IT Project Manager -JHB | Optimal Growth Technologies

Role Purpose

• The Project Manager is responsible for planning, executing, and delivering medium to large-scale IT projects within scope, budget, and timelines. The role requires a seasoned professional with strong technical understanding, project governance expertise, and proven ability to lead cross-functional teams in a high-paced environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Project Planning & Delivery
• Lead the end-to-end delivery of IT projects, from initiation to closure.
• Develop detailed project plans, timelines, budgets, and resource allocations.
• Define project scope, objectives, and deliverables aligned to organisational goals.
• Manage risks, issues, dependencies, and change control processes.
• Ensure project documentation, governance, and reporting standards are adhered to.
• Stakeholder Management
• Engage with technical and business stakeholders to gather requirements.
• Facilitate communication between development teams, vendors, and business units.
• Provide regular project updates, status reports, and dashboards to leadership.
• Influence and manage expectations to ensure alignment throughout the project lifecycle.
• Team Leadership
• Lead and motivate project teams, ensuring clear roles, responsibilities, and expectations.
• Conduct project meetings, sprint reviews, and team check-ins.
• Collaborate closely with architects, developers, testers, and operational teams.

Technical & Delivery Expertise

• Analyse technical requirements and ensure solution alignment with architecture standards.
• Oversee software development, infrastructure, systems integration, or cloud projects.
• Manage vendor relationships and ensure contractual deliverables are met.
• Support UAT, QA processes, and production deployments.
• Project Governance
• Ensure compliance with PMO methodologies (Waterfall, Agile, Hybrid).
• Drive continuous improvement of project delivery processes.
• Prepare project documentation including business cases, project charters, and post-implementation reviews.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelors Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field.
• 10+ years experience as a Project Manager within IT environments.
• Proven experience managing enterprise-level IT projects (software, infrastructure, systems, cloud).
• Strong technical understanding of SDLC, IT systems, networks, or applications.
• Experience working with Agile, Scrum, and/or Waterfall methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, timelines, and large project teams.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Strong risk management and problem-solving abilities.

Preferred Certifications

• PMP, PRINCE2, Agile/Scrum Master, or equivalent
• ITIL Foundation advantage
• Cloud certifications (AWS, Azure, GCP) beneficial

Key Competencies

• Leadership & team management
• Technical aptitude and systems knowledge
• Strong analytical and planning ability
• Stakeholder engagement and influence
• Adaptability in dynamic environments
• High attention to detail
• Conflict resolution and decision-making skills