IT Project Manager - As Assigned

Farmer Mac is seeking an experienced IT Project Manager to lead complex technology projects from initiation through delivery. In addition to managing projects, the successful candidate will serve as Scrum Master for select IT teams and bring strong knowledge of Agile methodologies to help those teams deliver effectively. The candidate will manage several projects at the same time in a fast-paced environment, partner closely with business and technology stakeholders, and communicate clearly and effectively at all levels of the organization. This role is responsible for delivering projects on time, within budget, and in alignment with business objectives.

The People You Will Work With

The position will report directly to the Senior Vice President - Chief Information Officer. The role will collaborate with IT leadership, other project managers, business analysts, product owners, Finance, Operations, Business Development, Internal Audit, EPMO, Cybersecurity, Development, IT Infrastructure, business stakeholders, managed service providers, vendors, and consultants.

Where and When You Will Work

The position will be based at Farmer Mac's headquarters at 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, and remote candidates will be considered. Farmer Mac is a Presence with a Purpose work environment, providing flexibility while creating opportunities for teams to come together with purpose. Occasional work outside core hours may be required for planned or unplanned activities, time-sensitive projects, or project go-live and support events.

Primary Responsibilities and Duties

Responsibilities and essential job functions include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Project leadership: Lead complex, cross-functional technology projects through the full project lifecycle, including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, testing, go-live, and closure.
• Multi-project management: Manage several projects concurrently in a fast paced environment, balancing priorities, deadlines, dependencies, and available resources.
• Scrum Master responsibilities: Serve as Scrum Master for select IT teams, facilitating sprint planning, daily stand ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives, and coaching team members and product owners on Agile principles and practices.
• Backlog and sprint management: Partner with product owners and business analysts to maintain a prioritized backlog, support story refinement and sprint goals, and track team velocity, sprint progress, and delivery commitments.
• Impediment removal: Identify and remove obstacles that affect team delivery, escalate issues that cannot be resolved at the team level, and protect the team from scope churn and competing priorities.
• Scope, budget, and resource management: Define and manage project scope, budget, forecasts, and resource needs, and manage changes through established change control processes.
• Risk and issue management: Identify, track, and escalate project risks, issues, and dependencies, and drive timely mitigation and resolution.
• Stakeholder communication: Provide clear and timely communication to project sponsors, business stakeholders, and IT leadership, including regular status reports, executive updates, and steering committee materials.
• Vendor and partner management: Coordinate with vendors, managed service providers, and consultants to ensure deliverables, timelines, and commitments are met.
• Requirements and testing coordination: Work with business analysts, developers, and business users to confirm requirements, coordinate user acceptance testing, and manage release and go-live readiness.
• Governance and methodology: Apply Farmer Mac's project management standards and governance practices, including SDLC and EPMO processes, and tailor Waterfall, Agile, and hybrid approaches to each project while ensuring required approvals, documentation, and audit evidence are maintained.
• Project tracking tools: Maintain accurate project information, backlogs, sprint boards, work items, and reporting in the project management tools used by the team, such as Azure DevOps.
• Team leadership: Lead project teams and facilitate meetings, including status meetings, planning sessions, and retrospectives, to keep teams aligned and accountable for results.
• Agile practice improvement: Promote continuous improvement and Agile maturity across IT by sharing lessons learned, improving team processes, and helping teams adopt consistent Agile practices and metrics.

Desired Skills and Qualifications

• At least seven years of experience as an IT project manager, leading technology projects in a business or financial services environment.
• Proven ability to lead complex technology projects, including system implementations, upgrades, integrations, and process modernization efforts.
• Demonstrated ability to manage several projects at the same time in a fast-paced environment while meeting deadlines and maintaining quality.
• Strong working knowledge of project management methodologies, including Waterfall, Agile, and hybrid approaches, with the judgment to apply the right approach to each project.
• Strong knowledge of Agile methodologies, including Scrum and Kanban, with a strong understanding of Agile ceremonies, roles, artifacts, backlog management, user stories, acceptance criteria, estimation, and sprint planning.
• Hands on experience serving as a Scrum Master, including facilitating Scrum events, coaching teams and product owners, removing impediments, and driving continuous improvement.
• Experience using Agile metrics, such as velocity, burndown, and cycle time, to measure team performance and improve predictability of delivery.
• Ability to support multiple Agile teams at once and adapt facilitation and coaching styles to different team dynamics and levels of Agile maturity.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences and with senior leadership.
• Strong leadership, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence without direct authority.
• Experience managing project budgets, schedules, scope, risks, and issues.
• Comfortable using AI tools, such as Microsoft Copilot, to work efficiently, including drafting communications, summarizing meetings, analyzing information, and streamlining project and Agile team activities.
• Experience with Azure DevOps for project planning, backlog and sprint management, work item tracking, and reporting.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and sound problem-solving ability.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree strongly preferred, ideally in Information Systems, Computer Science, Finance, Business, or a related field.
• Minimum of seven years of professional experience as an IT project manager, including experience working in Agile environments and serving as a Scrum Master.
• PMP certification preferred.
• Experience in the financial services industry is a plus.
• Agile certifications such as Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Professional Scrum Master (PSM), PMI-ACP, or SAFe Scrum Master are strongly preferred. ITIL Foundation or similar credentials are a plus.

Our compensation philosophy is targeted pay positioning relative to peers, our industry, and external markets. Farmer Mac is committed to a compensation program that will enable the organization to attract, motivate, reward, and retain highly skilled and creative talent to maintain sustained long-term performance and achieve the organization’s strategic business objectives. Salary is competitive. The typical starting salary range for this position is between $120,000-$150,000, although wages can vary based on experience and geography, plus performance-based bonus and equity-based awards. Individual compensation will be commensurate with the candidate's experience.

Originally posted on Himalayas