Full-Time

Senior IT Project Manager

Updated on 9/10/2026

Patterson

Patterson

5,001-10,000 employees

Dental and veterinary supply distributor

Compensation Overview

$96.5k - $128.7k/yr

St Paul, MN, USA

Hybrid

Bachelor's

Category
IT Operations (1)
Required Skills
Agile
ERP
CRM
SAP Products
Salesforce
SCRUM
PowerPoint/Keynote/Slides

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Requirements
  • A bachelor's degree in computer science, Management Information Sciences, Mathematics, Engineering, Business, or the area of functional responsibility, or equivalent education and experience.
  • At least 5 years of project management experience.
  • Experience using project management tools and methodologies and developing successful collaborative working relationships across varied industries.
  • Willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 0–10% when required for project success.
  • Ability to manage and adapt project delivery through Agile or Waterfall methodologies.
  • Flexibility to support product management, program management, or specialized corporate initiatives.
  • Ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders at varying organizational levels and tailor communication to the audience.
  • Ability to manage IT and non-IT projects, including projects with international components.
  • Proven success managing large, 6–18-month projects involving multiple IT and business departments.
  • Ability to manage multiple projects, conflicting priorities, and schedules simultaneously while meeting deadlines.
  • Strong customer service skills and responsiveness to internal and external customers.
  • Attention to detail in producing high-quality work products.
  • Ability to take direction from several individuals while remaining self-directed.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
  • Ability to demonstrate best practices in professional relationships.
  • Ability to exercise independent judgment and critical thinking.
Responsibilities
  • Meet with the executive sponsor to understand the project charter, business value, scope, business requirements, high-level timeline, and expectations.
  • Define stakeholder engagement and the channels for providing project-status, risk-mitigation, timeline, and budget updates.
  • Promote team empowerment through team-building techniques and ensure team members contribute meaningfully and remain engaged.
  • Support the product owner or manager with stakeholder communications, internal customer expectations, deliverables, and project governance.
  • Stay current with project management skills and industry-standard project delivery methodologies.
  • Use project management methodologies and EPMO templates to manage projects effectively and efficiently.
  • Mentor project managers, project coordinators, and interns to support professional growth and successful project delivery.
  • Share best practices and collaborate with EPMO team members.
  • Coordinate and lead workshops to define and document detailed business and IT requirements.
  • Work with departments to create and approve Statements of Work and other necessary documents.
  • Determine project structures, including steering committee, team, and stand-up meetings.
  • Develop and maintain project documentation such as project plans, stakeholder analyses, RAID logs, and timelines.
  • Ensure project-plan documents identify task owners, due dates, and statuses.
  • Provide direction and guidance to project team members.
  • Escalate concerns and create action plans when scope, budget, or timelines are at risk.
  • Collaborate with department managers to secure appropriate project resources and meet timelines and objectives.
  • Identify, document, and communicate risks; develop risk-mitigation strategies and implement required actions.
  • Work with project sponsors and workgroups to analyze information, document critical processes, and identify improvement opportunities.
  • Partner with business customers to manage third-party vendors.
  • Lead and manage Agile software development projects from concept through completion while encouraging self-organizing teams and accountability.
  • Maintain familiarity with Agile and Scrum elements, including Agile planning and project management with Scrum.
  • Manage successful software releases throughout the project lifecycle.
  • Ensure project teams adhere to Agile methodology and best practices.
  • Conduct project retrospectives and document successes, improvement areas, and lessons learned for future sprints, phases, or projects.
  • Gather cost estimates from internal and external resources and track actuals against estimates.
  • Communicate budget updates and concerns to leadership.
  • Manage customer and stakeholder expectations and relationships through communication and collaboration.
  • Monitor and report project progress to stakeholders and colleagues.
  • Communicate executive-level project status through email, reports, and PowerPoint presentations.
  • Provide weekly or biweekly status reports covering accomplishments, risks, risk mitigation, get-to-green plans, timelines, and upcoming work.
Desired Qualifications
  • At least 8 years of project management experience.
  • PMP certification, ScrumMaster certification, or Agile certification.
  • Active participation in the project management community, such as PMI, local organizations, or project management think tanks.
  • Experience mentoring project managers.
  • Experience managing ERP or SaaS projects, including Salesforce, CRM, SAP, or Microsoft projects.
  • Experience using Microsoft Copilot to help manage projects.

Patterson is a health-care distributor that provides dental and animal health products to professionals in North America and the UK. It sources products from manufacturers, stores them in its network, and ships them to dental and veterinary clinics, hospitals, and distributors with a focus on timely delivery. The company differentiates itself through its long history since 1877, its expansion from dental into animal health, and its large multi-market distribution network. Its goal is to be a dependable partner for dental and animal health professionals by offering a broad selection of high-quality products and efficient distribution.

Company Size

5,001-10,000

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Founded

1877

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Wasi Ahmed joined August 17, 2026 to modernize SAP, cybersecurity, and AI analytics.
  • Patterson now owns its roadmap, avoiding quarterly market pressure after delisting in 2025.
  • Dental software leadership under Patankar targets ARR growth, retention, and higher-margin recurring revenue.

