Project Manager, Sr.

Position Summary

The Project Manager, Sr, is responsible for leading end-to-end implementations of new Taft-Hartley clients and lines of business. The Project Manager, Sr will own the full life cycle—from discovery and requirements through configuration, data conversion, parallel runs and transition to operations—ensuring union trusts, board of trustees, plan sponsors, employer groups and participants receive a seamless, compliant go-live.

The Project Manager, Sr will partner cross-functionally—Operations, IT, Eligibility, Contributions, Claims, Pension/Annuity, Compliance, Call Center, Finance, and Client Services—to stand up services across health & welfare, retirement, and ancillary benefits for multi-employer plans, with laser focus on quality, governance and stakeholder trust.

"Has minimum necessary access to Protected Health Information (PHI) and Personally Identifiable Information (PII) by Job Description/Role."

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Program Leadership & Governance

• Leads decisively - aligning people, resources, priorities, and risks to consistently deliver outcomes on time and on budget despite complexity and challenges.
• Lead multiple concurrent new-business implementations (medium to complex scale) using a disciplined PMO methodology.
• Establish project governance: RAID logs, stage gates, change control, steering, and executive reporting.
• Create and manage detailed project plans, work breakdown structures, resource forecasts, and budgets.
• Conduct client and project kickoffs, status meetings, vendor coordination, and go-live planning. 
• Ensure all workstreams (Operations, IT, etc.) progress on schedule.
• Coordinate cross-functional resources and resolve dependency challenges.
• Keep track, validate, and report on project budget for both internal and external resources (i.e. Internal time tracking, system vendor hours) 

Client & Stakeholder Management

• Partner with Client Services to manage client expectations and communications during the implementation project.
• Facilitate discovery sessions to translate plan documents, trust rules, CBAs, reciprocity agreements, and administrative policies into system and business requirements.
• Build and maintain stakeholder communications—status reports, dashboards, and executive briefings.

Solution Design & Configuration

• Oversee configuration for eligibility rules, contribution remittance, reciprocal clearing, benefit plans, vesting/service credit, pension formulas, COBRA and COB rules, adjudication workflows, and overall operational workflows.
• Coordinate integrations: vendors, employer portals, contribution gateways, banking/lockbox, imaging, member portals, SSO, and reporting.
• Ensure reporting and letter requirements are met.

Data Conversion & Quality

• Govern data migration for member demographics, eligibility history, contribution records, reciprocity, service credit, claims, pension records, and historical transactions.
• Define and enforce data validation checks, reconciliation routines, and conversion controls.
• Run parallel testing and cutover plans with clear entry/exit criteria.

Testing & Readiness

• Partner with Operational SMEs who own test strategy, test execution and Operational readiness deliverables (SOPs, job aids, knowledge transfer, call center scripts, SLAs, and staffing plans)
• Ensure all testing phases (unit, system, integration, UAT, parallel runs) are completed successfully, on schedule and meet quality standards.
• Validate that entry/exit criteria for testing and cutover are met before go-live.
• Execute go-live and hypercare, ensuring KPIs stabilize and ownership transitions smoothly to Operations.

Risk, Compliance & Controls

• Ensure adherence to ERISA, HIPAA, PHI/PII, DOL, CMS, and plan document requirements.
• Implement audit trails, control points, and compliance reporting; prepare for trustee and external audits.
• Proactively identify project risks and implement mitigation strategies.

Continuous Improvement

• Capture lessons learned, standardize templates/playbooks, and contribute to PMO maturity.
• Identify opportunities to streamline onboarding, reduce cycle time, and improve client NPS.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree level in business, computer science or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years’ project leadership experience, including 5+ years leading complex implementations at a Third-Party Administrator, trust administrator, healthcare/pension benefits provider.
• Proven experience with data conversion, system configuration, and integration management in a regulated environment.
• Demonstrated success managing executive stakeholders and board-level reporting.
• Proficiency with project tools (Smartsheet, Jira/Confluence, SharePoint, Power BI, and the Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc.).
• Strong command of PM practices (scope, schedule, budget, risk, change control, communication).
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and negotiation skills; able to simplify complex topics.
• A proven track record in developing strong, skillful, effective cross-functional IT project teams with excellent customer service orientation.
• Excellent coaching, mentoring and conflict management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification.
• Understanding of Taft-Hartley multi-employer plan administration across Health & Welfare, and Pension/Annuity.

*Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee of this job.  Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Working Conditions/Physical Effort

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times.
• Normal degree of physical effort in a typical office environment with comfortable, constant temperatures and absence of objectionable elements.
• Overnight travel may be required.
• Remote work may be required.
• May be subject to interruptions.
• Must be able to have flexible work schedule when workflow requires.
• Meet established attendance and punctuality guidelines.

Disability Accommodation

Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable federal and state law, it is the policy of Zenith American Solutions to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability, unless such accommodation would cause an undue hardship. The policy regarding requests for reasonable accommodation applies to all aspects of employment, including the application process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact the Recruiting Department at recruiting@zenith-american.com, and we would be happy to assist you.

Zenith American Solutions

Real People. Real Solutions. National Reach. Local Expertise.

We are currently looking for a dedicated, energetic employee with the necessary skills, initiative, and personality, along with the desire to get the most out of their working life, to help us be our best every day.

Zenith American Solutions is the largest independent Third Party Administrator in the United States and currently operates over 44 offices nationwide. The original entity of Zenith American has been in business since 1944. Our company was formed as the result of a merger between Zenith Administrators and American Benefit Plan Administrators in 2011. By combining resources, best practices and scale, the new organization is even stronger and better than before.

We believe the best way to realize our better systems for better service philosophy is to hire the best employees. We're always looking for talented individuals who share our dedication to high-quality work, exceptional service and mutual respect. If you're interested in working in an environment where people - employees and clients - really matter, consider bringing your talents to Zenith American!

We realize the importance a comprehensive benefits program to our employees and their families. As part of our total compensation package, we offer an array of benefits including health, vision, and dental coverage, a retirement savings 401(k) plan with company match, paid time off (PTO), great opportunities for growth, and much, much more!