Business Consulting Project Manager

About The Role

This person will serve as a trusted partner managing expectations at an executive level and with key stakeholders across the enterprise by building strong, credibility-based relationships, facilitating productive dialogue, and respectfully challenging assumptions to drive sound decision-making. The Project Manager is a key driver of success for high-profile, business-critical projects. The ideal candidate will have success in managing and delivering multiple projects within a complex and rapidly changing environment and the ability to provide business consulting services including systems and data conversions that result from mergers and acquisitions. The ideal candidate is an expert in the following areas: Relationship Management, Project Management, and Leadership.

Relationship Manager

• Serve as relationship manager and point of escalation for Baird’s back-office technology provider.
• Facilitate the resolution of issues and prioritize Baird’s needs with this technology partner.
• Develop and maintain thorough understanding of the back-office platform and how it is utilized across Baird Operations and branches.
• Influence the vendors’ roadmap so that it aligns with Baird’s long-term strategic roadmap.
• Ensure firm users stay abreast of system enhancements and modifications.
• Facilitate and coordinate industry testing and partner with business users related to work requests.

Project Management

• Engage with project sponsors and owners to clearly define business objectives, project deliverables, project structure, and milestones.
• Work with leaders across the organization (within our businesses and corporate resource groups) to define project teams, including the formation of relevant working groups and oversight committees that support each initiative.
• Leverage professional skills and best practices (e.g., project & presentation tools, project methodologies) that help align team members around a common vision.
• Create business scenarios, process flow mappings, project requirements, test plans, trainings, and procedures.
• Provide business and technical expertise to ensure execution aligns with business needs.
• Identify and communicate project risks and impediments and proactively work with other members of the team to complete high-value deliverables as identified by business partners and leadership.
• Ensure the project teams make decisions that align with Baird’s firm culture and client-centric focus.
• Engage leaders at Baird’s third-party vendors to define expectations and deliverables, where needed.
• Partner with the Strategic Change Office and other Project Managers within Baird and outside of Baird as needed.

Business Consultant

• Drive business outcomes and make recommendations that both deliver on project objectives and strengthen existing business objectives.
• Consult with Baird and industry peers as well as branch associates as needed to ensure we obtain the best outcome.
• Ensure new recurring responsibilities created from projects are clearly identified and owned by the right teams across the organization.

Leadership

• Exhibit extensive knowledge of current and emerging project management practices and apply them in projects.
• Evaluate the project structure of external partners and influence/adapt as needed to ensure a successful outcome.
• Evoke creative and innovative thinking from team members and mentor and coach project participants to build knowledge and skills.
• Act as a role model in developing relationships across the organization, our external partners, and industry peers.
• Actively participate in team-building efforts within the Enterprise Initiatives Department.