A management role at a high enough level in an organization that the primary focus of the person filling the role is the long-term vitality of the organization rather than short-term concerns and pressures. (See also “higher level management.”)
A senior manager has authority to direct the allocation or reallocation of resources in support of organizational process improvement effectiveness.
A senior manager can be any manager who satisfies this description, including the head of the organization. Synonyms for senior manager include “executive” and “top-level manager.” However, to ensure consistency and usability, these synonyms are not used in CMMI models.
This term has a special meaning in the CMMI Product Suite besides its common standard English meaning.