Senior Project Manager - Government

The Senior Project Manager independently manages strategic technology projects and may serve as a Project Manager within a broader program. Projects are typically high in complexity, risk, or visibility and may involve emerging or highly customized technologies, multiple solution areas, complex systems integration, and third-party vendors. The Senior Project Manager owns all aspects of project delivery, from initiation through closure, and works closely with sales, consultants, clients, subcontractors, and cross-functional delivery teams. This role is accountable for project scope, schedule, financial performance, contractual commitments, risk management, quality, and stakeholder satisfaction. The Senior Project Manager may provide guidance and mentorship to other project team members. The role acts as a project advocate, driving results, making difficult decisions, and building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

What You Will Do

• Successfully executes projects using CDW-G’s established delivery methodology, adapting the approach where appropriate to meet the needs of each engagement. Manages projects that may span multiple solution areas, service areas, workstreams, technologies, and third-party providers. Ensures the client’s business, technical, contractual, and operational requirements are understood and met.

• Evaluates the client’s project management methodology and incorporates appropriate CDW-G standards, controls, templates, and reporting requirements to create a comprehensive project delivery approach.

• Accountable for project financial performance and profitability. Develops, monitors, interprets, and communicates project budgets, forecasts, margins, and estimate-at-completion projections. Identifies budget-to-actual variances and recommends corrective actions.

• Ensures project time, expenses, invoices, and financial records are accurately tracked, reviewed, and approved in a timely manner. Identifies financial risks and works with project stakeholders to mitigate their impact.

• Understands the financial implications of project decisions and changes, including their potential effect on the client relationship, contractual commitments, and CDW-G profitability.

• Validates initial project scope, assumptions, estimates, deliverables, and acceptance criteria. Evaluates proposed changes for their impact on scope, schedule, cost, resources, risk, contractual commitments, and client outcomes. Develops recommendations and initiates the appropriate change-control actions.

• Establishes strategies to minimize client and project impact resulting from approved or anticipated changes. Communicates impacts and recommendations to the appropriate stakeholders.

• Ensures all items defined in the CDW Statement of Work are delivered and performs quality assurance throughout the project life cycle.

• Proactively identifies, analyzes, documents, and manages project risks, issues, assumptions, constraints, and dependencies. Develops mitigation and contingency plans and communicates exposure, ownership, and required decisions to stakeholders.

• Identifies risks and dependencies originating from related CDW-G initiatives, client environments, vendors, purchasing processes, and external stakeholders. Evaluates their potential effect on the project and coordinates appropriate response plans.

• Proactively conducts resource planning across project workstreams. Monitors and adjusts assignments, capacity, and billable schedules as necessary. Resolves resource and scheduling conflicts and escalates constraints that could affect project delivery.

• Develops, maintains, and communicates integrated project schedules in collaboration with engineering teams, client teams, subcontractors, and third-party vendors. Aligns project dependencies, milestones, contractual dates, and resource commitments.

• Ensures external resources are properly vetted and manages associated contracts through CDW-G or client contract administration and purchasing processes.

• Manages equipment, software, licensing, outside services procurement, and delivery schedules.

• Responsible for meeting contractual performance requirements, deliverables, acceptance criteria, milestones, and due dates throughout project delivery and completion.

• Ensures compliance with applicable corporate, client, and government policies and requirements.

• Understands government contract vehicles, Blanket Purchase Agreements, purchasing vehicles, and acquisition requirements and evaluates how they affect project execution, reporting, invoicing, changes, and completion.

• Manages projects delivered under diverse contract types, which may include Firm Fixed Price, Time and Materials, Cost Plus, and As-a-Service arrangements.

• Documents project outcomes and lessons learned and shares them appropriately with colleagues.

• Takes accountability for project outcomes and demonstrates fiscal responsibility to the client, the project, and CDW-G. Establishes clear performance expectations and holds project team members accountable for assigned responsibilities.

• Provides guidance, mentorship, and support to project team members. May coordinate the work of other Project Managers or project leads when required by the engagement.

• Builds trust and credibility through strong stakeholder relationships, business acumen, sound judgment, political awareness, and consistent delivery.

• Demonstrates the ability to diffuse difficult situations involving the client or project team and leads teams to consistently meet project success factors and client expectations.

• Leads or contributes to the development and continuous improvement of project management standards, templates, tools, best practices, knowledge resources, and training materials.

• Establishes and owns the project communication plan and related documentation, including schedules, status reports, financial reporting, quality plans, risk and issue reporting, decision logs, and closure documentation.

• Assimilates project information and communicates concise, audience-appropriate updates to clients, executives, sales, delivery teams, and other stakeholders. Integrates new information and recommends changes in direction when appropriate.

• Leads effective in-person and virtual meetings. Maintains focus, facilitates decisions, documents outcomes, assigns action items, and distributes timely follow-up communications.

