Senior Technical Program Manager

Location & Travel: Based in or near Washington, DC or Chicago, IL (Remote/Hybrid options available); willingness to undertake occasional travel to Chicago for fleet site visits.

Job Description
Randstad is seeking a high-performing Senior Technical Program Manager to join our client, Amtrak, in driving large-scale, enterprise-wide technology transformations. Operating within the Project Management Office (PMO) and reporting to a Senior Program Manager, you will play a pivotal role in coordinating cross-functional project teams, directing project managers, and delivering critical IT hardware and software initiatives for Amtrak's new rail fleets. This role requires a self-directed leader proficient in formal PMP project controls-including tight management of scope, schedule, and budget-who can seamlessly collaborate across departments such as Marketing and Train Operations, as well as manage key external vendor relationships.




Key Responsibilities




Program & Project Oversight: Lead and coordinate complex, multi-departmental technology programs and project teams supporting new fleet rollouts across the Amtrak enterprise.
Team Leadership: Direct technical leads, project managers, and third-party consultants/contractors to ensure operational readiness and successful end-to-end execution.
PMP Project Controls: Maintain rigorous governance over program scope, schedule, and budget using MS Project Professional and Enterprise Project Management (EPM) tools; identify, track, and report variances.
Vendor & SOW Management: Oversee external vendors and sub-vendors, evaluate RFP responses, author Statements of Work (SOW) for product delivery and ongoing support, and ensure deliverables meet contractual specifications.
Documentation & Governance: Develop and maintain essential project artifacts-including Project Charters, Management Plans, Architecture Inputs, Test Plans, and Implementation Plans-and lead initiatives through formal Quality Gates and Portfolio Reviews.
Risk & Change Management: Publish ongoing risk assessments, implement mitigation strategies, maintain SharePoint project repositories, and produce weekly status reports for executive stakeholders.
Qualifications




Experience: 7+ years of hands-on program and project management experience delivering large-scale IT and technology infrastructure initiatives from initiation through rollout.
Leadership Capability: Proven track record of managing and directing other Project Managers with high autonomy in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.
Technical & PM Governance: Demonstrated expertise in formal PMP project management methodologies, project controls, and enterprise-level budget/schedule tracking.
Software Proficiency: Proficient with MS Project Server (EPM), MS Project Professional, SharePoint, Visio, Excel, and standard MS Office tools.
Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with the ability to interface effectively with internal business partners, technical leads, and vendor partners.
Education & Certification: Bachelor's degree in Project Management, Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. PMP certification strongly preferred.