OCM Lead

Overview

Allied Consultants, Inc is a proudly Austin based firm with over 34 years of experience delivering top-tier technical and business professionals within Texas State Agencies. We are currently seeking an experienced OCM Lead to play a key role within a high-impact technical services team.

At Allied Consultants, we value our consultants and are committed to providing an exceptional experience including:

• Highly competitive pay rates
• Local support staff for responsive, personal service
• Comprehensive benefits package, including:
  • Medical insurance (with employer cost sharing)
  • Life insurance
  • A 401(K) plan with company match
  • Flexible spending through a cafeteria plan

Candidates selected for interviews will be subject to a criminal background check and may be required to pass a drug screening, in compliance with federal and state regulations. All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of these checks.

Allied Consultants is a proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Responsibilities

The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA) requests responses from qualified Respondents to provide Organizational Change Management (OCM) and agency transition support services for the Centralized Accounting Payroll/Personnel System (CAPPS) State of Texas Accounting and Reporting Resource (STARR) financial system implementation.

CPA is seeking an experienced change management professional to lead organizational change management, coordinate agency communications, support User Acceptance Testing (UAT), Train-the-Trainer (TTT), and End User Training (EUT) activities, with the goal of ensuring a successful transition for the over 200 state agencies and institutions of higher education that interface with CPA's statewide financial systems. Successful adoption of CAPPS STARR will require more than awareness; end-user agency staff must feel capable and ready to operate in the new environment. The selected Vendor’s Candidate will support that outcome by focusing on clarity, competence-building, and participation at the agency level.

For information regarding CPA's CAPPS STARR Program, visit: CAPPS — State of Texas Accounting and Reporting Resource (STARR)

SCOPE OF SERVICES.

Services Overview . The selected Vendor’s Candidate will work alongside CPA's OCM team to support agency coordination, communications, and readiness to support the CAPPS STARR implementation. Central coordination authority and agency relationships remain with CPA; the selected Vendor’s Candidate’s function is to extend CPA's reach by serving as a structured OCM liaison to state agencies throughout testing, training, and transition activities.

Position Requirements .  The CPA Work includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Performing highly advanced (senior-level) consultative services and technical assistance work related to supporting the CAPPS STARR Program. The Comptroller retains ownership of all system decisions, training content, policies, and final communications. All work products are subject to CPA review and approval.

Services to be delivered under this engagement are organized into the following functional areas:

