Location: WFH, Toronto
Story Behind the Need: Seeking a Project Control Officer. The Project Control Officer (PCO) provides support to teams to plan, assess and design the financial reporting and tracking of portfolio and projects. The PCO assists with structuring and executing analysis, creating and presenting reports with insights drawn from the analysis, assisting and organizing implementation activities, as well as acting as a conduit and liaison between the project team and Finance.
Candidate Value Proposition:
The successful candidate will have the opportunity to join a high performance team and work some of the most disruptive and emerging technologies within a dynamic and fast moving Big 5 Canadian bank. Under direct supervision of a Senior Delivery Manager, or a Delivery Manager, the Project Control Officer assumes project support responsibility for all aspects of the project over the entire project life cycle (initiate, plan, execute, control, close).
Typical Day in the Role:
– Support management on scheduling and forecasting.
– Raise contracts in various contract systems.
– Support management on planning, forecasting, accruals, and actuals of CAPEX and OPEX for projects and the portfolio.
– Provide important business information and support ad-hoc reports as directed by management.
– Support creation of materials for various management reviews and meetings.
– Create/drive the critical metrics for financial reporting on projects and portfolios (examples: support cost reporting tools and earned value reports).
– Provide timely and accurate updates to the project manager and leadership teams as warranted.
– Help drive best practices in order to eliminate waste, increase innovation, and create value for the business.
– Develop relationships with the project team and stakeholders and support capabilities to drive best practices in project financial reporting across the organization.
– Provide assistance with various/other projects when needed.
– Ensures Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are met for financial monthly and quarterly reports.
– Operates independently day to day. Direction is sometimes received only at the most conceptual or abstract level. This requires the PCO to apply a high level of insight to develop the parameters of an issue before strategies can be defined and tactics to respond are developed. A high level of autonomy is required, with the PCO required to exercise judgment to balance the necessity of timely responses to pressing issues and opportunities with the requirement to bridge the interests of various stakeholders.
Must Have Skills/Requirements:
1) 4+ years of experience in a similar PCO Position at a large FI
2) 4+ years of experience working out of the MS Office Suite – expert level Excel skills (PIVOT Tables, VLOOKUPS) required
3) Ability to handle multiple projects of varying complexity in a team environment, as well as developing a thorough understanding of project management techniques
Additional Notes:
– The following acquired working knowledge is necessary to a degree matching the individual’s seniority:
– Elements of Banking
– Elements of Data Processing
– Elements of Communication Systems
– Basic Accounting
– Planning Techniques
– Elements of Organization and Management for large companies
– Basic statistics/operations research
– Bank’s Systems Development Methodology
– Bank Security Awareness Principles and Practices
– Previous experience in a project environment or role.
Soft Skills:
– Possess strong problem-solving and analytical skills to rapidly assess problem situations and creatively develop alternate solutions and approaches necessary to resolve high-level, complex problems. The individual is expected to bring solutions to the table.
– Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills and proven ability to: make presentations to varied groups; deal with all levels of line management (individually or in committee); and dealing with vendors/consultants without exceeding authority.
– Must have an expert ability to balance competing or conflicting goals of various departments/stakeholders, requiring a mature, diplomatic approach and highly developed negotiation and influencing skills.
– Strong influencing skills and negotiation skills are also critical in order to negotiate with project team members/management to acquire/maintain support and to negotiate priorities with full consideration and awareness of potential impact on business needs and outcomes.
Education and Certifications:
– Bachelor's degree in Finance or Accounting, or a Business Degree with a finance focus is preferred
– PMP designation is an asset
– Formal Project Management Education is desired