Program Manager

Seeking a Program Manager for hybrid long-term contract role with the Commonwealth of Virginia in Richmond, VA.


The Agency is seeking a senior, experienced IT Program Manager to join the Project & Product Delivery portfolio. This position is in Mechanicsville, Virginia.
Candidate will lead and manage Project & Product delivery program team using Agile, SAFe, Waterfall and Kanban methodologies. This includes working with Release Train Engineers (RTEs), Project Managers, and Scrum Masters to ensure delivery of initiatives. Working closely with all stakeholders including the senior leadership, business, cross functional teams and vendors.



This position's specific responsibilities and duties will include, but are not limited to:
• Oversee initiatives for the program
• Work with business to collaborate and deliver the initiatives
• Oversee work in assigned program to ensure consistent delivery.
• Assign resources to complete initiative planning and delivery.
• Monitor and report deviations to critical path of the initiative
• Define and monitor the control points for the program
• Compliance with Agency and VITA policies, standards, and guidelines.
• Work with peers and subordinates to define strategic direction for assigned program.
• Be an expert in Agency and VITA project management procedures and requirements.
• Be an expert in the use of the division core project management tool, Microsoft Project On-Line (POL).
• Establish and maintain Agile Project Management, Scaled, Kanban and Waterfall Project Management frameworks and their supporting practices
• Monitor initiatives for compliance with established policies and procedures.
• Monitor initiatives to detect risks and issues and escalate as needed to ensure appropriate mitigation is applied to keep the program on-track.
• Guide RTE/SMs and PMs in identifying and managing risks.
• Guide project managers in managing organizational change.
• Guide project managers in defining critical path and managing schedule.
• Guide project managers in managing budget.
• Define and track the KPI's for the program



Minimum Qualifications:
• 8 years' experience leading and managing direct reports. Set direction and strategy for the assigned team
• Ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously, ensuring timely delivery and alignment with strategic goals.
• Strong leadership and team management abilities.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, capable of interacting with stakeholders at all levels.
• Problem-solving mindset with the ability to handle challenges creatively.
• Experience in budgeting and financial management related to product lines.
• Ability to interact effectively with customers and project team members.
• Knowledge of project management tools, methods and practices.
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and inwriting.
• PMP certification.
• Advanced skills using Microsoft Project Professional.
• 10 years' experience with Waterfall, Scrum, Agile, SAFE and Kanban methodologies.
• 10 years' experience managing complex projects with multiple workstreams and high organizational change.
• Must be able to quickly and easily adapt to changing priorities, embracing changes to deliver leadership and guidance.
• Strong functional understanding of MS Project, Project Server, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Planner, Azure DevOps and Power BI
• Ability to assess project risks and issues and determine mitigation required to contain or resolve them.
• Demonstrated understanding of project portfolio and lifecycle management processes
• Demonstrated understanding of governance processes, procedures and policies for project management.
• Demonstrated understanding of organizational change.
• Demonstrated understanding of how to manage the project critical path.
• Demonstrated strong facilitation and collaboration skills.
• Demonstrated skills in developing new processes that incorporate best practices and address stakeholder needs.
• Demonstrated ability to create clear and concise written procedural documentation.
• Ability to articulate thoughts and ideas in support of initiatives that are being newly developed.
• Ideal candidates would be self-starters who can articulate thoughts and ideas in support of initiatives that are being newly developed.

Preferred Qualifications:
• 10 years' experience leading and managing direct reports, setting direction and strategy for the assigned team.
• Program Management certification, or PgMp certification from PMI.
• Certified in SAFe (SA, SSM, SASM or RTE).
• 15 years' experience with Waterfall, Scrum, Agile, SAFE and Kanban methodologies.
• 15 years' experience managing complex projects with multiple workstreams and high organizational change.
• Ideal candidates would be able to handle ambiguity and drive successful delivery outcomes in a highly matrixed environment.