Senior Project Manager (Part-Time)

About the Role

In support of the Illinois Tollway's strategic vision, the Senior Project Manager oversees the planning, execution, and delivery of complex business and technology initiatives. This role is responsible for leading cross-functional teams, managing stakeholder relationships, driving continuous improvement efforts, and ensuring projects are delivered on time, within scope, and within budget.

The Senior Project Manager serves as a trusted advisor to leadership, providing strategic project oversight, risk management, governance, and communication across multiple concurrent initiatives. The ideal candidate combines strong project management expertise with exceptional stakeholder engagement and organizational skills.

This is a part-time, hybrid position supporting the Illinois Tollway. The selected candidate will work primarily from the Illinois Tollway Headquarters in Downers Grove, IL, with a hybrid work schedule. Specific work hours will be determined in coordination with the hiring manager and project needs.

Responsibilities

• Lead the successful delivery of multiple concurrent business and technology projects from initiation through implementation and closure.
• Design, plan, mobilize, direct, and monitor all aspects of project delivery, including requirements gathering, project planning, resource allocation, budgeting, scheduling, risk management, and status reporting.
• Develop and maintain detailed project schedules, project plans, work breakdown structures, and project documentation.
• Facilitate project meetings, steering committee meetings, stakeholder workshops, and executive presentations.
• Track project milestones, deliverables, risks, issues, and dependencies while ensuring projects remain aligned with business objectives.
• Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate risks that may impact project scope, schedule, cost, or quality.
• Coordinate activities among business stakeholders, technical teams, vendors, consultants, and leadership.
• Establish and maintain effective communication channels with stakeholders across all levels of the organization.
• Develop and deliver executive-level project status reports, dashboards, and communication materials.
• Support business process improvement and organizational change initiatives.
• Create, revise, and improve project management processes, standards, and governance practices to promote efficiency and effectiveness.
• Manage project budgets, resource forecasts, and capacity planning activities.
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies, project governance standards, and project management best practices.
• Maintain a high degree of confidentiality and professionalism when handling sensitive information.
• Complete special projects and other duties as assigned by leadership.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of project management experience leading complex business and/or IT initiatives.
• 5+ years of experience managing enterprise-level technology projects.
• Experience managing multiple concurrent projects with competing priorities and deadlines.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams and coordinating diverse stakeholder groups.
• Strong experience with project planning, budgeting, scheduling, resource management, and risk mitigation.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams, and SharePoint.
• Experience using project management tools such as Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Jira, Azure DevOps, or similar platforms.
• Excellent communication, presentation, facilitation, and organizational skills.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Ability to work independently and effectively within a collaborative team environment.

Education (Preferred)

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, information technology, management, engineering, or a related field; or equivalent combination of education and professional experience.

Pay

• Competitive hourly compensation of $50-$60 per hour, commensurate with experience