Senior Project Leader

1. Mission Context The candidate will join the Life Information Systems division, which is responsible for the development and evolution of life insurance applications, including underwriting applications and claims management systems. The applications run on a Micro Focus mainframe emulator in a Windows environment, using technologies such as COBOL, Mix COBOL and .
NET. Additional technologies are used for front-end development, CRM, printing, integration and communication. As a significant part of the upcoming portfolio consists of strategic projects, the organisation aims to strengthen its project leadership capabilities. 2. Role Objective We are looking for an experienced and autonomous Senior IT Project Leader who can take ownership of complex application projects from initiation through to delivery. The candidate will be responsible for managing large-scale projects, from defining scope and budget to delivery, while ensuring effective governance, risk management, schedule control and communication with business and IT stakeholders, including senior management. This is not simply a project coordination role. The candidate must take full ownership of projects, challenge business requirements and ensure that agreed objectives are achieved. 3.

Key Responsibilities
Project Governance and Stakeholder Management
• Identify and document project stakeholders, required resources and external dependencies.
• Establish project governance and set up steering committees.
• Define and implement communication plans tailored to different stakeholders.
• Ensure proactive communication with project teams, clients and senior management. Scope and Business Requirements Management
• Work with business teams and architects to define the optimal project scope.
• Challenge business requirements to avoid unnecessary or overly complex developments.
• Balance business value, cost and delivery timelines when prioritising requirements.
• Track open points, decisions and actions throughout the project. Budget, Planning and Roadmap
• Define the project structure and work packages.
• Consolidate estimates and establish the overall project budget.
• Build the project roadmap and plan each delivery phase.
• Monitor development progress, milestones, deadlines, costs and quality.
• Prepare and maintain the project test plan. Technical Coordination and Architecture
• Work with architects to define expected deliverables and milestones.
• Coordinate and plan architecture activities.
• Ensure effective collaboration between business, development, architecture and testing teams. Risk and Issue Management
• Proactively identify risks and issues relating to scope, budget, timelines and quality.
• Assess potential impacts and define concrete mitigation and corrective action plans.
• Monitor actions and ensure that project objectives remain on track. Reporting and Team Leadership
• Prepare progress reports for clients and senior management.
• Report clearly on project status, timelines, budget, scope and quality.
• Engage project team members and encourage collaboration.
• Promote initiative and maintain a positive team dynamic throughout the project. 4. Required Profile
• Minimum 10 years of IT project management experience, ideally involving complex application projects.
• Proven experience managing several large-scale projects, each exceeding 1,000 man-days.
• Experience in the insurance sector is mandatory.
• Demonstrated ability to manage projects end to end, including scope, budget, roadmap, governance, risks, steering committees and stakeholder management.
• Strong knowledge of the PRINCE2 project management methodology.
• Experience with the Waterfall methodology; Agile/Scrum experience is an advantage.
• Good command of Microsoft Office tools, particularly Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Personal Skills
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to adapt communication to different audiences.
• Autonomous, proactive and accountable.
• Structured, methodical and analytical approach.
• Results-oriented, with strong attention to quality and detail.
• Ability to synthesise complex information and make informed decisions.
• Client-oriented, with the ability to work effectively with senior business and IT stakeholders. Nice to Have
• Data Warehouse (DWH) experience.
• Business analysis experience.
• Knowledge of test management principles.
• Experience in banking or life insurance environments. 5. Expected Level of Autonomy The candidate must take ownership of their projects quickly:
• From day one: proactively manage risks, issues and stakeholder communication.
• Within the first month: operate autonomously across project governance, business requirements, architecture coordination, budget, roadmap and reporting. 6. Important Selection Criteria During the interview, candidates must be able to present and discuss at least two significant IT projects they personally led, covering:
• Project context, objectives and scale.
• Their specific role and level of responsibility.
• Governance and stakeholder management.
• Budget, planning and resources.
• Major risks or issues encountered and how they were addressed.
• Outcomes achieved and final delivery.