Role: Cybersecurity Project Manager
Duration: 06 months, possibility of CTH
Location: Chicago, IL 60604 - Work Model: Hybrid
 
Additional Notes:
Top Qualifications

• Cybersecurity Familiarity:
  • Must know cybersecurity terminology and lingo, or
  • Have related experience (e.g., audit, risk, IT governance) that shows capacity to learn and communicate cybersecurity concepts.
  • Experience with cybersecurity domains (preferred):
    • Identity Authentication and Authorization (IAA)
    • Privileged Access Management (PAM)
    • Identity Governance and Administration (IGA)
• Industry Background:
  • 10+ years overall experience
  • Some experience in financial services or insurance required
  • Government-only experience not preferred
• Project Management Experience:
  • True Senior Project Manager (not Program Manager, despite title)
  • Must have project ownership and budget management experience
  • PMP certification preferred (strong differentiator if all else is equal)

Key Skills & Capabilities

• Communication:
  • Ability to translate technical content into business-friendly language
  • Strong interpersonal skills with both engineers and executives
  • Skilled at creating status reports that are readable at CIO/CEO level
• Tools Experience:
  • Preferred: Azure DevOps (ADO) or Azure Boards
  • JIRA or similar tools are acceptable; willingness to learn ADO is fine
• Project and Budget Management:
  • Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects
  • Budget responsibilities range from $500K to $3M
  • Involvement in annual planning, including resource forecasting and rate planning

Preferred Candidate Profiles

• Candidates with cybersecurity PM experience
• Candidates with audit/risk/GRC PM experience, especially involving IT
• Candidates from regulated industries (finance/insurance preferred over government)
• Candidates who can demonstrate learning agility in security topics

 
Role Description:

• The client is seeking a Cybersecurity Project Manager to drive execution of strategic cybersecurity projects in support of one or more of our key cybersecurity control areas: Privileged Access Management (PAM), Identity Governance and Administration (IGA), Identity Authentication and Authorization (IAA), and Data Protection (DP.)
• This role is accountable for successful project delivery of highly visible, mission-critical projects.

 
Project Delivery:

• Lead global teams consisting of technical and non-technical employees and consultants to drive successful execution of strategic cybersecurity projects and programs.
• Partner with key business and technology stakeholders to define expected project benefits and outcomes and ensure successful achievement through project completion.
• Identify, assess, and manage project risks, issues, and dependencies to ensure successful project completion.
• Develop project schedules including effort estimates and task sequences and assignments and ensure they are adhered to; ensure projects are optimally sequenced and coordinated for efficiency.
• Lead resolution of conflicts or escalations in support of project or program delivery.
• Create and submit project/program status reports that are accurate and comply with team guidelines.
• Establish and maintain project artifact repository; review project deliverables to ensure quality and ensure project adheres to internal software delivery methodology.

 
Communication and Stakeholder Management:

• Develop project charters; develop and execute project communication plans.
• Facilitate engagement with cross-impacted technology and business stakeholders.
• Identify and execute approaches to resolve complex problems through critical thinking

 
Change/Risk Management:

• Define and document project scope and ensure scope alignment to project objectives and goals.
• Perform and follow project change control procedures for scope, resources, and financials where required.
• Ensure adherence to technology Change Management requirements and procedures or system implementations.

 
Financial Management
Oversee financial management and performance for projects including:

• Developing and/or managing project-specific capital and expense budgets including all financial form submissions required by internal finance teams
• preparing and submitting timely monthly forecasts (i.e., Clarity PPM) proactively analyzing and managing monthly budget variance optimizing spend for assigned projects participation in annual budget planning

 
Staff Management:

• Identify project resource needs and work with leadership to ensure staffing requirements are met
• Manage project resources to deliver tasks, optimize resource utilization and resolve conflicts.
• Provide constructive performance feedback regarding staff performance to leadership and line managers.
• Foster a supportive project delivery environment that encourages participation, teamwork, and collaboration.

 
Knowledge, Skills & Experience Required:

• A successful candidate for the role will have at least 10 years of overall experience including in Financial Services industry, with at least 5 years’ experience leading and managing high-visibility technology projects. Additionally, the candidate will posses:
• Cybersecurity Project Management Experience – leading and driving execution of cybersecurity projects related to Identity & Access Management (i.e., Privileged Access Management (PAM), Identity Governance and Administration (IGA), Identity Authentication and Authorization (IAA)), Data Protection, Security Operations, or Attack Surface Management.
• Organizational Savvy – experience working within a matrixed organization to drive delivery of complex projects involving multiple disciplines.
• Problem Solving Skills – ability to handle ambiguous or complex issues including ability to identify creative resolution paths and gaining necessary alignment and support from leadership and stakeholders to bring to resolution.
• Superior Communication Skills– ability to articulate ideas and information verbally and in writing for varying audiences.
• Initiative – evidence that they take initiative at suggesting improvements and anticipating the needs of leadership, program stakeholders and team members.
• Organizational Skills – able to handle multiple simultaneous work deliverables and prioritize them accordingly.
• Delivery Mindset – has a delivery mindset with a bias for action, curiosity to learn, challenge, and enhance processes.
• Expert Analytical Skills – able to assemble data and analyze patterns, trends and draw conclusions and recommendations; rely on data to guide decisions.
• Financial Management Experience - managing project budgets up between $250K to $3M and comprised of internal and external labor.
• Knowledge of and experience working in software delivery lifecycle methodologies (e.g., Agile/ Scrum, Waterfall, etc.)
• Experience in demand & capacity management

 
Proficiency with:

• Project planning tools such as: MS Project, Azure DevOps (ADO) Boards, or similar
• Clarity PPM for project financial and status reporting (or similar)
• Collaboration tools such as: Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), MS Teams
• Reporting tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or similar data reporting and analytics tools.
• A College or University degree; MBA or relevant advance degree a plus.
• Current PMP certification strongly preferred, but not required.

 
 
At SPECTRAFORCE, we are committed to maintaining a workplace that ensures fair compensation and wage transparency in adherence with all applicable state and local laws. This position’s starting pay is: $ 80.00/hr.