Technical Project Manager

This position is located onsite in Detroit, MI.

Job Description

As a Technical Project Manager, you will own the delivery of a portfolio of complex, cross-functional software and IT programs. You will be the primary point of contact for customers on contract execution and a trusted partner to executives and internal stakeholders. You are an experienced program leader who understands technical language, can hold your own in architecture and engineering discussions, and can turn business strategy into executable plans. You will also mentor project managers and help shape how we deliver.

Responsibilities

• Program & Portfolio Leadership
• Direct the daily execution of multiple large-scale programs, making sure cost, schedule, quality, and performance objectives are met.
• Lead cross-functional teams across engineering, product, IT, security, and customer success.
• Develop and manage integrated program plans, roadmaps, schedules, budgets, and resource allocations.
• Prioritize competing initiatives and dependencies across the portfolio, and give leadership clear trade-off recommendations.
• Monitor program performance and provide regular status updates to senior management.
• Customer & Stakeholder Leadership
• Serve as the primary customer contact on all matters related to contract execution.
• Communicate, coordinate, and collaborate effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
• Represent the organization at customer reviews, program meetings, seminars, and management briefings.
• Work with internal departments to resolve contractual, technical, and programmatic issues.
• Technical Leadership
• Translate business strategy and customer needs into technical requirements and delivery plans.
• Take part in architecture and design reviews, assess feasibility, and challenge estimates and assumptions.
• Oversee technical documentation, QA, UAT, release management, and change management.
• Guide delivery using Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid approaches, depending on program needs.
• Manage strategic vendors, SaaS providers, and implementation partners.
• Business Development & Proposal Support
• Serve as a team leader in bid and proposal activities.
• Make sure RFP requirements are accurately addressed in proposals.
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities in coordination with Sales.
• Support contract and subcontract negotiations while ensuring compliance with regulations and company policies.
• Financial Management
• Own program budgets and forecasts, including labor, materials, travel, and purchased services.
• Track performance against milestones and objectives, and implement corrective action plans when budget or schedule deviations occur.
• Escalate critical schedule, budget, or performance concerns to senior leadership when necessary.
• Risk, Security & Governance
• Identify, assess, monitor, and mitigate program risks throughout the lifecycle, including technical, security, and compliance risks.
• Make sure programs comply with company policies, applicable regulatory requirements, and security frameworks such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, or HIPAA where relevant.
• Obtain management approval before implementing decisions that may affect cost, schedule, or scope.
• Ensure timely project closeout and proper documentation of contractual obligations.
• Performance & Continuous Improvement
• Define leading and lagging performance indicators and report KPIs to executives.
• Establish and improve program management standards, templates, and governance practices.
• Coach and mentor project managers and team leads.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, or a related field. An MBA is preferred.
• 10+ years of project or program management experience, including at least 5 years leading complex technical programs in IT or software environments.
• Proven record of delivering large, cross-functional programs with significant budgets.
• Strong experience with budgeting, forecasting, scheduling, and risk management.
• Strong working knowledge of the software development life cycle, system architecture, cloud platforms, and IT infrastructure. You do not need to be a hands-on engineer, but you must be credible with technical leaders.
• Experience with Agile (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe) and Waterfall methodologies.
• Excellent communication skills, including presenting to executives and customers.
• PMP certification, or Agile certifications such as CSM, PMI-ACP, or SAFe.
• Experience with Jira, Confluence, and MS Project.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and DevOps practices.
• Experience in vendor management, contract negotiation, and proposal support.
• Experience building or leading a PMO.