Job Details

The Project Manager (PM) will lead planning, coordination, and delivery of a VMware vSphere 7 to vSphere 8 upgrade/migration for a client data center environment. This role ensures requirements are captured, scope and timelines are defined, stakeholders stay aligned, risks are managed, and project deliverables are completed on schedule with appropriate QA/testing and release controls.
Key Responsibilities

• Project Planning & Governance
  
  • Lead kickoff and discovery sessions; confirm stakeholders, roles, and communication cadence
  • Build and maintain the project plan, milestone schedule, and release calendar (pilot + production waves)
  • Manage assumptions, dependencies, constraints, and change control
• Requirements, Scope & Deliverables
  
  • Capture and document requirements (availability, downtime windows, compliance/security, operational needs)
  • Define in-scope/out-of-scope items and acceptance criteria with client stakeholders
  • Track deliverables such as discovery findings, runbook, rollback plan, validation reports, and closeout docs
• Coordination & Execution Support
  
  • Coordinate SME resources (vSphere, network, storage, backup/DR, security) and client teams
  • Facilitate readiness activities: access, approvals, maintenance windows, and pre-change checklists
  • Support change ticket preparation, implementation communications, and go/no-go checkpoints
• Risk, Issues & Quality Management
  
  • Maintain RAID log (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Decisions) and escalate blockers promptly
  • Ensure testing and validation steps are completed for pilot and each release wave
  • Drive post-upgrade hypercare monitoring periods and ensure issue resolution tracking
• Communication & Reporting
  
  • Provide concise weekly status reports (progress, next steps, risks, decisions needed)
  • Run stakeholder meetings and document action items and decisions
  • Ensure smooth handoff and knowledge transfer at project close

• 3+ years of IT infrastructure project management experience (data center, virtualization, or systems upgrades)
• Strong experience managing multi-team technical efforts (network, storage, security, backups, server teams)
• Proficiency with project planning and documentation tools (MS Project/Smartsheet/Excel, Teams, SharePoint)
• Strong communication, stakeholder management, and risk management skills

• Familiarity with VMware vSphere/vCenter upgrade projects and release wave planning
• Experience with change control processes in enterprise or public-sector environments
• Understanding of testing/validation practices for infrastructure changes (HA/DRS, vMotion, backup verification)

• Project plan + milestone schedule
• Communication plan + meeting cadence
• RAID log and action/decision tracking
• Scope document (assumptions/exclusions) + acceptance criteria
• Release plan (pilot + production waves) and change coordination
• Status reporting and project closeout/sign-off package