What critics are saying

  • Patient Square’s buyout loads Patterson with private-equity pressure and debt-service discipline.
  • Software transformation under Anish Patankar and Gregg Kunes risks execution slips through 2027.
  • Patterson’s antitrust history with Benco and Henry Schein still threatens buying-group scrutiny.

What makes Patterson unique

  • Patient Square took Patterson private on April 17, 2025, backing long-horizon reinvention.
  • Patterson spans dental and animal health distribution across North America and the U.K.
  • August 2026 CIO, March 2026 CDO, and April 2026 software hires signal platform ambition.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan

401(k) Company Match

Unlimited Paid Time Off

Paid Holidays

Parental Leave

Adoption Assistance

Professional Development Budget

Mental Health Support

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

6%

1 year growth

6%

2 year growth

6%
Associated Press
Aug 20th, 2026
Patterson Companies appoints Wasi Ahmed as chief information officer

Patterson Companies has appointed Wasi Ahmed as chief information officer, effective 17 August 2026. Ahmed will report to chief executive officer Robert Rajalingam and join the executive leadership team. Ahmed brings over 30 years of technology leadership experience across distribution, manufacturing, software, and consumer products. Most recently, he served as chief technical and chief information officer at Foundation Building Materials, where he led SAP modernisation, cloud transformation, and cybersecurity initiatives. He also oversaw integration of more than 70 acquisitions for a business generating over $7 billion in revenue. As CIO, Ahmed will lead Patterson's enterprise technology strategy, focusing on SAP modernisation, cybersecurity enhancement, and expanding AI and analytics capabilities.

Patterson Companies
Apr 23rd, 2026
Patterson announces senior vice president of dental software.

Patterson announces senior vice president of dental software. April 23, 2026 (ST. PAUL, Minn.) - Patterson Companies has announced the appointment of Anish Patankar as Patterson's new senior vice president and general manager of dental software. Patankar brings over 20 years of experience building and scaling enterprise healthcare software businesses, with a proven record of driving profitable growth, ARR expansion and customer retention across large installed bases. Patankar will report to Dental President Patrik Eriksson and will lead Patterson's software strategy in all key functions. Patankar was most recently the SVP and GM of Oncology Solutions where he was responsible for a $330M+ global software portfolio supporting oncology care devices and delivery across thousands of hospitals. Prior to that, he served as a software solutions provider, founding and scaling new SaaS and informatics product lines to radiology departments and clinics globally. "As we overhaul and invest more deeply in our software strategy, Anish's skill set is a perfect fit for the direction we are heading," said Patrik Eriksson, dental president. "By unifying all software functions, we are positioning ourselves to operate more cohesively and we are thrilled for Anish to be the leader of this change." Ready to start his new role, Patankar said, "I'm excited to bring my previous experiences and expertise to a forward-thinking company like Patterson. I'm ready to dive in and start the work on Patterson's software strategy." Anish Patankar Biography Anish has an MS degree in computer science and engineering from the State University of New York and an MBA from the University of California. He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay area of California. Outside of work, Anish enjoys reading, playing badminton and hiking with his kids.

CXO Insiders
Mar 27th, 2026
Patterson Companies appoints Gregg Kunes as Chief Digital Officer.

Patterson Companies appoints Gregg Kunes as Chief Digital Officer. * March 27, 2026 Patterson Chief Digital Officer Gregg Kunes has officially joined Patterson Companies to lead its digital transformation strategy. The company confirmed these leadership moves to strengthen innovation and accelerate growth. The Patterson Companies have announced the appointment of a new Chief Digital Officer, namely Gregg Kunes. The company seeks to improve its digital skills as well as increase its technology-based activities. Furthermore, the appointment shows the company's continued commitment to digital transformation and modernization. The new Chief Digital Officer will directly report to the company's Chief Executive Officer, namely Robert Rajalingam. He will also oversee the company's overall digital strategy as well as its execution. The new Chief Digital Officer has more than 20 years of experience in digital transformation as well as global operations. He was previously the head of global digital commerce at Thermo Fisher Scientific. There, he led digital channel development across 12 business units. Furthermore, he executed one of the industry's largest global software transformations. Before that, Kunes worked at Amazon as a division leader. He successfully built and managed a digital games and software portfolio from the ground up. Therefore, his experience spans both e-commerce and enterprise digital ecosystems. "We are thrilled to have Gregg join the team at Patterson. Gregg's previous success in delivering innovative and scalable solutions made him the right fit for the role," said Robert Rajalingam, chief executive officer."Patterson is investing in our ongoing digital transformation, and with Gregg now leading that effort, we feel optimistic and excited for this next chapter in the company." Looking forward to his new role, Kunes said, "I'm immensely grateful to join a company like Patterson that is rooted in strong values and committed to the success of their customers. My focus will be on finding ways we can move faster and work smarter to deliver world-class customer experiences in our markets. Digital transformation will be at the core of how we approach making our customers successful." Gregg Kunes background and leadership experience. Gregg Kunes originally comes from Ohio. He earned a master's degree in business from The Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business. In addition, he holds a BSE double major in business and chemical engineering from the University of Cincinnati. Currently, Kunes lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Outside work, he actively spends time with his family and coaches youth sports. He also enjoys playing golf and fishing. Moreover, Kunes contributes to social causes through his board role at Autism Speaks in Pittsburgh. He has also developed AI-based solution tools to support children and families dealing with autism. For more stories on technology leaders shaping the future of enterprise solutions, visit its CXO Insiders.

