Project Manager, Systems Engineer

Overview

Position:
Project Manager

Location:

Milwaukee/Mequon, WI
Work Environment:
Hybrid

Terms:

Direct Hire
Travel: 25%
Salary: 120 to 130K with bonus

"No 3rd party candidates will be reviewed."
"No Relocation allowed"
We can't hire anyone who requires sponsorship now or in the future.

Job Summary:

If you're an infrastructure engineer who's ready to take on more than just hands-on work - someone who wants to lead projects, influence decisions, and see the big picture - this is the right next step. We're seeking an individual with a solid technical background who is excited to lead complex infrastructure projects from start to finish. In this role, you ll lead efforts like data center builds, cloud migrations, and network upgrades.

You ll work closely with technical teams and business stakeholders to plan, prioritize, and deliver results, keeping projects on track while maintaining a deep understanding of the technical aspects being built. Your engineering experience will give you a competitive edge as you translate technical needs into clear plans and drive tangible progress. If you ve been thinking about moving into project management without leaving your technical roots behind, this is your chance to do it - with support, ownership, and real impact.

• Define key project milestones and set target completion dates within the first week of assignment.
• Develop a detailed project work plan, including total project hours, within the first month of assignment.
• Conduct weekly task reviews with the project team to track progress and update project plans accordingly.
• Clearly define and communicate task ownership, deadlines, and responsibilities for all project resources.
• Coordinate with vendors to ensure timely delivery of dependencies critical to task execution.
• Forecast resource requirements (e.g., team hours) at least three weeks in advance
  .
• Work with the project team to develop migration and cutover schedules, communication plans, and detailed execution strategies
  .

• Define and document the project budget within the first month of assignment.
• Coordinate with vendors to obtain executable quotes for hardware, software, and subscriptions while ensuring alignment with the project budget.
• Facilitate approval processes and order execution in collaboration with the project sponsor.
• Establish and track the services utilization budget (burn rate) throughout the project.
• Regularly review and update budget utilization with the project team (at least monthly).
• Immediately escalate any scope changes that may impact budget or timeline to the project sponsor or steering committee.

• Prepare and distribute weekly project status reports to the project sponsor and relevant stakeholders.
• Lead weekly status meetings with the project team to:
• Ensure clear task ownership and deadlines.
• Address roadblocks or issues preventing progress.
• Keep the project aligned with milestone deadlines.

• Conduct recurring status meetings with the project sponsor and/or steering committee to review:
• Completed and upcoming key tasks.
• Changes that may impact business operations.
• Overall project alignment with budget and milestones.
• Maintain and share an open issues log to track and resolve project roadblocks.
• Manage and monitor a Transition Service Agreement (TSA) tracker to ensure all service discontinuation deadlines are met.
• Ensure the completion of transition documentation and communicate final project handoff details to the project sponsor and team.

• Proven experience managing IT infrastructure projects
  , preferably in environments involving network security, cloud migrations, or enterprise systems
  .
• Strong understanding of server architecture, networking, firewalls, Active Directory, and email migration processes
  .
• Excellent organizational, communication, and leadership skills.
• Ability to manage multiple vendors, budgets, and technical teams effectively.
• Experience with project management methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid approaches) is a plus.

Vaco by Highspring values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply.

Vaco by Highspring is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, religion or creed, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, union membership, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, or any other protected characteristics as required by federal, state or local law.

Vaco by Highspring and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Vaco by Highspring will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is…