Interim Project Manager / Product Owner (m/f/d) – IT Rollout Genesys / OCC

Project overview

Interim Project Manager / Product Owner (m/f/d) – Genesys / OCC Rollout

Requirements

Desirable

Important: Technical Genesys, Avaya, or telecommunications know-how is not a prerequisite. The search is explicitly for an experienced, implementation-strong leader who quickly takes responsibility, creates commitment, and ensures results, even in difficult project phases, not a technical conceptual designer.

Framework Conditions

• Many years of experience in managing complex IT projects and IT transformations with a strong operational implementation focus
• Demonstrable experience in managing complex IT rollouts
• Experience in short-term entry into ongoing, challenging, or critical projects
• Strong structuring, organizational, and management skills
• High personal standing, assertiveness, and binding stakeholder management – even without formal authority
• Confident, conflict-capable, and at the same time empathetic communication at both departmental and management levels
• Proactive, self-responsible working style with consistent results orientation
• Experience as a Product Owner and/or in the transition of IT projects into regular operations
• Experience with OCC/Contact Center solutions, ideally Genesys or Avaya
• Experience in the insurance sector

Project details

ASAP, ideally by *, otherwise also possible from 04.01.2027

Cologne, 2 days/week on-site, otherwise remote

Industry: Insurance

Full-time

Project Background

Our client in the insurance sector is undergoing a comprehensive IT transformation and is implementing a company-wide Omnichannel Contact Center (OCC) solution based on Genesys, which will replace the current Avaya solution.

Genesys has already been successfully rolled out in several business areas. However, the remaining rollouts have been delayed and are now entering a critical project phase. At the same time, the current external project management is leaving the project as planned in December.

An experienced interim project manager is sought to take over operational responsibility at short notice, successfully complete the remaining rollouts, and then shape the transition to a stable operating organization as Product Owner.

A handover by the current project management is possible depending on the start date.

Program management and sponsor are established.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Phase 1 – Project Management and Completion of Rollouts

Phase 2 – Product Ownership and Transition to Operations

Profile Sought

Short notice, *

Cologne, 2 days/week onsite (candidates preferably from Cologne and surrounding areas, not a must)

Dependent on rollout completion and subsequent PO/transition phase

Reporting: Program Management and Sponsor

• Short-term takeover and independent management of an ongoing, time-critical IT rollout project
• Ensuring milestones, deadlines, and agreed-upon deliverables
• Consistent tracking of tasks, commitments, risks, and dependencies, as well as binding follow-up
• Proactive stakeholder management and coordination of involved business departments, IT units, and service providers
• Transparent status communication, early identification of deviations, and targeted escalation
• Operational relief for program management and Scrum Master, potentially taking over individual sub-projects
• Taking over Product Owner responsibility after the completion of rollouts
• Establishing and implementing clear structures, processes, and responsibilities
• Coordination of involved stakeholders and clarification of open organizational and operational issues
• Ensuring a structured transition from project to regular operations
• Optional: Training and handover to an internal Product Owner
• Start: 2026-12
• Duration: 4 Monate
• Remote: hybrid
• Location: Köln, Deutschland, DE
• Languages: German