or professional services environment.
• Proven expertise in Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban), project planning, risk tracking and mitigation, financial tracking, and senior stakeholder management.
• Hands-on experience managing technically complex projects including data migrations, data engineering, cloud migrations, or AI/ML implementations.
• Proficiency with JIRA, Jira Plans, Confluence, and Smartsheet for project tracking and reporting.
• Comfortable presenting to VPs, SVPs & C-level stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional technology teams and drive alignment across engineering, delivery, and business stakeholders.
• Experience managing projects with contractual SOW obligations, change control, and client escalations.
• Self-motivated with the ability to handle significant context-switching in a fast-paced, client-facing environment.
• Comfortable working during EST business hours with availability to support EMEA-based projects as needed.
• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business, or a related field.

Nice To Haves

• PMP, CSM, PMI-ACP - a plus
• Experience with AI-assisted tools for project management, reporting automation, or decision support - a plus.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms, GCP, Azure - a plus

Responsibilities

• Project Manage end-to-end delivery of technical projects across data migration, data engineering, AI/ML, cloud modernization, and database transformation engagements.
• Establish and manage realistic, committed project schedules that account for deadlines, dependencies, resources, and costs.
• Ensure project completion on time, within scope, and within approved budget; monitor performance and recommend schedule changes, cost adjustments, or resource additions as needed.
• Establish milestones, monitor adherence to master plans and schedules, and proactively identify and resolve project issues through appropriate corrective actions.
• Operate across both Agile and waterfall delivery frameworks, applying the right methodology to the engagement context.
• Implement proactive early warning systems to detect projects heading into distress and formulate structured get-to-green recovery plans.
• Track project risks, issues, and budget on a weekly basis; escalate and present findings to Customer Sponsor and Steering Committee at least monthly.
• Maintain rigorous change control discipline, ensuring all scope changes are documented, approved, and reflected in updated project baselines.
• Provide actionable recommendations on how to handle risks and delivery challenges, not just identification.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for client project teams, senior stakeholders, our partners and internal Pythian stakeholders throughout the engagement lifecycle.
• Communicate project status, decisions, risks, and milestones through regular meetings, structured status reports, and ad hoc updates based on stakeholder needs.
• Deliver executive-level presentations with clarity and confidence. Both written and verbal.
• Secure formal acceptance and approval of deliverables from the Project Sponsor and key stakeholders at defined milestones.
• Own the Statement of Work (SOW) and ensure adherence to all contractual obligations throughout the project lifecycle.
• Interface with engineering teams and client organizations to clarify, document, and manage project requirements and scope boundaries.
• Ensure all backlog requirements meet the definition of ready before entering the development pipeline, and manage scheduling and communication of deployments.
• Manage active project work and backlog, addressing priorities and communicating capacity and resourcing needs to team members and delivery stakeholders.
• Protect project schedules amidst changing resourcing demands; model staffing scenarios and escalate resource risks proactively.
• Understand customer production needs and determine staffing models, release plans, and delivery roadmaps to meet those needs, directing the team accordingly.
• Lead Agile ceremonies including Sprint Planning, Sprint Reviews, Retrospectives, and Daily Stand-ups, ensuring meaningful participation and continuous improvement.
• Drive clear definitions of Sprint Goals and ensure team alignment on priorities and delivery commitments.
• Foster a collaborative, accountable, and delivery focused team culture across internal and client-side team members.
• Leverage tools such as Jira, Jira Plans, Confluence, and Smartsheet for planning, tracking, and reporting.
• Apply AI assist tools and techniques to enhance productivity, reporting, and decision-making across engagements. Gemini Enterprise, Atlassian Rovo, etc.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date project documentation, including RAID logs, status reports, resource plans, and financial trackers.

Benefits

• Competitive total rewards package.
• Blog during work hours.
• Take a day off and volunteer for your favorite charity.
• Flexibly work remotely from your home, there’s no daily travel requirement to an office! All you need is a stable internet connection.
• Collaborate with some of the best and brightest in the industry!
• Hone your skills or learn new ones with our substantial training allowance; participate in professional development days, attend training, become certified, whatever you like!
• We give you all the equipment you need to work from home including a laptop with your choice of OS, and an annual budget to personalize your work environment!
• Pythian cares about the health and well-being of our team. You will have an annual wellness budget to make yourself a priority (use it on gym memberships, massages, fitness and more).
• Additionally, you will receive a generous amount of paid vacation and sick days, as well as a day off to volunteer for your favorite charity.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior