Senior Project Manager - HR PMO

About Our Company

We’re a diversified financial services leader with more than $1.5 trillion in assets under management, administration and advisement as of year-end 2024. Our team of 22,000 people across 19 countries, serves more than 3.5 million individual, small business and institutional clients. We are a longstanding leader in financial planning and advice, a global asset manager and an insurer. Our unwavering focus on our clients and strong financial foundation connects each of our unique businesses – Ameriprise Financial, Columbia Threadneedle Investments and RiverSource Insurance and Annuities. Here, we foster meaningful careers, invest in the future, and make a difference for clients, institutions and communities around the world.

Job Description

Ameriprise Financial is seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to lead the execution of large-scale, highly complex Human Resources initiatives. This role partners closely with executive sponsors, HR leaders, Centers of Excellence, HR Operations, Technology teams, vendors, and other cross-functional stakeholders to deliver strategic programs from planning through implementation, stabilization, and benefit realization.

Successful candidates will have a proven track record leading enterprise-scale HR initiatives and system implementations, managing multiple workstreams and interdependencies, navigating ambiguity, and influencing senior leaders across the organization. The Senior Project Manager serves as a trusted advisor to sponsors and project teams while bringing strong project management discipline, governance, risk management, and organizational change expertise.

This is a highly execution-oriented role requiring a hands-on, self-directed project leader who operates with minimal oversight and intervention. The successful candidate proactively translates strategy into integrated delivery plans, anticipates and removes roadblocks, drives timely decisions, and holds stakeholders accountable for commitments. The ideal candidate combines advanced project and program management capabilities with an understanding of HR processes, technology, and operating models, enabling successful delivery across Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Compensation, Benefits, Learning, Employee Experience, HR Operations, and HR Technology.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end execution of large-scale, highly complex HR projects and programs, including planning, stakeholder alignment, implementation, testing, deployment, stabilization, and post-implementation support.
• Partner with executive sponsors and senior leaders to define project objectives, scope, success measures, governance, strategic priorities, and delivery plans.
• Drive execution across multiple workstreams, ensuring deliverables are completed on time, interdependencies are actively managed, and risks and issues are proactively addressed.
• Develop and maintain integrated project plans, timelines, milestones, critical-path activities, resource strategies, financial forecasts, and executive status reporting using established methodologies and tools.
• Lead governance forums, project meetings, working sessions, and decision-making processes while holding stakeholders accountable for commitments, action items, and timely escalation.
• Influence and align stakeholders across HR, business, technology, operations, vendors, and external partners to resolve complex business and delivery challenges.
• Lead enterprise HR initiatives such as HR technology implementations, operating model changes, organizational effectiveness programs, process improvements, regulatory projects, digital transformation, and AI-enabled solutions.
• Manage project communications with sponsors and stakeholders, providing clear visibility into progress, project health, decisions, dependencies, organizational impacts, risks, and mitigation strategies.
• Monitor project financials, resource capacity, scope changes, risks, issues, assumptions, and key decisions while maintaining alignment with strategic priorities and expected outcomes.
• Identify change impacts and lead organizational readiness, stakeholder engagement, adoption, training, and communication activities to sustain project outcomes.
• Establish and track project success measures, key performance indicators, and business outcomes, ensuring expected benefits are realized following implementation.
• Coach project team members and project managers while reinforcing delivery discipline, sound judgment, and consistent project management practices.
• Continuously identify opportunities to strengthen HR Project Management Office governance, portfolio management, project team experiences, and delivery effectiveness.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.
• 7-10 years of progressive project or program management experience leading large, complex initiatives and system implementations from planning through implementation.
• Demonstrated success leading enterprise-scale, cross-functional programs with significant organizational impact, multiple workstreams, and complex dependencies.
• Experience leading projects within Human Resources functions and/or experience supporting or implementing HR technologies, including Workday, ServiceNow HRSD, Cornerstone, Paradox, or similar platforms.
• Advanced project and program management skills, including integrated planning, resource management, financial management, risk and issue resolution, change control, governance, and stakeholder communications.
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders without direct authority, drive accountability, and align stakeholders across competing priorities.
• Experience partnering with executive sponsors, business leaders, technology teams, operations teams, and external vendors to deliver measurable business outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategic objectives and business requirements into executable delivery plans and drive initiatives through completion.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, including facilitation, presentation, and executive-level communication.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams through ambiguity, organizational change, and complex problem-solving while maintaining delivery momentum.
• Demonstrated self-starter who takes ownership, exercises sound judgment, and independently advances complex work with minimal oversight and intervention.
• Ability to establish credibility, build strong partnerships across all organizational levels, and manage multiple concurrent initiatives and priorities.
• PMP, Agile, or other project management certification.

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading enterprise transformation, HR operating model, merger and acquisition, organizational change, business process improvement, digital transformation, or AI-enabled initiatives.
• Experience with portfolio management, governance, and strategic planning processes.
• Experience within financial services, insurance, wealth management, or another highly regulated industry.
• Prosci, or other change management certification.

In-Office Collaboration

We are a client-centric, relationship-based business. Working together, in-person, is foundational to how we achieve results. By fostering a culture of face-to-face collaboration, idea sharing, productivity and personal connection, we deliver for our stakeholders — clients, advisors, employees and shareholders. Our employees work in the office at least four (4) days per week, with flexibility to work from home one (1) day per week. Some roles may require additional in-office time or different in-office expectations, and specific requirements will be discussed during the hiring process.

 

Visa Sponsorship

Applicants must have a valid work authorization that does not now, or in the future, require visa sponsorship for employment in the United States (e.g., H-1B, F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, TN).

Base Pay Salary

The estimated base salary for this role is $107,000 - $147,100/ year. We have a pay-for-performance compensation philosophy. Your initial total compensation may vary based on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and geographical work location. In addition, most of our roles are eligible for variable pay in the form of bonus, commissions, and/or long-term incentives depending on the role. We also have a competitive and comprehensive benefits program that supports all aspects of your health and well-being, including but not limited to vacation time, sick time, 401(k), and health, dental and life insurances.Full timeExemptBusiness Support & OperationsHR Human Resources

Ameriprise Financial is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, military status, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship, disability status, marital status, family status or any other basis prohibited by law.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible recruitment process for individuals with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, speak to your recruiter to discuss how we can support you.