IT Project Manager

The IT Project Manager has day-to-day responsibility for managing software development programs and projects to completion. This position is responsible for both serving as Scrum Master on an Agile Scrum Team as well as coordinating and leading cross-functional projects that support the larger digital business strategy and objectives. 

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Serve as Scrum Maser for Truck Care Solutions team(s)
• Coordinate across multiple Product Owners and Business Units to ensure product backlogs are prioritized with clearly documented user stories and acceptance criteria.
• Facilitate scrum ceremonies – Sprint planning, grooming, daily stand-ups, sprint demo, retrospectives and feature planning. Maintain burn-downs, key metrics and dashboard reporting.
• As Scrum Master, lead product development team(s) as a mentor, coach, teacher and facilitator to develop self-organizing, high-performing teams. Work to remove impediments and keep the team moving forward without interruption or distraction.
• As needed, may serve as backup for Quality Assurance activities for pre-production readiness or post-deployment production smoke-testing.
• Able to work with business stakeholders and product owners to balance story-point distribution across business units by understanding business impact, ROI and urgency.
• Coordinate release planning and deployment activities including end-user testing and sign-off, change management process, deployment updates and root cause analysis where needed. 
• Serve as Project Manager for small to mid-sized special projects. Includes cross-functional initiatives that impact multiple work-streams, platform upgrades or independent projects supporting business goals.
• Direct and manage project development from beginning to end using an Agile or Waterfall approach.
• Define project scope, goals, deliverables and success criteria that support business goals in collaboration with senior management and stakeholders.
• Work with business units, technical teams and third-party vendors to estimate resources needed to achieve project goals.
• Plan, schedule and track project timelines and milestones using Love’s project management tools.
• Delegate tasks and responsibilities to appropriate personnel.
• Proactively manage changes in project scope, identify potential crises, and devise contingency plans. 
• Report weekly on project statuses, accomplishments, timelines, issues and risks.
• Conduct project post mortems and create a recommendations report where needed.
• Set and continually manage project expectations with team members and other stakeholders. Identify and manage issues, conflicts within the project team, project dependencies and critical path.
• Proactively manage changes in project scope, identify potential crises, and devise contingency plans.
• Make recommendations for project best practices and tools for project execution and management.
• Create and maintain documentation on work completed.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Education/Certifications:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Science, MIS, Business Administration or technology related field
• Certified Scrum Master (CSM) preferred
• Project Management Professional (PMP) preferred

Experience:

• 3-5 years of Information Technology project support
• 3-5 years of work experience as project manager / business analyst
• 2 or more years of experience as a Scrum Master for fast-paced agile teams

SKILLS AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Hard Skills:

• Experience with Azure DevOps, Microsoft Office/O365, SharePoint or similar technologies
• Familiarity with project management software, such as Microsoft Project and Visio
• Knowledge of project management and development lifecycle processes

Soft Skills:

• Excellent interpersonal, communication, team player and customer service skills.
• Ability to stay organized and be detail oriented.
• Self-motivated with ability to follow organizational processes and procedures.
• Demonstrated leadership skills.
• Ability to analyze existing processes, identify inefficiencies and propose better solutions.
• Ability to adapt to rapidly changing priorities and conditions, quickly learn new software solutions and improve business process using those solutions.

Typical Physical Demands:

• Requires prolonged sitting, some bending and stooping.
• Occasional lifting of up to 25 pounds.
• Manual dexterity sufficient to operate a computer keyboard and calculator.
• Requires normal range of hearing and vision.
• Occasional evening/weekend work to meet deadlines.

Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores is the industry-leading travel stop network in the United States. For more than 55 years, we’ve provided customers with highway hospitality and “Clean Places, Friendly Faces.” We’re passionate about serving drivers with clean, modern facilities stocked with fuel, food and supplies. We offer meals from popular restaurant chains, trucking supplies, showers and everything needed to get back on the road quickly. The Love’s Family of Companies includes:

• Gemini Motor Transport, one of the industry’s safest trucking fleets
• Speedco, the light mechanical and trucking service specialists
• Musket, a rapidly growing, Houston-based commodities supplier and trader
• Trillium, a Houston-based alternative fuels expert