Data Analytics Project Manager

At Community Financial System, Inc. (CFSI), we are dedicated to providing our customers with friendly, personalized, high-quality financial services and products. Our retail division, Community Bank, N.A., operates more than 200 customer facilities across Upstate New York, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Vermont and Western Massachusetts. Beyond retail banking, we also offer commercial banking, wealth management, investment management, insurance and risk management, and benefit plan administration.

Just as our employees are committed to helping our customers manage their finances, we're committed to our employees. After all, they make it happen for our customers every day.

To ensure our people can enjoy long and successful careers here at CFSI, we offer competitive compensation, great benefits, and professional development and advancement opportunities. As an equal-opportunity workplace and affirmative-action employer, we celebrate and support a diverse workplace for the benefit of all: our employees, customers and communities.

The Project Manager is responsible for leading projects from ideation to production implementation and ensuring business success. In this role, you will manage multiple projects from inception to deployment, engaging cross-functionally and determining the best project management approach-Waterfall, Agile, or Hybrid-based on project needs. The selected framework will be used to organize, define, measure, and accelerate work.

Aids the team in eliminating, reducing, or avoiding challenges that impede progress. This role is part of the enterprise PMO and works closely with the value stream technology teams, business stakeholders, product owners, and other operational teams across the bank.

The Project Manager should keep projects on task and aligned to the success criteria/business value our Stakeholders establish. Stakeholder communication is key, including Business Sponsor alignment on project goals, continual status updates, and the ability to identify dependencies, risks & issues through active listening and questioning of project team members. You will drive collaboration between Business Sponsors, Technology Resources and sometimes partnering with Technology & Operational project managers on shared projects. You will lead project facilitation across the PMO using project management methods & tools and should have experience with Waterfall and Agile methodologies.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Collaborate closely with technical leads, data analysts, developers, business stakeholders, product owners, and operational teams to define, measure, and deliver success.
• Manage multiple projects from inception to deployment and value realization.
• Develop and maintain detailed project plans, identifying key milestones and key coordination points.
• Effectively assign tasks and allocate resources for meeting goals within budget and timelines.
• Keep projects on task and aligned to the success criteria/business value our stakeholders establish.
• Stakeholder communication, including business sponsor alignment on success criteria, goals, continual status updates within the organization.
• Anticipate and identify risks, opportunities, dependencies and costs, plan resources, milestones and deliverables to manage and implement projects. Manage scope and mitigate risk. Escalate issues and drive problem solving throughout project life cycle and coordinate for solutions.
• Ensure alignment to roles and responsibilities within the project team (Project Sponsors, SMEs, Business Analysts and Technology). Understand agreed upon RACI and manage to continual alignment to roles from inception to implementation.
• Ensure timely collaboration with Solution & Business Architects, Development Teams, QA resources, Security resources and Technology project managers. Coordinate and organize remote teams in a collaborative environment.
• Create accountability among project team members to drive on time delivery of project tasks and deliverables.
• Drive execution of project deliverables within the Company's technology development lifecycle standards. Test coordination for efforts without dedicated QA resources.
• Management of projects using appropriate methodology, which can be Waterfall, Agile or Hybrid depending on the project's objectives. Make recommendations on adjustments required as opportunities present, or challenges are encountered.
• Effective communication and collaboration skills (i.e.: status reporting, escalation of issues/risks) with core project team members and management.
• Liaison with Procurement where project milestones are dependent on 3rd party contracts, RFIs and RFPs.
• Proactively leads assigned projects by defining and creating project timelines, identifying key milestones and additional resources needed to successfully implement project.
• Assist in development of procedures and guidelines.

Ancillary Duties:

As an integral member of Project Management Office, this position is also responsible to provide assistance wherever necessary to help the Bank in achieving their annual goals.

Education, Training and Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field; or equivalent experience.
• All applicants must be 18 years of age or older.

Skills:

• Strong understanding of SQL and data processes; ability to understand technical documentation and workflows. Knowledge of Project Management tools; critical thinking and problem-solving skills; planning and organizing; decision making; excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to escalate issues; ability to delegate; team oriented; adaptability to changing environments.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years proven experience in leading projects with a technical component. Experience managing data-related initiatives, working with development teams, and engaging in logic-based business process improvements. People management; strategic planning; change management experience required. Banking experience preferred.

Compensation: Commensurate with experience plus potential for annual merit increase. In addition to your competitive salary, you will be rewarded benefits including: 11 paid holidays, paid vacation, Medical, Vision & Dental insurance, 401K with generous match, Pension, Tuition Reimbursement, Banking discounts and the list goes on!

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to stand, walk or sit. Use hands and fingers, handle or feel, reach with hands or arms, and speak and hear. The employee may occasionally be required to lift and or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and the ability to focus.

The Company is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

The Company will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with a disability. If you have a physical or mental impairment and would like to request an accommodation with respect to the application process, please contact the Human Resources Department.