New

Cybersecurity Project Manager

Spectraforce Technologies
$500K to $3M
United States, Illinois, Chicago
Sep 03, 2025
Role: Cybersecurity Project Manager Duration: 06 months, possibility of CTH Location: Chicago, IL 60604 - Work Model: Hybrid Additional Notes: Top Qualifications Cybersecurity Familiarity: Must know cybersecurity terminology and lingo, or Have related experience (e.g., audit, risk, IT governance) that shows capacity to learn and communicate cybersecurity concepts. Experience with cybersecurity domains (preferred): Identity Authentication and Authorization (IAA) Privileged Access Management (PAM) Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) Industry Background: 10+ years overall experience Some experience in financial services or insurance required Government-only experience not preferred Project Management Experience: True Senior Project Manager (not Program Manager, despite title) Must have project ownership and budget management experience PMP certification preferred (strong differentiator if all else is equal) Key Skills & Capabilities Communication: Ability to translate technical content into business-friendly language Strong interpersonal skills with both engineers and executives Skilled at creating status reports that are readable at CIO/CEO level Tools Experience: Preferred: Azure DevOps (ADO) or Azure Boards JIRA or similar tools are acceptable; willingness to learn ADO is fine Project and Budget Management: Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects Budget responsibilities range from $500K to $3M Involvement in annual planning, including resource forecasting and rate planning Preferred Candidate Profiles Candidates with cybersecurity PM experience Candidates with audit/risk/GRC PM experience, especially involving IT Candidates from regulated industries (finance/insurance preferred over government) Candidates who can demonstrate learning agility in security topics Role Description: The client is seeking a Cybersecurity Project Manager to drive execution of strategic cybersecurity projects in support of one or more of our key cybersecurity control areas: Privileged Access Management (PAM), Identity Governance and Administration (IGA), Identity Authentication and Authorization (IAA), and Data Protection (DP.) This role is accountable for successful project delivery of highly visible, mission-critical projects. Project Delivery: Lead global teams consisting of technical and non-technical employees and consultants to drive successful execution of strategic cybersecurity projects and programs. Partner with key business and technology stakeholders to define expected project benefits and outcomes and ensure successful achievement through project completion. Identify, assess, and manage project risks, issues, and dependencies to ensure successful project completion. Develop project schedules including effort estimates and task sequences and assignments and ensure they are adhered to; ensure projects are optimally sequenced and coordinated for efficiency. Lead resolution of conflicts or escalations in support of project or program delivery. Create and submit project/program status reports that are accurate and comply with team guidelines. Establish and maintain project artifact repository; review project deliverables to ensure quality and ensure project adheres to internal software delivery methodology. Communication and Stakeholder Management: Develop project charters; develop and execute project communication plans. Facilitate engagement with cross-impacted technology and business stakeholders. Identify and execute approaches to resolve complex problems through critical thinking Change/Risk Management: Define and document project scope and ensure scope alignment to project objectives and goals. Perform and follow project change control procedures for scope, resources, and financials where required. Ensure adherence to technology Change Management requirements and procedures or system implementations. Financial Management Oversee financial management and performance for projects including: Developing and/or managing project-specific capital and expense budgets including all financial form submissions required by internal finance teams preparing and submitting timely monthly forecasts (i.e., Clarity PPM) proactively analyzing and managing monthly budget variance optimizing spend for assigned projects participation in annual budget planning Staff Management: Identify project resource needs and work with leadership to ensure staffing requirements are met Manage project resources to deliver tasks, optimize resource utilization and resolve conflicts. Provide constructive performance feedback regarding staff performance to leadership and line managers. Foster a supportive project delivery environment that encourages participation, teamwork, and collaboration. Knowledge, Skills & Experience Required: A successful candidate for the role will have at least 10 years of overall experience including in Financial Services industry, with at least 5 years' experience leading and managing high-visibility technology projects. Additionally, the candidate will posses: Cybersecurity Project Management Experience - leading and driving execution of cybersecurity projects related to Identity & Access Management (i.e., Privileged Access Management (PAM), Identity Governance and Administration (IGA), Identity Authentication and Authorization (IAA)), Data Protection, Security Operations, or Attack Surface Management. Organizational Savvy - experience working within a matrixed organization to drive delivery of complex projects involving multiple disciplines. Problem Solving Skills - ability to handle ambiguous or complex issues including ability to identify creative resolution paths and gaining necessary alignment and support from leadership and stakeholders to bring to resolution. Superior Communication Skills- ability to articulate ideas and information verbally and in writing for varying audiences. Initiative - evidence that they take initiative at suggesting improvements and anticipating the needs of leadership, program stakeholders and team members. Organizational Skills - able to handle multiple simultaneous work deliverables and prioritize them accordingly. Delivery Mindset - has a delivery mindset with a bias for action, curiosity to learn, challenge, and enhance processes. Expert Analytical Skills - able to assemble data and analyze patterns, trends and draw conclusions and recommendations; rely on data to guide decisions. Financial Management Experience - managing project budgets up between $250K to $3M and comprised of internal and external labor. Knowledge of and experience working in software delivery lifecycle methodologies (e.g., Agile/ Scrum, Waterfall, etc.) Experience in demand & capacity management Proficiency with: Project planning tools such as: MS Project, Azure DevOps (ADO) Boards, or similar Clarity PPM for project financial and status reporting (or similar) Collaboration tools such as: Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), MS Teams Reporting tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or similar data reporting and analytics tools. A College or University degree; MBA or relevant advance degree a plus. Current PMP certification strongly preferred, but not required.