IT Project Manager - Global Investment Banking

The IT Project Manager (PM) role at Baird leads cross-functional teams to deliver high-value, business-critical technology solutions throughout the firm.

PMs are responsible for partnering with key sponsors and leaders to identify and prioritize project opportunities and collaborating with project team members to effectively manage tasks & activities.

PMs leverage strong communication and organizational skills to build trust and credibility with stakeholders and are accountable for the overall health & success of projects & client relationships.

As we continue to grow and add top talent to the Baird family of associates, we are currently seeking a proven IT Project Manager for our downtown Milwaukee headquarters.

Our PM’s are a key driver of success for high profile, business critical projects. The role will support our Global Investment Banking business.

Baird IT works a hybrid set up with 2-3 days per week in office.

As an IT Project Manager, you will :

• Organize the initiation and upfront planning of projects. Projects tend to be of varying sizes from incremental enhancements and adding new features to medium / large process changes and may include high degrees of complexity and ambiguity.
• Build a foundation of trust, collaboration, and respect with cross-functional team members and project stakeholders.
• Partner with product owner(s) on backlog and roadmap management activities.
• Effectively manage project execution by leveraging a variety of tools, techniques, methodologies, and deliverables.
• Identify project risks & issues and adjust the plan and / or execution approach accordingly.
• Lead, inspire, and assist the team in achieving project objectives to ensure client satisfaction.
• Establish and understand the importance of strong, trusting relationships across Baird, including with direct stakeholders on the project and leadership sponsors.
• Deliver timely updates to key internal and external project stakeholders through various communication channels.
• Effectively facilitate project meetings sharing concise agendas, clear outcomes, audience-appropriate messaging, key takeaways, etc.
• Develop an understanding of how to navigate organizational hierarchy & dynamics to escalate project issues quickly and efficiently, facilitate effective decision-making, and drive the work forward.
• Lead the project team through challenges, help remove roadblocks & impediments, and motivate team members to push past obstacles to meet client expectations and deadlines.
• Demonstrate organizational savvy by connecting dots across the firm to help achieve outcomes.
• Work with vendors to manage deliverables according to agreed upon timelines.
• Earn the respect & trust of peers to effectively lead the project team.
• Influence outcomes without positional authority and, when appropriate, engage leader(s) to help support team needs.
• Serve as a mentor & coach to immediate peers and provide direct feedback to encourage growth.
• Seek out continuous improvement opportunities and help implement them within the project team.
• Actively participate in the Project Manager Community of Practice (PMCoP) and develop a reputation as a subject matter expert.
• As project & team needs demand, develop working knowledge of relevant business unit, corporate resource group (CRG) department, and / or project technologies to help build credibility with team members and stakeholders.
• Seek out internal & external professional development programs, share knowledge with peers and effectively apply it on projects.

What makes this opportunity great :

• Information technology is a core part of Baird’s business strategy and plays a critical role in the growth and transformation of the firm
• Ability to work a variety of teams and leaders, proving your ability to be flexible and high adaptable
• Fast paced environment that will enable you to grow as a professional
• Team of associates passionate about achieving great results for clients and give back to the communities where we live and work

What we look for :

• A minimum of five years of prior IT experience, including at least three years related PM experience.
• Bachelor degree in Computer Science, MIS, Business Administration or combination of education and experience.
• Experience in working with various technology areas including software development and infrastructure projects.
• Detail oriented and possess exceptional organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, ability to influence without authority.
• Experience in managing technical projects with large deployments (geographic and / or user counts).
• Thorough working knowledge of Microsoft Office Visio & Project are a plus.
• Experience in various project methodologies Agile experience is preferred.
• Prior enterprise and global experience are a plus.

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