• Stakeholder and Agency Liaison Support
• The selected Candidate will work alongside and under the direction of CPA's OCM team to support agency coordination, communications, and readiness. Central coordination authority and primary agency relationships remain with CPA. The selected Candidate's role is to extend CPA's reach by serving as a structured liaison to state agencies, ensuring they receive the information and support they need to feel capable and prepared, not necessarily to enlist them as advocates or to build change-champion networks within them. Scope includes, but is not limited to:
  • Maintaining familiarity with CPA-approved CGI OCM, training, and testing deliverables to effectively support agency communications and readiness activities. The Respondent is not responsible for reviewing or approving such deliverables but must understand their content and implications for agency stakeholders.
  • Participating as a standing attendee in CPA-led OCM and training team meetings. Attending select CPA-led testing coordination meetings as directed, beginning with integration testing activities as preparation for UAT coordination.
  • Establishing and maintaining a structured engagement model for interfacing with designated agency points of contact, in coordination with CPA's OCM team.
  • Supporting CPA by coordinating communications to agencies related to testing, training, and transition activities.
  • Tracking agency readiness inputs include participation levels and escalation topics and synthesizing them for CPA review.
  • Facilitating feedback loops between agencies and CPA to surface readiness gaps, questions, and change impacts that CPA needs to address.
  • Reinforcing CPA-approved guidance, timelines, and expectations to agency stakeholders.
• Change Management and Readiness Planning
• The OCM Lead will own the change management methodology and readiness planning framework for this engagement, and will direct OCM Coordinators in its execution. Scope includes, but is not limited to:
  • Supporting the Comptroller in defining agency-level readiness expectations across testing, training, and transition milestones.
  • Developing change and readiness artifacts (e.g., readiness checklists, agency communications, Q&A content) aligned to CPA’s direction.
  • Monitoring and reporting on agency readiness risks and themes across the agency population.
  • Conducting structured Business Readiness Assessments at defined project milestones, including a baseline assessment early in the engagement and a pre-go-live assessment prior to each production cutover. Assessments will evaluate agency preparedness across four dimensions: agency participation levels, communications effectiveness, training readiness, and operational readiness. Results will be reported to CPA with recommended follow-up actions.
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT) Support
• The OCM Lead will oversee CPA’s UAT readiness strategy and ensure OCM Coordinators have the direction and tools needed to support agency participation. The UAT population is anticipated to consist of approximately 500–600 participants across statewide agencies and institutions of higher education. Scope includes, but is not limited to:
  • Coordinating agency communications related to UAT schedules, roles, and expectations, as directed by CPA.
  • Supporting agencies in understanding UAT objectives, participation responsibilities, and escalation pathways.
  • Attending CPA-led UAT coordination meetings as a standing participant. The selected Candidate's involvement in testing meetings is focused on coordinating external agency participation; system testing meetings led by CGI are outside this engagement's scope.
  • Tracking agency participation and UAT completion as a readiness indicator.
  • Supporting coordination of UAT-related artifacts and guidance, as directed.
• Train-the-Trainer (TTT) Support
• The OCM Lead will establish and oversee the Train-the-Trainer coordination approach, providing direction to OCM Coordinators responsible for logistics and agency outreach. Scope includes, but is not limited to:
  • Supporting CPA in coordinating communications related to TTT schedules, materials, and trainer expectations.
  • Reinforcing roles and responsibilities of agency trainers and CPA-provided training resources.
  • Assisting with the dissemination and clarification of training materials developed by others.
  • Collecting and summarizing agency feedback related to training preparedness and common issues.
• End User Training (EUT) Support
• The OCM Lead will establish the EUT coordination approach and ensure OCM Coordinators are equipped to manage logistics and agency outreach for the full end-user population. Scope includes, but is not limited to:
  • Supporting CPA in coordinating EUT logistics, including scheduling, participant communications, and access to training environments as directed.
  • Assisting agencies in understanding EUT expectations, role-based training pathways, and how to access CPA-developed training materials.
  • Tracking EUT participation and completion rates as a pre-go-live readiness indicator.
  • Collecting and summarizing agency feedback following training delivery to surface gaps or recurring issues for CPA review.
• Communications Support
• The OCM Lead will own the communications strategy for this engagement, ensuring that all agency-facing communications are consistent, CPA-approved, and aligned to the overall OCM approach. Scope includes, but is not limited to:
  • Supporting the development and distribution of CPA-approved communications to agencies.
  • Coordinating recurring updates related to testing, training, and transition milestones.
  • Supporting Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), talking points, and change-related messaging to address common agency questions.
  • Maintaining a log of agency communications and escalations for traceability.
• Reporting and Governance Support
• The selected Candidate will provide defined reporting to support visibility into agency readiness and transition risks. Periodic summary reports will be structured around four readiness dimensions: agency participation levels, communications effectiveness, training readiness, and agency/operational readiness. This framework aligns with the Business Readiness Assessment methodology described Change Management and Readiness Planning and enables consistent tracking of readiness trends across the engagement lifecycle. Scope includes, but is not limited to:
  • Providing periodic summary reports — at minimum monthly during active UAT and training phases — covering status and themes across the four readiness dimensions. At minimum, each report shall include: (a) a status summary for each readiness dimension; (b) an agency participation summary showing engagement levels by phase or activity; (c) a log of escalated risks or issues with disposition status; and (d) recommended follow-up actions for CPA consideration.
  • Directing and overseeing the work of OCM Coordinators, including setting work priorities, reviewing deliverables and reports, and ensuring quality and alignment with CPA direction across all OCM activities.
  • Identifying and elevating systemic risks and issues within each dimension for CPA awareness and decision-making.
  • Producing pre-milestone readiness summaries in advance of key project events (e.g., UAT kickoff, TTT and EUT completion, go-live cutover). Each pre-milestone summary shall include: (a) a readiness assessment across the four dimensions; (b) a summary of open issues and pending agency actions; (c) participation gaps and recommended mitigation; and (d) a recommended readiness determination for CPA's consideration.
  • Supporting CPA in defining an agency-facing governance model appropriate to the nature of this engagement. Unlike a traditional multi-agency ERP governance structure, CAPPS STARR is a SaaS-based system of record owned and configured by CPA. Agencies interface to the system but do not drive configuration or customization decisions. The Respondent will assist CPA in articulating how agencies submit issues and questions, how CPA communicates system changes and configuration decisions to agencies, and what escalation pathways exist. The resulting governance framework document shall include at minimum: a roles and responsibilities matrix, an agency issue submission process, a CPA decision communication process, and defined escalation pathways. The document is subject to CPA review and approval.
  • Providing a weekly status report to the CPA Contract Manager summarizing work completed, work in progress, and planned activities for the following week.
  • Reporting will focus on insights, trends, and actionable themes across the agency population rather than a detailed agency-by-agency performance assessment.
• Performing other related Work as assigned.

OTHER SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS  

• Have experience in gathering business requirements for large projects
• Work independently in a diverse team environment with on-site and remote team members.
• Have strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Have knowledge of project management methodologies.
• Have experience with large-scale ERP or enterprise system implementations in a coordination or change management capacity.
• Have problem-solving skills and the ability to multitask with readiness to put in extra efforts when necessary.
• Have experience with change management coordination across a large, geographically distributed stakeholder population.
• Have experience supporting UAT, Train-the-Trainer, or End User Training coordination activities for a major system implementation.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements: Candidates that do not meet or exceed the minimum stated requirements (skills/experience) will be displayed to customers but may not be chosen for this opportunity.

Years

Required/Preferred

Experience

8

Required

Experience in organizational change management, including direct experience designing and executing stakeholder engagement plans, readiness assessments, and agency communications for large-scale technology implementations or enterprise system transitions.

5

Required

Extensive experience executing project-level change strategies, including the measurement of change readiness and long-term sustainability.

5

Required

Experience designing and conducting Business Readiness Assessments for large-scale technology transitions, including establishing baselines and producing executive-level readiness reports across a multi-agency population.

5

Required

Experience leading and managing a change management team or coordination staff in a senior or lead capacity, including directing work, setting priorities, and ensuring quality of deliverables across the engagement.

5

Required

Experience developing executive-level communications and governance frameworks for complex, multi-stakeholder technology transitions.

5

Required

Experience applying structured change management frameworks, such as Prosci ADKAR, ACMP CCMP, or equivalent, to support adoption and readiness outcomes on large-scale ERP or statewide system implementations.

5

Required

Experience managing structured activities across multiple concurrent workstreams, including tracking participation and engagement data, producing status and readiness reports, escalating risks, preparing pre-milestone summaries for project leadership.

5

Preferred

Direct experience working within or supporting Texas state government is strongly preferred.

5

Preferred

Functional experience with CGI Advantage software, or equivalent application.

5

Preferred

Experience with CPA’s legacy Statewide Financial Systems production support activities

2

Preferred

Prosci certification, Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP), or Change Management Advanced Practitioner (CMAP) credential