Senior Project Manager

Interfile is a leading South African Fintech specializing in Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment solutions. We design, develop and operate large-scale electronic service platforms used by millions of people, helping corporate and public-sector clients modernize their services through innovative technology and reliable service delivery.

We are looking for an experienced Senior Project Manager to lead the successful delivery of complex technology and software projects, with a strong focus on large-scale projects within the South African public sector.

The role is responsible for managing projects from initiation through to implementation and closure, ensuring delivery against agreed scope, timelines, budgets and quality requirements. You will work closely with government clients, senior stakeholders and multidisciplinary technical teams to manage project governance, resources, risks, dependencies and commercial performance.

This is a senior delivery role requiring strong leadership, sound commercial judgement and the ability to navigate complex stakeholder and governance environments while maintaining accountability for successful project outcomes.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Project Delivery & Execution:

• Lead complex technology and software projects from initiation and planning through implementation, handover and closure.

• Define project scope, objectives, deliverables, timelines, budgets and success measures in collaboration with clients and internal stakeholders.

• Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans, schedules, delivery roadmaps and governance documentation.

• Manage multiple projects and workstreams while maintaining visibility across milestones, dependencies and critical paths.

• Track delivery against agreed timelines, budgets and quality requirements, taking corrective action where required.

• Proactively identify and manage project risks, issues, dependencies, constraints and change requests.

• Maintain effective project governance, reporting and documentation throughout the project lifecycle.

• Manage project scope and ensure changes are appropriately assessed, approved and controlled.

Public Sector & Stakeholder Management:

• Lead the delivery of large-scale projects within government and public-sector environments.

• Build and maintain trusted relationships with government departments, municipalities, public entities and other key client stakeholders.

• Navigate complex stakeholder structures, governance requirements and formal approval processes.

• Manage stakeholder expectations while balancing client requirements, contractual commitments and project realities.

• Facilitate steering committees, governance forums, workshops and executive-level project engagements.

• Communicate project status, risks, dependencies and decisions clearly to senior stakeholders.

• Manage challenging stakeholder discussions professionally while maintaining strong client relationships.

Team & Resource Leadership:

• Lead cross-functional project teams across Software Development, QA, Infrastructure, Architecture, Business and Operations.

• Coordinate resources across departments and negotiate resource requirements and priorities.

• Forecast resource demand and monitor utilisation against planned capacity.

• Establish clear ownership and accountability for project deliverables.

• Identify and resolve delivery blockers, resource constraints and team conflicts before they impact project outcomes.

• Coach and support project team members while driving a strong culture of accountability and delivery.

Commercial & Financial Management:

• Manage project budgets, forecasts and overall financial performance.

• Ensure effective P&L management and contribute to profitable project delivery.

• Monitor project effort, resource utilisation and commercial performance.

• Assess the financial and delivery impact of scope changes and ensure these are appropriately controlled.

• Maintain oversight of contractual obligations, milestones and commitments throughout the project lifecycle.

BACKGROUND REQUIREMENTS:

Education & Qualifications

Essential:

• Relevant tertiary qualification in Project Management, Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, Business or a related field.

• Recognised Project Management certification such as PMP, PRINCE2, PMBOK-aligned certification or equivalent.

Desirable:

• Agile certification such as Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Professional Scrum Master (PSM), SAFe or equivalent.

• Additional training or certification in Programme Management, Change Management or Business Analysis.

Work Experience:

• 8–10+ years’ project management experience delivering complex projects and programmes.

• At least 5 years’ experience within technology, software development, systems implementation or digital transformation environments.

• Proven experience successfully delivering large-scale projects within South African government, public-sector or state-owned entities.

• Strong experience navigating complex public-sector stakeholder, governance and approval environments.

• Demonstrated experience managing projects across the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).

• Strong working experience across Agile, Waterfall and hybrid delivery methodologies.

• Proven ability to manage multiple projects, workstreams and competing priorities simultaneously.

• Experience managing project budgets, forecasts, resources and commercial performance.

• Experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams, including Development, QA, Infrastructure and Architecture.

• Strong experience engaging with senior client stakeholders, executives and decision-makers.

• Experience within Fintech, financial services, payments, digital government services or large-scale transactional platforms would be advantageous.

SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE:

• Strong technology and software project delivery capability.

• Strong understanding of South African public-sector project environments and stakeholder dynamics.

• Excellent client and executive stakeholder management skills.

• Strong project governance, planning and risk-management capability.

• Sound commercial and financial acumen.

• Strong leadership and ability to drive accountability across multidisciplinary teams.

• Excellent organisation, prioritisation and problem-solving skills.

• Strong written and verbal communication, presentation and facilitation skills.

• Strong negotiation and conflict-resolution capability.

• Ability to translate complex technical information for non-technical stakeholders.

• Ability to influence decisions across complex organisational structures.

• Resilient and adaptable, with the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, high-accountability environment.

• Strong ownership and accountability for successful project delivery.