Business Wire
Mar 26th, 2026
Patterson Companies appoints Gregg Kunes as chief digital officer

Patterson Companies has appointed Gregg Kunes as chief digital officer to lead the company's digital strategy. Kunes brings over 20 years of experience, most recently serving as head of global digital commerce at Thermo Fisher Scientific, where he led digital channel optimisation across 12 business units and executed the industry's largest global software transformation. Kunes previously worked at Amazon, where he built and led a digital games and software portfolio. He holds a master's degree in business from The Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business and a BSE in business and chemical engineering from the University of Cincinnati. The appointment reflects Patterson's commitment to digital transformation as the company seeks to enhance customer experiences across its dental and animal health distribution business in North America and the UK.

Patterson Companies
Nov 21st, 2025
Introducing Patterson's New Chief Compliance Officer: Sarah Foley

Introducing Patterson's New Chief Compliance Officer: Sarah Foley. Sarah Foley was recently promoted to her role as Patterson Companies' Chief Compliance Officer. To help everyone understand her vision for this role and learn more about Sarah (the person), Patterson Companies, Inc. asked her some questions about the broad topic of "compliance." In this Q&A, she shares her perspective on building a strong ethical culture and how compliance serves as a foundation for trust and excellence across its organization. Can you walk Patterson Companies, Inc. through your work experience up until this point? My career has spanned global law firms and multinational corporations, blending deep legal and regulatory expertise with hands-on compliance leadership. I began my journey in the white-collar defense practice groups of top law firms in Washington, D.C. and New York City, where I advised clients across diverse industries facing government investigations. My work centered on helping these companies design and implement strong compliance and regulatory programs that not only resolved investigations but also built lasting cultures of integrity. From there, I transitioned in-house to lead compliance initiatives at Weatherford, a global oil and gas company, and later at The Hershey Company. In both roles, I was tasked with strengthening and expanding existing compliance frameworks across complex international operations. This work took me to more than 35 countries, where I developed and implemented programs and teams that supported ethical business practices around the world. What are you most excited about in this role? I'm thrilled to be leading its compliance and regulatory team as Patterson Companies, Inc. partner with the business to navigate an increasingly complex regulatory landscape. Its mission is to offer clear, practical guidance that helps the business move forward confidently while anticipating and preventing risks before they arise. Patterson Companies, Inc. is focused on showing that compliance isn't just about rules - it's a real driver of smart, sustainable growth. And with the recent integration of compliance, regulatory, and legal into one unified department, Patterson is better positioned than ever to deliver seamless, strategic support for its commercial goals. What does "ethical culture" mean to you, and why is it essential to the long-term success of a company like ours? Ethical culture to me means a set of shared values and behaviors that guide employees and leaders to make decisions that are compliant, fair, and aligned with the Company's principles. It's not only about following laws or compliance rules - it also includes creating an environment where people want to do the right thing. * Bolstering its corporate brand and reputation to retain and attract customers and business partners that want to work with a trustworthy organization. * Driving employee engagement, especially when they feel respected and aligned with the Company's values. * Discouraging misconduct, which helps Patterson Companies, Inc. avoid fines, legal matters, reputational damage, and regulatory scrutiny. * Encouraging better decision-making and empowering employees to make decisions that lead to consistent, sustainable outcomes. * Supporting collaboration and innovation through open dialogue among its employees, which is critical for long-term adaptability and success. How can leadership team's model ethical decision-making in day-to-day business operations? Modeling ethical decision-making strengthens the organization from the inside out. If a potential business decision conflicts with Patterson's compliance, legal, or regulatory standards, it's a sign to pause and reassess. It's important for all of Patterson Companies, Inc. to be open about challenges and mistakes - raising questions and concerns builds credibility and continues to foster a corporate culture where honesty and integrity is the norm. Good ethics equals good business, and that enables long-term success for Patterson. How do you balance the need for compliance with the realities of business performance and growth? I strongly believe that Patterson Companies, Inc. don't need to choose compliance over business performance and growth. Rather, it's about integrating compliance into the business so that it enables performance instead of restricting it. When its team understands business objectives, it can develop solution-forward guidance that helps the Company achieve goals safely and efficiently. In my view, compliance can help shape growth instead of stifling it - and there are ways that its team can support the Company in a manner that manages risk without overregulating the business.