Senior Project Manager

Job Description:

Providing for loved ones, planning rewarding retirements, saving enough for whatever lies ahead – our policyholders count on us to be there when it matters most. It’s a big ask, but it’s one that we have the power to deliver when we work together. We collaborate and innovate – pushing one another to transform not just Pacific Life, but the entire industry for the better.

Why? Because it’s the right thing to do. Pacific Life is more than a job, it’s a career with purpose. It’s a career where you have the support, balance, and resources to make a positive impact on the future – including your own.

We’re actively seeking a talented Senior Project Manager to join our PMO team in the Strategy Realization Office (SRO). This role will work out of our Newport Beach, CA office.

As a Senior Project Manager you’ll move Pacific Life, and your career, forward by leading cross-functional initiatives in a hybrid, iterative delivery environment. This role requires a delivery leader who brings structure, drives clarity, and ensures steady progress—even when priorities shift. This role involves managing cross functional teams, coordinating resources, and ensuring projects align with business goals and expected value delivery.

The ideal candidate balances planning with adaptability and operates with a strong sense of ownership and urgency, driving towards successful business outcomes.

How you’ll help move us forward:

• Lead medium to large-scale initiatives across business and technology teams using a combination of Agile, Waterfall, and Hybrid delivery methods
• Establish and maintain pragmatic delivery plans, adjusting based on team feedback, stakeholder input, and shifting priorities
• Facilitate clear communication across teams and stakeholders, ensuring timely decision-making and progress transparency
• Identify risks early, manage trade-offs, and escalate when appropriate to maintain delivery momentum
• Partner with product managers, business owners, and delivery leads to ensure scope, timing, and outcomes are aligned
• Monitor work in progress and ensure dependencies, impediments, and delivery constraints are actively managed
• Provide delivery leadership that keeps teams focused, stakeholders engaged, and objectives on track

The experience you bring:

• 8+ years of project management experience in hybrid Agile environments (Agile, Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, or mixed models)
• Strong facilitation and communication skills, with a proven ability to lead through ambiguity
• Experience managing delivery in environments with both iterative and milestone-driven work
• Ability to track and manage progress across multiple teams and technologies without heavy overhead
• Demonstrated ability to influence without authority and coordinate across stakeholder groups
• Experience in regulated industries (e.g., insurance, financial services, healthcare) preferred
• Strong analytical skills to assess the impact of new features and changes on the overall project timeline and deliverables
• Strong critical thinking, data analysis and reporting, risk and controls, and process improvement skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills, exhibit poise and exercise diplomacy in communication, ability to influence others toward consensus, conflict management and decision-making
• Experience working with and demonstrated ability to motivate and inspire, cross-functional teams, including IT and third-party vendors
• Familiarity with project and collaboration tools such as Jira, Confluence, Azure Dev Ops, Microsoft Project, or Smartsheet
• Working knowledge of visualization/analytics tools including PowerBI

What makes you stand out:

• Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or Certified Scrum Professional (CSP)
• SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) or SAFe Agilist (SA)
• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
• Lean Six Sigma Yellow or Green Belt (a plus)
• Background in strategic management and/or management consulting

What Success Looks Like:

• Work progresses iteratively, with direction and purpose
• Risks are surfaced and addressed early — not after the fact
• Stakeholders remain informed, engaged, and aligned
• Delivery plans remain current and useful — not theoretical
• Teams are supported and…