This job has expired, please see additional jobs below
Project Manager/Scrum Master
Pearson
Boston, MA, United States
Job Details - this job has expired, please see similar jobs below
Description
At Pearson, we’re committed to a world that’s always learning and to our talented team who makes it all possible. From bringing lectures vividly to life to turning textbooks into laptop lessons, we are always re-examining the way people learn best, whether it’s one child in our own backyard or an education community across the globe. We are bold thinkers and standout innovators who motivate each other to explore new frontiers in an environment that supports and inspires us to always be better. By pushing the boundaries of technology — and each other to surpass these boundaries — we create seeds of learning that become the catalyst for the world’s innovations, personal and global, large and small.
Project Manager/Scrum Master
Pearson offers an exciting Project Manager/Scrum Master position within our Learning Services Technology (LST) team. The LST team is responsible for the delivery of shared services and next-generation learning platforms for K-12 students and teachers (such as Realize), mobile learning applications (such as Realize Reader), as well as shared services leveraged across platforms. These innovative platforms and applications provide premium content to help teachers enhance their instructional materials. In addition to searchable pre-loaded curriculum and assessments, teachers also are able to upload their own course content as well as create tests for students. Also, many platforms are tablet-compatible for in-classroom and at-home use, and also offers class management and reporting capabilities for teachers.
The Project Manager/Scrum Master role will serve as a project management lead for the development of shared services that are integrated and leveraged across platforms, as well as work to support the platforms and applications themselves. This position will be responsible for:
• Directly managing projects and leading onshore and offshore scrum teams in the delivery of software iterations
• Managing fixed-fid delivery projects with internal and external project team members
• Development of integrated project plans in accordance with roadmaps, including collaboration with the Product Owner, Technical Product Manager, and other key team members in development of plans (resource planning, release planning, timeline & milestone development, task assignments)
• Managing execution against plans
• Management of dependencies across teams in the development and implementation of shared services
• Developing status reports and dashboards, including metrics-informed analysis
• Working across teams/disciplines to ensure release readiness and quality deployments
The Project Manager/Scrum Master is responsible for the overall project success and provides leadership in the delivery of Pearson products and services to our customers.
The Project Manager/Scrum Master must demonstrate mastery level of competence in the following nine responsibility areas:
Integration Management
• Develop Project Management Plans which integrate the requirements and activities addressing the management of project scope, schedule, cost, quality, human resources, communications, risk and procurement in accordance with the PPL-PM (Pearson's Process Library for Program Management), or the appropriate product line process library.
• Execute all phases of the project as described in the Project Management Plan.
• Implement project change control to ensure that proposed changes are reviewed for acceptance and that project documents remain current.
Scope Management
• Work with internal and/or external customers, Product Owner, and Business Analyst to gather detailed project requirements and associated contract obligations and deliverables.
• Manage internal/external customer expectations, documenting any requested changes. Evaluate any requested changes for impact on scope, cost, schedule and risk, and communicate these impacts to all stakeholders.
• Develop work breakdown structure to effectively capture project specific requirements for use in controlling and monitoring project scope, schedule, and cost.
Schedule Management
• Develop project schedule in sufficient detail to address contract deliverables and obligations, applicable milestones, and the critical path using specific scheduling software in accordance with the PPL-PM, or the appropriate product line process library.
• Monitor project schedules, evaluating any changes for impact on other project constraints and communicating updates to all affected stakeholders. When milestones are missed, develop mitigation strategies needed to recover the project schedule.
Cost Management
• Develop the project budget providing sufficient detail to facilitate monitoring of ongoing project costs.
• Monitor project costs, forecast future spending and reconcile variances.
Quality Management
• Utilize the standards and processes contained in PPL-PM, or the appropriate product line process library, in all phases of the project.
• Develop and analyze metrics to monitor project performance against established standards. Develop improvement plans.
• Conduct project reviews to identify and address issues, opportunities for improvement, lessons learned and best practices.
Human Resource Management
• Ensure that each team member clearly understands project requirements and assigned project responsibilities.
• Mentor team members. Motivate team to success and give recognition for results. Exhibit sound and accurate decision making; serve as expert resource for problem solving.
• Provide guidance to project team members on available training and tools needed to perform assigned responsibilities.
• Resolve conflicts within the project team and with interface personnel.
• Provide performance feedback of team members, if in a supervisory role.
Communication Management
• Establish and maintain the project central repository and provide access to shared project files.
• Conduct customer, supplier and internal team meetings to ensure a detailed understanding and agreement on project requirements by all stakeholders and participants.
• Routinely communicate project status to stakeholders through status meetings and other correspondence.
Risk Management
• Develop risk management plan addressing opportunities, best practices, risks and issues, or threats. Maintain risk management plan.
• Monitor project risks, assessing the impact of new or increased risks and developing mitigation plans.
Procurement Management
• Document material (raw, unfinished, printed, etc.) forecasts, procurement, and processing requirements.
• Manage suppliers and subcontractors ensuring that project scope, schedule, costs and communication channels are documented, observed and well understood.
Qualifications
Skills and Abilities
Demonstrated proficiency in the use of MS Office, MS Project, MS PowerPoint, Google Documents and other software and email tools typically used by Project Management professionals at Pearson.
Proficiency with utilizing Atlassian products (JIRA, Confluence) strongly preferred for software iteration and scrum team management.
Demonstrated exceptional attention to detail.
Strong planning, organizational and leadership skills. Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to manage projects in a demanding and changing environment.
Strong project management skills, including the ability to create project plans, prioritize work and meet deadlines.
Demonstrated, applied experience establishing and delivering complex projects.
Understanding of team dynamics and ability to foster a positive team environment.
Education and Certifications
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.
Three or more years of project management related experience required, with particular emphasis on iterative software development methodologies (Agile, Scrum).
Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, Certified Scrum Master (CSM) certification, or equivalent required.
Knowledge and Experience
Experience in information technology strongly desired.
Experience in the educational marketplace preferred for work in educational assessment programs.
Experience in an Agile onshore-offshore hybrid model.
Experience executing projects in an integrated, shared services-oriented environment and architecture.
Working knowledge of Scaled Agile Framework preferred.
Physical Demands & Work Environment
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.
• This position is located within an office environment and consists of many hours sitting at a computer.
• Travel may be required periodically; travel is estimated at 5-30% of the Project Manager's time.