Role: Cloud Implementation Project Manager

Are you a problem solver, explorer, and knowledge seeker – always asking, “What if?” 

If so, then you may be the new team member we’re looking for. Because at SAS, your curiosity matters – whether you’re developing algorithms, creating customer experiences or answering critical questions. Curiosity is our code, and the opportunities here are endless. 

What we do  

We’re the leader in analytics. Through our software and services, we inspire customers around the world to transform data into intelligence. Our curiosity fuels innovation, pushing boundaries, challenging the status quo, and changing the way we live. 

What you’ll do

As a Cloud Implementation Project Manager, you will support the overall account strategy in the areas of ensuring delivery engagement quality and achieving high customer satisfaction.  You will regularly interact with external clients/customers, staff, management, and applicable departments at SAS, and your daily focus is cloud service delivery excellence – and elimination of tasks that detract from that focus.

Primary Responsibilities:

Cloud implementation project managers focus on the lifecycle responsibilities from contract signature through initiation, build, burn-in, and transition to operations for ongoing cloud support. 

• Maintain a service-delivery focus leveraging cloud expertise and the ability to differentiate nuances of SAS solutions.
• Assumes fiscal responsibility for the projects, including managing budget, expense management, timely invoicing, receivables tracking and monitoring /managing subcontractor expenses.
• Understand Customer’s hosting requirements​.
• Manages SAS Software implementation projects throughout the project life cycle.
• Initiate the environment delivery process.
• Manage expectations, scope, and change.
• Coordinate with technical teams to build out the customer environment swiftly and correctly.
• Build expertise on cloud deliveries, service catalog tasks, and ServiceNow to enable efficient deliveries​.
• Monitor project financials and take actions to limit costs while meeting commitments​.
• Keep stakeholders apprised of the project status.
• Escalate issues to meet commitments and reasonable customer expectations​.
• Ensure Customer and/or Professional Services are onboarded successfully​.
• Transition environment to CSDMs as each is operational​.
• Lead upgrade and migration efforts for operational projects​.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Perform analysis of business and user needs, document requirements, determine a strategy and develop a plan/proposal for delivery of the project which leads to a client's adoption and improved efficiency or effectiveness.
• Advise clients on solution adoption and integration into business processes based on a solid understanding of client businesses, industries, regulatory environments and markets.
• Drive success while overcoming barriers and satisfying staff, management and stakeholder commitments.
• Facilitate client/customer steering committees related to the broader aspects of the program/project being implemented.
• Resolve issues between the project and other organizational units in a satisfactory manner, engaging management as necessary.
• Communicate project goals to those outside the project and engage management or leadership in other units as needed to ensure customer success.
• Assure overall customer satisfaction through determination and attainment of project success criteria, engagement and discussions with customers and leadership.
• Attention to detail and accuracy - while maintaining a solid awareness of the ‘big picture’.
• Ability to communicate with global peers and management in a clear, straightforward and effective way.

• Support global external and internal customers negotiating any challenges presented by different cultures, work practices, and time zones
• Ability to work flexible business hours as required by global customers / business needs

• Build relationships with clients that characterize partnership, cooperation and trust.

What we’re looking for:

• Bachelor's degree in a business, marketing, or computer science-related field.
• Overall 10+ Years of Consulting, project or program management experience.
• 5+ years of experience in external, customer-facing project management role.
• Experience as a Cloud Project Manager in a software delivery or implementation.
• Ability to work flexible business hours as required by global customer / business needs.
• Able to meet the associated challenges of different cultures, work practices and time zones.

Additional Skills and Abilities:

• MS Project proficiency.
• Experience with JIRA, Service Now or similar ticketing system for services.
• Experience with Cloud project management in Microsoft Azure preferred.
• Knowledge of Project Management practice procedures and tools.
• Strong leadership, project management, communication and facilitation skills (including meeting content/agenda and proactive/creative management of issues).
• Good problem-solving, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent analytical and creative problem-solving skills.
• Ability to understand and translate complex technical and business information to internal/external audiences.

• Ability to communicate with global peers and management in a clear, straightforward and effective way.

• Travel as business needs dictate (up to 25%).

Preferences:

• Experience with full-cycle project management of software delivery projects in a hosted environment.
• Understanding of the software development life cycle.
• Current PMP certification.

Equivalency:

• Equivalent combination of education, training, and relevant experience may be considered in place of the requirements stated above.
• The level of this position will be determined based on the applicant's education, skills and experience.

Why SAS

• We’re the leader in analytics. Through our software and services, we inspire customers around the world to transform data into intelligence. Our curiosity fuels innovation, pushing boundaries, challenging the status quo and changing the way we live. 
• We love living the #saslife and believe that happy, healthy people have a passion for life, and bring that energy to work. No matter what your specialty or where you are in the world, your unique contributions will make a difference.   Our multi-dimensional culture blends our different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Here, it isn’t about fitting into our culture, it’s about adding to it - and we can’t wait to see what you’ll bring.
• SAS looks not only for the right skills, but also for a cultural fit. We seek colleagues who will contribute to the unique culture that makes SAS such a great place to work. We look for the total candidate: technical skills, culture fit, relationship skills, problem solvers, good communicators and, of course, innovators. Candidates must be ready to make an impact.