Project Manager

Senior Project Manager

Lead CA Project Approval Lifecycle (PAL) activities for an enterprise-wide Grants Management System. Requires proven, hands-on experience with complex public sector IT projects that are governed by the PAL process.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide sound, senior-level IT project management leadership for the GEMS Project through Stages 2-4 of the CA Project Approval Lifecycle (PAL).
• Provide PAL guidance to the CDPH team members and insight for key PAL processes.
• Effectively interact in conversations and group meetings with leaders and staff, subject matter experts and control agency contacts related to the project, developing a strong understanding of key objectives, priorities, overall approach, and established procedures.
• In collaboration with PMO, program personnel, and other project stakeholders, directly lead the development of all PAL stage deliverables, including any related stage reports, project planning documents, procurement planning documents, and other PAL prescribed work products.
• Review and understand all previously approved PAL stage deliverables.
• Lead the planning and execution for all aspects of the project assignment, applying project management best practices.
• Develop and maintain project schedules using MS Project, ensuring tasks, timelines, milestones, and dependencies are properly managed.
• Identify, monitor and report on project, budget, scope, resourcing, risks, issues, decisions, action items, and changes, performing escalations when necessary.
• Lead the collaboration with oversight partners including the Agency Oversight team and CA Department of Technology (CDT) analyst assigned to the project. Provide regular reporting and communicate with these parties proactively to maintain alignment on priorities and expectations for PAL advancement.
• As requested, provide knowledge transfer to end client personnel regarding project-related management practices/objectives/status, documentation, PAL activities, solution requirements, solution functionality, and other relevant details.
• Coordinate and lead all project meetings with timely and accurate meeting notes/minutes, status updates, and stakeholder communications in alignment with client requirements.
• Organize storage and distribution of project deliverables and other artifacts.
• Facilitate project assignment closure activities and lessons learned as assigned.

Senior Project Manager Minimum Qualifications:

• Expert level management skills in the following key areas: confidence and competence to productively interact with executive leaders; exceptional skills in steering team dynamics among multiple stakeholders that may have diverse priorities and opinions.
• Outstanding meeting facilitation skills.
• Ability to adjust written and verbal communication for audiences at all levels of the org chart.
• High degree of emotional intelligence and "read the room" instincts.
• 4 years (within the last 10 years) experience providing comprehensive project management services in a lead capacity on a large-scale (at least $10M total budget) IT project for a State of California Agency or Department.
• A valid Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI), or equivalent.
• Hands-on experience implementing the CA SIMM 19 structure and content for PAL deliverables, including Stage 1 Business Analysis, Stage 2 Alternatives Analysis, Stage 3 Solution Analysis, Stage 4 Project Readiness, and Financial Analysis Worksheets (FAW).
• Strong skills utilizing project scheduling software such as Microsoft Project to create/track the work breakdown structure (WBS) and schedule for a complex IT project.
• Effective listening and note taking skills. Ability to process and assimilate large amounts of information from multiple sources.