Project Manager - Microsoft Services

CompuNet is seeking a Project Manager in Boise, ID to join our Microsoft practice, an experienced team of Technical Sales Specialists, Architects, Engineers, and Adoption Specialists delivering consulting and professional services. As Project Manager, you will be responsible for the successful management of Microsoft projects, contributing to the delivery of customer outcomes, adhering to applicable Microsoft Partner Program requirements, and supporting the long-term growth of CompuNet's Microsoft business.

Using principles of matrix management, this role will handle planning and logistics for the Microsoft practice's active projects – from set-up to closeout – and work with varying subgroups of Microsoft Architects, Engineers, and Adoption Specialists to develop deliverables and/or produce strategic outcomes for our customers. This position will also work with Microsoft Technical Sales Specialists [from Business Development] to align Microsoft investment funding opportunities to projects and ensure the 'Proof of Execution' requirements are met during appropriate points within each project to secure funding.

On occasion, the Project Manager, Microsoft Services will be asked to collaborate with the Microsoft field sellers and specialists who helped sponsor and scope the projects. In these cases, the Project Manager will need to communicate regularly with Microsoft and involve them as part of the project team.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

The Project Manager, Microsoft Services will report to the Senior Manager of Project Management and work closely with Microsoft practice leadership to ensure successful and on-time delivery of Microsoft projects and program fulfillment demands. As demand for this role increases, opportunities for growth may include leading a team of Microsoft-focused project managers and/or expansion into other areas of Service Portfolio as new offerings are defined. A successful Project Manager, Microsoft Services will be able to:

• Display effective organization skills in planning, coordinating, and managing multiple projects (within the same customer or with multiple customers), while working within potential resource constraints and addressing competing priorities.
• Demonstrate attention to detail in the customization of deliverable templates and creation of project support materials, often developed in CompuNet's brand or a specific customer brand.
• Proofread and contribute content to project deliverables, ensuring they meet quality standards and customer expectations as outlined in the Statement of Work (SOW).
• Collaborate with the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Technical Sales Specialists to understand [and monitor changes to] Microsoft's incentive and investment funding programs and partnership requirements. For each applicable project, guarantee the completion of all milestones and necessary documentation to receive program funding.
• Ensure predictable, consistent, and high-quality project delivery across all active customer projects, while adhering to industry best practices.
• Exhibit proactive behavior by engaging with Project Administrators and/or Service Delivery Managers to:
  • Ensure the correct setup of project tickets and hours budgets in ConnectWise,
  • Efficiently manage project budgets, expenses, and resources to meet delivery targets, and
  • Close out project phases and deliver customer invoices.
• Develop trusted working relationships and promote team building — ultimately leading to clear expectations and a balanced workload between the Project Manager, Architects, Engineers, and the customer's technical team.
• Show the value of effective project management through action; encourage consistent and meaningful utilization of the project management role on Microsoft Services projects.
• Work with minimal supervision – management will be provided by the Senior Manager of Project Management with support and direction from the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Managing Director of Service Portfolio.
• Complete recurring project planning and management activities, including but not limited to:
  • Hosting internal and customer-facing project kickoff meetings.
  • Defining project governance – outlining roles, responsibilities, levels of decision-making, and a clearly defined escalation path for risks and issues.
  • Defining project success criteria – ensuring alignment between CompuNet and the customer.
  • Creating and maintaining project plans – understanding the purpose, scope, and sequence of the project; converting understanding into a consolidated timeline highlighting major milestones, deliverables, and associated dates for project activities.
  • Identifying and communicating inter- and intra- project dependencies and impacts.
  • Overseeing project scheduling, coordination, and logistics, including participant identification and the development/distribution of communications plans.
  • Developing biweekly status reports and participating in status meetings – proactively communicating project progress, planned activities, risks, and issues on an on-going basis, ensuring transparency, and alignment to customer expectations.
  • Mitigate 'scope creep' by enforcing project boundaries agreed upon in the SOW and, when necessary, facilitate the development and approval of Project Change Requests.
• Conduct weekly status meetings with CompuNet project teams to document recent accomplishments and upcoming activities, track actual performance against project plans and budgets, analyze variances, and identify potential risks, issues, and resource conflicts.
• Conduct post-project reviews and lessons learned sessions to capture insights and improve project delivery processes.

Travel Expectations

• Able to travel up to 20% (an average of 1 trip per month).

Education & Experience

Minimum Requirements

• Able to effectively guide an organization through a significant Microsoft 365 licensing change – interact with end users as they adapt to new tools or processes and address technical or organizational challenges that arise during the change management process.
• Provide evidence of engaging and communicating with an organization's key stakeholders as they aligned their Microsoft 365 licensing strategy with business goals.
• Ability to identify potential risks related to the licensing change (e.g., user access, service interruptions) and develop mitigation strategies.
• Bachelor's degree in a business-related field or 4 years of work experience.
• 1 to 3 years of previous project management and/or relevant consulting experience.
• Knowledge of and demonstrated experience in project management processes and methodologies, as well as program lifecycles.

Preferred Experience

• Proficiency in Microsoft 365 subscription types (including Enterprise and Frontline) and how they fit an organization's needs.
• Knowledge of relevant regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) and how they impact Microsoft 365 licensing decisions.
• Familiarity with licensing, user management, and security configurations within the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
• Experience assessing impacts of the licensing changes, post-implementation, and ensuring that everything aligns with business objectives.
• Knowledge of the changing demands of Microsoft Partner Programs and/or experience adhering to their funding requirements from a project delivery perspective.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent project management credentials.
• Agile project management methodology certification or training (such as CSM, PMI-ACP, AgilePM, etc.).
• Experience driving projects with a duration of 3 to 12 months with many stakeholders, participants, and a high degree of complexity.
• Experience working in a matrix-management model with cross-functional teams, multiple leaders, and dynamic roles.
• Career experience in a position with detailed time accounting and billable hours requirements.

Desired Skills & Abilities

• Self-motivated with the ability to manage time and be self-directed.
• Demonstrate critical thinking and the ability to bring order to unstructured problems.
• Seek out and embrace opportunities which provide exposure to different situations, people, industries, environments, and perspectives.
• Strong communication, presentation, interpersonal relationship, and team building skills.
• Able to read situations and modify behavior to build quality relationships.
• Ability to be decisive – responding efficiently and effectively in stressful environments, occasionally created by IT downtimes and system outages.
• Intermediate to advanced user of the Microsoft Suite (Microsoft 365) and SmartSheet for the creation and customization of deliverables and project plans.
• Familiar with ConnectWise Manage for project tracking, time and expenses entry, and budget management.
• An understanding of and experience with basic accounting principles.