Project Manager - Contractor in Needham, Massachusetts at IDC

About the Role & Team
NEXUS runs multiple workstreams in parallel on an aggressive timeline. Without a dedicated execution owner who can operate independently, dependencies slip and the Program Office leads get pulled into day-to-day coordination instead of vision, governance, and strategic execution at the leadership level. This role is what lets the program move at the pace leadership expects.

The Project Manager will be responsible for coordinating execution across these workstreams, ensuring that plans remain aligned, dependencies are actively managed, and teams deliver against committed sprint milestones. This role enables the Nexus Program Office to focus on governance, executive engagement, and strategic planning while maintaining day-to-day execution across the program.

This is a three-month, execution-focused role requiring exceptional organization, communication, and coordination skills.

NEXUS is IDC’s AI-integrated research production operating model. It modernizes how IDC research is created across roughly 35+ document types, spanning production planning and capacity, content and workflow execution, and downstream consumption and distribution. Delivery runs in sprints, with parallel pods working document types simultaneously against fixed publication commitments.

The program combines internal teams (process design, business rules, change and communications, training and enablement, data engineering) with an external development partner and a distributed delivery model across US, Europe, and APAC time zones.

What You’ll Do

Integrated program coordination

• Maintain the integrated Nexus program plan across assigned workstreams.
• Coordinate milestones, timelines, and deliverables across multiple concurrent initiatives.
• Ensure workstream plans remain synchronized and aligned to overall program objectives.
• Track critical path activities and identify schedule impacts early.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Run the operating rhythm: sprint planning, standups, working sessions, cross-pod syncs, and sprint close.
• Coordinate cross-functional execution.
• Facilitate communication across teams and ensure ownership of deliverables and next steps
• Coordinate activities with internal teams and external development partners

Sprint & Delivery Management

• Support the Nexus operating cadence by coordinating:
• Sprint Planning, Weekly Delivery Reviews, Cross-functional Working Sessions, Dependency Reviews, Sprint Close Activities
• Track sprint commitments and follow-up actions to keep delivery on schedule.

Dependency & Issue Management

• Maintain program tracking (dependencies, risks, issues, decisions, action items).
• Ensure every item has an owner, due date, and mitigation plan

Reporting & Communications

• Prepare regular program reporting.
• Communicate program status clearly across sponsors, workstream leads, and project teams.

What You Bring

Required qualifications

• 5–8 years of program or project management experience
• Experience coordinating multiple cross-functional initiatives simultaneously
• Strong planning, organization, and follow-up skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience facilitating meetings and driving action items to completion
• Strong dependency and schedule management skills
• Ability to influence teams without direct authority
• Experience working in Agile or sprint-based delivery environments
• Proficiency with project management tools such as Coda, Jira, Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, or similar
• Remote but must work in the Eastern Time Zone
• 10-15% travel

Preferred qualifications

• Experience supporting enterprise transformation or technology implementation programs
• Exposure to AI, workflow automation, digital products, or software delivery
• Experience coordinating distributed teams across multiple time zones
• Experience preparing executive-level reporting and dashboards
• Familiarity with data integration or enterprise platforms is a plus

Working style, we are hiring for

• Be highly organized and detail-oriented
• Thrive in fast-paced, evolving environments
• Build strong relationships across functional teams
• Follow through relentlessly on commitments
• Be proactive in identifying risks and resolving issues
• Communicate clearly and concisely with both technical and business stakeholders
• Bring structure and accountability to complex, cross-functional programs

Why This Role Stands Out
At IDC, your work helps shape how the world understands technology and where it goes next. You collaborate with curious, high-caliber colleagues who value rigor, integrity, and shared success. As the premier global provider of trusted technology intelligence, IDC equips business and technology leaders with the evidence they need to make confident decisions. Our insights inform strategy, investment, and innovation across industries and regions.

Recognized by IIAR as Analyst Firm of the Year for five consecutive years, IDC sets the standard for credibility and impact. With more than 1,000 analysts worldwide and a truly global perspective, we combine deep expertise with practical relevance. Here, your ideas matter, your voice is heard, and your contributions provide the insights leaders rely on every day. It is meaningful work, backed by a culture that supports growth, collaboration, and long-term career development with a globally respected brand.

Compensation Transparency

At IDC, we are committed to fair and equitable pay practices. Employees are compensated equitably for their work, aligned with their skills and experience. Salary and incentive structures are determined through a rigorous process that considers experience, education, certifications, role-specific requirements, internal equity, and verified U.S. market data from an independent third-party partner.

The expected total annual compensation, depending on location and experience, is between $60.00 - $70.00 per hour.

If this role relocates to a different country, the salary range will be updated to reflect that country's range, rather than a currency conversion of the original range.

Equal Opportunity Employer

IDC is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all qualified persons. Employment eligibility verification required. We participate in E-Verify.

IDC is currently able to employ remote workers in the following states: Arizona (AZ), California (CA), Colorado (CO), Connecticut (CT), Washington D.C. (DC), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Kansas (KS), Massachusetts (MA), Maryland (MD), Maine (ME), Michigan (MI), Minnesota (MN), Missouri (MO), Mississippi (MS), North Carolina (NC), New Hampshire (NH), New Jersey (NJ), New York (NY), Ohio (OH), Oregon (OR), Pennsylvania (PA), Rhode Island (RI), South Carolina (SC), Tennessee (TN), Texas (TX), Utah (UT), Virginia (VA), Vermont (VT), Washington (WA), and Wisconsin (WI).