• Adapts communication style, content, and medium to the audience, business context, and stakeholder environment. Prepares and delivers complex or difficult information clearly and professionally.

• Develops formal presentations, executive talking points, decision materials, and strategic project messaging. Builds consensus and supports timely stakeholder decisions.

• Proactively identifies and manages stakeholders. Validates client, business, and technical success factors and expectations and articulates them to project stakeholders. Remains dedicated to meeting or exceeding stakeholder expectations.

• Negotiates project changes involving cost, scope, schedule, and effort to achieve an acceptable result with urgency. Considers the broader client relationship and collaborates with Sales and Services leadership as necessary.

• Works with team members to gather information, assess potential impacts, determine response options, document mitigation steps, and communicate decisions to the team and client.

What We Expect of You

• Bachelor’s degree in business, computer science, information technology, or a related field, or equivalent experience.

• Six or more years of experience delivering technology through structured Project Management methodologies such as waterfall or agile.

• Three or more years of experience leading significant technology projects involving mainstream, emerging, or customized technology solutions with standard and non-standard offerings.

• Demonstrated success leading complex projects for enterprise, strategic, or government customers.

• Ability to work weekends or outside standard business hours when necessary to meet client needs.

• This position may require the ability to travel an average of 25%.

• Demonstrated success managing complex technology projects involving multiple technologies, solution areas, stakeholders, or third-party vendors.

• Experience managing projects in support of government customers, contracts, or programs.

• Experience managing different contract types, including Firm Fixed Price, Time and Materials, Cost Plus, or As-a-Service arrangements.

• Demonstrated ability to take accountability for project outcomes, manage financial performance, and lead teams in meeting project success criteria.

• Working knowledge of one or more formal project management methodologies and proficiency with Microsoft Project, Microsoft Office, and related project management tools.

• Strong business and technical acumen, sound judgment, political awareness, perseverance, and conflict-resolution skills.

• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and facilitation skills, including the ability to communicate complex information to executive, business, and technical stakeholders.

• Ability to analyze information across multiple project workstreams, identify impacts and dependencies, and provide clear recommendations.

• Ability to organize and prioritize competing responsibilities in a complex delivery environment.

• PMP certification required. CSM certification preferred as well., is a plus.

• Active DoD Secret clearance strongly preferred, is a plus.

• Familiarity with government contracts, acquisition processes, and government programs, is a plus.

• Familiarity with FISMA and FedRAMP requirements, is a plus.

• Strong business and technical acumen related to Federal initiatives, is a plus.

• Experience conducting business value or impact analysis, is a plus.

Pay range: $114,000 - $158,800 depending on experience and skill set

Annual bonus target of 10% subject to terms and conditions of plan

Benefits overview:

Salary ranges may be subject to geographic differentials

CDW is committed to being an AI-fluent organization

We’re looking for people who bring curiosity, a learner’s mindset, and a willingness to engage with ever-evolving technology and tools. We value adopting AI as a partner, openness to experimentation, and a shared interest in learning together on AI. Our goal is to create a culture where AI enhances—not replaces—human creativity and decision-making. You don’t need to be an expert today; what matters is your readiness to explore, adapt, and grow with us as we integrate AI responsibly and effectively into our work.

Additionally, CDW is committed to fostering an equitable, transparent, and respectful hiring process for all applicants. During our application process, our goal is to understand your experience, strengths, skills, and qualifications. As an AI forward company, we see AI not just as a tool, but as a catalyst for new ways of thinking, creating, and communicating. We encourage candidates to embrace an AI mindset, one that’s curious, adaptive, and ready to explore what’s possible. We welcome thoughtful use of AI to expand your perspective and elevate how you share your story, while ensuring your application remains rooted in your own background, judgment, and voice.

About Us

CDW is a Fortune 500 technology solutions provider that helps businesses, government, education, and healthcare organizations achieve what’s possible through technology. What makes CDW different isn’t just what we do—it’s how we do it. At CDW we act as one—building trust, speaking candidly, and working together to achieve more. We play to win—focusing on what matters most and delivering for our customers. And we think forward—staying curious, moving fast, and continuously learning. We believe meaningful work happens when people feel supported, heard, and empowered to contribute. That’s why we think of ourselves as coworkers, not just employees—working together to solve complex challenges and deliver real impact for our customers and communities.

As a full‑stack, full‑lifecycle technology partner, CDW brings deep expertise, strong relationships, and broad industry knowledge to help turn ideas into outcomes. When you join CDW, you become part of a collaborative environment where your work matters, your growth is supported, and your contributions help shape what’s next.

Together, we deliver the full promise of what technology can do. Together, we Make Amazing Happen.

CDW is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other basis prohibited by state and local law.     

Originally posted on Himalayas