PROGRESS MANAGER - SENIOR

Goal

As a Progress Manager you will support Serendipity in our moonshot to help cities and eco-systems in their digital transformation process to become resilient and sustainable. You are an important sustainability ambassador of the company, actively engaged both in internal and external networks.

The cornerstone of progress management is the success of our customer’s projects. As a consulting firm and a solutions integrator, we attach the utmost importance to the implementation of recommendations borne of a strong commitment to our customers and a drive to prioritize the success of their projects.

About You

You are an entrepreneurial professional with a business mindset who is eager to leverage the organization to the next level. You are a reliable, well-organized person who can orchestrate all stakeholders while steering on projects’ progress and their implementation with a focus on planning, budget, resource control, and risk management. You can identify, understand and define customer requirements, set expectations, and give insight into the solutions to be provided.

You have creative ideas on how to bring the product to the market and can translate this into a concrete plan of action, communicating internally and externally.

Tasks & Responsibilities (general)

Oversee customer (cities) challenges and anticipate new business opportunities, proactively engage in the business development process.
Plan the projects for their implementation, translate goals & objectives into smaller feasible milestones/work packages, and create a roadmap.
Set follow-up process, meetings, and structure. Proactively monitor project progress in weekly team meetings, and adapt work where required. Ensure project deliverables meet deadlines.
Consult with private and public organizations and advice on digital transformation and systemic change. Monitor technology market and track new tech developments as well as relevant suppliers.
Make action plans towards the public and private sector, including targeting, personalization of campaigns, and KPI metrics.
Stakeholders’ management: provide an active support onboarding process for tech suppliers and cities. Give feedback on challenges during the onboarding as well as city procurement process and actively contribute to the development of the product (Digital Toolbox).
Organize (online) events, manage the participation of Serendipity in congresses, and tech events, write newsletters and actively communicate on social media. This is a second element.

Qualifications/Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Business Administration, Marketing or Communication.
For a medior and senior we seek experience in Progress and Project management, proven Project Management skills in the field of technology & innovation (experience with steering multiple projects involving major changes to the business, and preparation of staff and/or stakeholders for the changes).
Tech-savvy. Ability to translate business needs into technology.
Ability to absorb and handle complex information in a structured way, then to independently make business plans and drive across functional teams via influence.
Proven presentation skills to deliver technical training to the stakeholders (f.e. cities).
Process-oriented and committed to superior quality in your work.
Preferably experience in working with governmental organizations.
Strong interpersonal, communication (influencing and storytelling) and critical thinking skills.
Be a real team player and a collaborator who builds mutual trust, respect, and cooperation. Work across different disciplines and have an international mind setting.
Self-steering. You flourish when experiencing freedom in your work and feel confident to move in the right direction based on our sustainability vision & strategy.
Excellent command of English and Dutch language, both verbal and in writing.

Your behaviour profile as a senior progress manager

You work on abstract (conceptual) issues that require a vision of the field and insight into the context. Your focus is on innovation, the design and implementation of new concepts and solutions.

You have an impact on processes in which different people with conflicting interests interact. You investigate and redefine the issue, compare different solution methods and come up with innovative ideas, suggestions, proposals and plans that set others in motion.

You move easily in a political field, stick your neck out and dare to take the lead. You switch quickly and are positively independent and steady on course. You see the whole, have a helicopter view and naturally focus on the 'big picture', without getting lost in insignificant details.

You are at your best when you have to solve challenging, complicated issues, where you can influence your environment and provide others with new insights.

You take initiatives and are guiding and inspiring in decision-making without being controlling
You create coherence between new concepts and innovative plans in your own area of interest and other organizational processes
You know how to create new opportunities and possibilities in the market with new concepts and innovative plans

You are continuously focused on connecting the various work and organizational processes within the organization in order to achieve organizational goals and core values

Competencies

Taking initiative

You detect opportunities in work relationships in order to win a better position your own organization
You recognize useful and relevant contacts; approaches them accordingly to obtain benefit for your organization
You recognize long term opportunities for the organization and develops plans to use them accordingly
You are active in networking and lobbies with the right people
You present proposals and plan to strategic partners for future activities

Being innovative

You formulate ideas that are not yet shared by others
You can let go of the existing concepts and products, and come up with the daring new ones
You are able to infect others with enthusiasm concerning new ideas and to make them advocate those ideas as well
You keep demonstrating faith in your own ideas and innovative concepts and products
You are able to handle resistance against your own ideas without giving them up

Planning and organizing

You define strategy and goals for the medium and long terms
You draft change initiatives, indicates a general time schedule
You draft various alternative future scenarios based on prognoses
You draft general budgets based on a desired profit and percentage loss
You set the right priorities in an organization-wide change process

To collaborate

You find opportunities to set up shared projects with other organizations
You turn enemies into friends (find opportunities to work together with competitors)
You understand the organization's strengths and weaknesses and finds partners to help correcting the weaknesses and enhancing the strengths
You think in terms of win-win situations instead of us-against-them
You put the interests of the organization ahead of his own

Communication skills

You clarify a vague and unclear discussion by clearly showing what it is actually about
You simplify complex language from others and know how to reduce it to the heart of the matter
You translate abstract information into concrete examples that appeal to everyone
You use the correct language in situations and uses different expression styles
You have a relaxed attitude during presentations and, if possible, you use the space to walk back and forth

Contact
If you want to take on this demanding challenge in a dynamic environment, apply now by contacting us: