Job Details

Senior Project Manager (SPM)

To plan, execute, and finalize current ongoing projects according to strict deadlines and within budget. This includes acquiring resources and coordinating the efforts of team members and third-party contractors or consultants in order to deliver projects according to plan. The SPM will also define the project's objectives and oversee quality control throughout its life cycle.

General Responsibilities

1. Assist agency executive management, division directors, and information technology (IT) staff and leading project tasks, resources, including State personnel and deliverables.
2. Use appropriate project management tools, reports, templates, mentoring, training, and coaching to IT project teams.
3. Work directly with agency staff, as well as vendors and, when necessary, other state agencies in fulfilling and carrying out the requirements of assigned IT projects.
4. Utilize project management best practices, including risk management, quality management, change management, change control and communication.
5. Manage by providing leadership, collaboration, supervision, training, guidance and support to all IT project team members on assigned projects.
6. Lead the effort for ensuring agency compliance with the State's project management policies and standards.
7. Assist in the "translation" of that vision into business requirements
8. Build and manage relationships with business leaders to understand their vision and goals
9. Manage multiple key projects with significant scope and complexity simultaneously

• Organize and lead matrixed teams to successfully deliver on programs
• Synthesize the business and technical landscape into a sound project strategy and execution plan
• Create a communications process to ensure stakeholders are aware of status, risks, and opportunities
• Cultivate trust with all program stakeholders
• Drive execution of project and program deliverables
• Formulate mitigation strategies and recommending solutions
• Improve delivery and operational processes to optimize performance and value over time
• Interact with senior leaders across a highly matrixed environment in both IT and business communities
• Oversee QA activities to ensure project deliverables meet/exceed established standards
• Prepare and deliver presentations regarding program status to key stakeholders
• Provide risk management and issue/problem resolution as required
• Synchronize and manage cross-project interdependencies

Release Coordination Responsibilities

1. Plan and coordinate all phases and activities involved in the release of a system or system update into the production environment
2. Facilitate release meetings and develop the release recommendation and release deployment plan based on input from stakeholders project teams
3. Identify priorities, conflicts, dependencies, and risks for a release
4. Confirm the release deployment plan is followed and that all release deliverables (usually in the form of Release Activities or entry/exit criterion) have been completed inline with the release dates and deadlines
5. Maintain and track release notes, approvals, communications, contact lists and pre and post-release verification activities
6. Coordinate and schedule key change to production activities. This includes the tracking of all elements with team leads as the project moves through testing regions into production. Accommodate a flexible schedule as most releases occur outside of regular business hours.
7. Support release execution by monitoring of each phase of the release. Validate the release as it progresses thru various release gates and test phases, alerts appropriate stakeholders of any errors or issues that need to be addressed.
8. Provide release coordination and communication during and after deployment.
9. Create requests for change (RFC to production) and obtains appropriate approvals.

• Facilitate emergency releases from production incident identification to incident closure after release.
• Verify capture of acceptance/signoff on deliverables

Skills/Experience Required

1. Ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines
2. Ability to work with shifting priorities while prioritize needs
3. Ability to interact and communicate effectively with individuals at all levels
4. Strong oral and written communication skills
5. Prior project management experience