Senior Project Manager

defi SOLUTIONS is a pioneer in end‑to‑end, SaaS loan originations, servicing, and managed servicing solutions. Our customers include the highest‑volume captive auto lenders, banks, credit unions, and finance companies in North America. With more than three decades of experience, we help lenders reduce time‑to‑market, streamline operations, and improve customer lending processes with proven, scalable performance.

About the Role

defi SOLUTIONS is seeking an experienced Project Manager for its Project Management Office. The ideal candidate has a strong, demonstrated history of executing successful project‑management practices in a large, complex business environment delivering mission‑critical services. This staff‑level position supports day‑to‑day execution of project‑management activities, ensuring predictable, consistent, and successful delivery of detailed project plans, coordinating and monitoring engagements of all sizes, managing client expectations and deliverables, and meeting budgetary guidelines. The Project Manager will apply enterprise standards, produce metrics and reporting, and align product development and delivery with the company’s business strategy.

Responsibilities

• Provide experienced project management, applying the appropriate knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to efficiently manage the different project phases, including initiating, planning, executing, implementing and closing.
• Employ personal experience, subject‑matter expertise and lessons learned from previous engagements to define key project deliverables and milestones and identify the tasks required to achieve the desired outcome.
• Develop detailed project plans that define scope, schedule and budget, working across departments to ensure all requirements are satisfied within project and budgetary constraints.
• Work with key stakeholders to create integrated project plans focused on attaining outlined goals and manage progress and budget to ensure key milestones are achieved.
• Compare and report actual performance against planned/scheduled performance.
• Manage and review the work of third‑party vendors or partners to ensure acceptable deliverables.
• Proactively identify and resolve issues to keep the project on track.
• Execute efficient internal and client‑facing communications with all levels within the team.
• Continuously monitor and report on project progress to stakeholders and present routine reports defining progress, risks, issues and resolutions.
• Create and maintain prescribed project‑related artifacts in accordance with enterprise PDLC standards and governance model.
• Provide presentations and written/verbal updates to executive management.
• Assist internal teams in preparing new project requests for the portfolio governance process through concept, business case and approval phases.
• Execute project‑management work in approved enterprise tools, processes, templates, standards, and reporting formats.
• Carry out day‑to‑day project‑management activities in accordance with defined PMO rules, tools, processes and standards.
• Apply effective project‑management skills—including planning, organizing, decision‑making, delegation, teamwork, negotiation, conflict management, adaptability and stress tolerance.
• Employ advanced analytical, critical‑thinking and problem‑solving skills to resolve complex business problems.
• Handle multiple tasks, meet deadlines, and adapt to changing priorities with broad guidance and without direct supervision.
• Communicate project progress and outcomes clearly, concisely and accurately to leadership, steering groups, etc.
• Communicate verbally and in writing with confidence and expertise across all business levels, often as a change agent.
• Build trust‑based relationships with and influence other functional areas.
• Craft and articulate effective presentations to various audiences, including executive leadership.
• Compile and analyze data and translate analysis into meaningful, fact‑based conversations.
• Provide business visibility to enable defi to anticipate, proactively manage and mitigate risks to avoid program and client impacts.
• Coach and mentor associates, teams, product sponsors, managers and other stakeholders.

Travel: Business travel may be required; amount dependent upon business need and employee location.

Qualifications

• BS in Computer Science, Engineering or a comparable field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in project management, including delivering technology projects in a large, complex business environment.
• Established working knowledge of project‑management best practices and demonstrated experience working in accordance with standard project‑management rules, tools and processes.
• Proven thought leader who thinks strategically, communicates with influence, and builds trust‑based relationships.
• Proven experience operating in large, complex business environments, delivering mission‑critical services.

Skills

• Thought leader – brings new thinking to challenge existing operating models and processes and is excited about driving change.
• Change agent – ability to influence others and drive change across organizations with a strong passion for improvement.
• Strong communicator – able to convey complex problems and solutions in a simple, clear and concise manner; excellent at influencing through written, verbal and presentation skills.
• Relationship‑builder – skilled at building trust‑based relationships across teams, peers, subordinates and other business functions.
• Driven – results‑oriented with a proven track record of delivering, possessing the character, energy and determination to achieve successful outcomes.
• Sound decision‑maker – capable of working with broad guidance, managing multiple priorities and making well‑reasoned decisions in ambiguous or incomplete‑information environments.
• Accountable – takes ownership of results; has a firm sense of responsibility for outcomes with solid program‑management skills.
• Fast learner – quickly builds business knowledge and demonstrates learning agility; adapts rapidly to change and develops a sound understanding of complex environments.