IT Project Manager

Aaron's has a long legacy as an industry leader with continue growth. In business since 1955, we have grown to over 2,000 stores across North America built on a foundation of excellence, customer focus, quality products and services. Personally and professionally, we hold ourselves to high standards and an unwavering commitment to do what's right; treating every individual with respect, compassion and integrity. We are highly invested in the communities we serve through our community outreach programs, donating time, products and services locally and nationally. As a potential Aaron's Associate, you'll share our purpose and passion for making a real difference in the lives of others and the rewards that come from creating strong personal connections for life.You'll be a contributing team member in an environment that embraces challenge and has a strong drive to achieve.We like to set the bar high, roll up our sleeves and work together to out-perform the competition.You'll have an opportunity to work in an environment which prides itself on recognizing and rewarding top performers. Would you like to be part of an innovative team that helps one of the nation's fastest growing retailers of name brand furniture, appliances, computers and electronics keep growing? Are you interested in applying lean thinking to process & organization and using highly effective methods (Lean Startup, XP, Agile Scrum, Kanban, waterfall, etc.) to successfully deliver projects? Do you want to work with highly motivated IT teams alongside our internal business partners whose responsibilities and functional needs span the entire enterprise (e.g. e-commerce, social media, e-payments, store systems, financial, data security, associate resources). If you do, then join Aaron's IT team and become part of a culture that embraces collaboration, strives toward constant improvement and successfully delivers technology based solutions for business problems. At Aarons, the Project Manager is the example of “servant leadership” and is responsible for working multiple, parallel projects using exceptional organizational and time management techniques of a cross-functional Agile team and producing products to the clients rapidly and with high quality.The Project Manager evangelizes best practices (typically Agile) while ensuring collaboration with other departments and end users, communicating and demonstrating enhancements to the applications and establishing project backlogs, producing estimates and maintaining the health of the project (timelines, budgets, resources and risk management). The Project Manager is a facilitator of people and teams; experienced with meeting facilitation, conflict resolution and creating highly visible and collaborative environments. Duties Meet with product managers and/or business stakeholders (for departments outside of IT) to discuss, define and capture requirements including project success criteria. Manage the creation and maintenance of valuable project documentation. Work with the clients to resolve specific issues they feel need to be addressed Evangelize Aaron's best practices for project and product delivery Communicate to all interested parties on the health of the project Continuous planning and leadership. Gets the lights on and makes everything big and visible (more communication). Reports information to and for the team clearly, honestly, and continuously. Ensures that team and plan welcome changes and adapt accordingly Lead the team and product ownership in technical excellence while keeping in mind “good enough not perfect” Monitors/manages team velocity/throughput. Helps define and execute on the overall definition of done. Senses where performance breakdowns are occurring and takes actions to improve team performance. Creates big and visible means for measuring breakdowns. Must understand the subtle nuances within an Agile team and environment. Position Requirements Proven, strong written and oral communication skills ability to communicate effectively in meetings, email and informal discussions. Good presentation skills. Strong time management skills. Excellent organizational skill and ability to juggle multiple demands without missing deadlines. Deep understanding of more than one Agile flavor such as Scrum, XP, Crystal, Lean, etc. Experience with traditional project management practices such as estimation, budgeting, resource allocation, scope management, change management, risk management, escalation, etc… 5+ years of professional, recent experience in the IT or software product development industry. Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and recent, relevant work history. PMP Certification a plus At Aaron's, you will have access to a comprehensive benefits package that includes: Paid time off including vacation days, sick days and holidays Ongoing training and development Medical, dental & vision insurance 401(k) plan Life insurance Disability benefits Employee Purchase Discounts A drug screen and criminal background investigation are required before beginning employment at Aaron's.A job performance reference check is also required. Aaron's is an Equal Opportunity Employer