Senior Project Manager (AI Hackathon Event) (Remote, RO)

NTT DATA Romania SA · Romania · posted today ago

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About this role

Who we are

NTT DATA is looking for an experienced Senior Project Manager to take end-to-end operational ownership of the planning, coordination, execution, and follow-up of the Global AI Hackathon.
This is a high-visibility global initiative, involving NTT DATA employees, senior leadership, multiple regions and business units, as well as external agencies and suppliers.
The Project Manager will act as the central coordination point, ensuring that all workstreams, stakeholders, events, communications, dependencies, and deliverables remain aligned and are executed according to plan.

The role requires exceptional organization, executive-level communication, strong ownership, anticipation of risks, and disciplined execution. Deadlines are fixed, multiple global stakeholders must be coordinated simultaneously, and execution quality is critical.

What you'll be doing

End-to-End Project Management
Build, own, and maintain the Global AI Hackathon master plan, including milestones, critical path, dependencies, owners, and deadlines
Drive execution across the complete lifecycle: preparation, launch, competition, regional phases, global final, awards, and closure
Establish project governance, RACI, reporting cadence, decision mechanisms, and escalation paths
Coordinate multiple parallel workstreams and ensure cross-team dependencies are actively managed
Drive actions through completion and proactively intervene when delivery is at risk
Global & Executive Stakeholder Management
Act as the central project coordination interface across Global NTT DATA, regions, business units, practices, and functions
Work directly with senior and executive management, providing concise status, risks, decisions required, and recommendations
Coordinate leadership, regional leads, jury members, trainers, communications teams, support teams, and other stakeholders
Ensure executive meetings and events are fully prepared with validated materials, agendas, responsibilities, and follow-up actions
External Agency & Supplier Management
Coordinate external agencies, event suppliers, communication partners, and other third parties
Define clear deliverables, timelines, dependencies, and approval requirements
Monitor supplier readiness and proactively address delivery risks
Ensure external deliverables meet NTT DATA requirements and quality expectations
Hackathon & Event Execution
Coordinate operational readiness across the complete lifecycle:
Launch & Registration → Training & Participant Support → Project Submissions → Jury & Evaluations → Regional Phases → Global Final → Awards Ceremony → Post-event Follow-up
For every critical milestone, ensure clear ownership, readiness criteria, validated communications, contingency plans, and timely escalation
Project Control, Risk & Quality
Maintain the master schedule, RAID log, action tracker, and decision log
Establish quality gates and readiness checks for critical events and communications
Organize dry runs and contingency planning for high-profile activities
Validate critical information before release
Identify risks early and escalate with clear impact assessment and proposed resolution
Ensure no surprises for Global Hackathon leadership or executive stakeholders
Reporting & Communication
Provide structured operational and executive reporting covering progress, milestones, participation, submissions, event readiness, suppliers, risks, blockers, decisions, and next steps

What you'll bring along

BSc/MSc in Computer Science or related field
5+ years of relevant Project Management experience, preferably within complex international or enterprise initiatives
Demonstrated ownership of high-visibility projects with fixed deadlines
Experience working directly with senior management and executive stakeholders
Strong global stakeholder-management and influencing skills
Proven ability to coordinate multiple parallel workstreams and dependencies
Strong risk management, problem-solving, and escalation capabilities
Experience managing external suppliers/agencies or complex third-party dependencies
Excellent organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail
Ability to operate effectively under pressure and manage last-minute changes
Fluent professional English – mandatory, with excellent written and verbal communication skills
Strong Microsoft 365 skills, particularly Teams, PowerPoint, Excel, and SharePoint
Spanish language skills are highly appreciated, given the global and multicultural stakeholder environment
Nice to have:
Experience with global transformation or innovation programs
Corporate events, global conferences, or hackathons
AI / GenAI transformation initiatives
Executive-level event organization
Internal communications and employee-engagement programs
Technical AI development expertise is not required, but a good understanding of AI/GenAI and interest in AI-driven transformation are expected