Senior Project Manager, IT

West Sacramento, CA, United States

Summary

Under the general direction of the Chief Technology Officer, the Senior Project Manager will lead significant software technology development programs for CSBA and its members. This position will coordinate and drive internal and external resources to deliver technical solutions to business needs while clearly communicating status and outcomes to leadership, vendors, and staff. This position researches and analyzes issues as it relates to program subject matter with a complex understanding of data analysis, software development and lifecycles, program and project management, and strategic planning for the organization. This position will organize, guide, and direct the activities of the cross-functional project teams and prioritize tasks to meet deliverables and commitments on time; perform a variety of other duties as assigned.

This position is in a hybrid work environment based out of West Sacramento. This is a full-time limited-term position for a three-year term offering full benefits.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Manages all phases of the project lifecycle from identification through closure and transitioning to sustaining operations.

Leading the project planning phase, defining scope, objectives, timelines, and resource requirements to create comprehensive project plans and schedules.

Maintain alignment of program and project outcomes with CSBA strategic objectives.

Establish and relentlessly manage committed project scope, deliverables, and requirements.

Proactively conduct change management to anticipate and address changes to scope, objectives, and requirements.

Assess impact of scope changes on project deliverables, timelines, and budgets.

Ensure adherence to committed schedules.

Identify and address potential delays.

Take proactive measures to keep the project on track.

Allocate and manage all resources (human, financial, information, physical) effectively to optimize project performance.

Develop and manage project budgets, track expenses, and ensure cost-effectiveness throughout the project lifecycle.

Rapidly identify and address resource gaps.

Engage internal and external stakeholders at various levels to understand requirements, expectations, and concerns.

Maintain clear communication channels and manage stakeholder relationships throughout the project lifecycle.

Be an advocate and role model for CSBA’s interests and values when managing vendors, especially around contractual obligations and confidentiality.

Build and lead cross-functional project teams, ensuring clarity in roles and responsibilities.

Foster collaboration and motivate team members to achieve project goals.

Identify and mitigate risks to the project.

Continuously monitor and manage risks throughout the project lifecycle to minimize impact on project outcomes.

Implement quality assurance processes to ensure that project deliverables meet the required standards and specifications.

Conduct regular quality assessments and implement corrective actions as required.

Ensure technically robust solutions by leveraging individual and team expertise.

Ensure robust status reporting to all project stakeholders, highlighting key milestones, critical path, progress, and challenges all based on data.

Maintain comprehensive project documentation, including minutes, action items, decisions, project status, and technical documentation.

Address conflicts and issues within the project team and with all stakeholders in a timely and constructive manner.

Implement strategies to resolve conflicts and maintain a positive team dynamic.

Facilitate lessons learned sessions to capture insights and best practices from each project phase.

Identify areas for improvement and implement enhancements for future projects.

Incorporate changes, trends, and best practices in association markets, technology, and program/project management.

Uphold and model CSBA’s vision, mission, values, policies, and practices.

Contribute to association and departmental strategic plans and objectives by developing and applying subject matter expertise in assigned areas.

Participate in the short- and long-term strategy and direction for the association and the department.

Monitor changes in regulations, legislative issues, education policy trends, and innovations.

Maintains current understanding of education industry, from state and federal laws to local district politics.

Demonstrate respect, honesty and professionalism at all times.

Perform a variety of other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Qualifications

Knowledge of:

Principles and best practices of large-scale technology-based program and project management.

Principles and best practices of various software development lifecycle methodologies, including Agile and Waterfall.

Software tools supporting large-scale software development initiatives including project schedules, project status, DevOps, and requirements management.

Administrative principles and practices, including goal setting, program development, implementation, and evaluation.

School Board, School District and County Board organization and work.

California’s Education System, overall Education Policy knowledge

Federal, state, and local government organizations, research methods and techniques, including planning of studies and investigations, statistical procedures, general principles, concepts and terminology used in research.

Ability to:

Work independently and collaboratively in a hybrid environment.

Successfully and creatively address conflict, keeping all parties engaged and invested in the outcome.

Foster a balanced relationship with internal stakeholders, demanding quality results, maintaining focused engagement, and ensuring mutual success.

Engage, vet, and select software development providers using data-driven criteria and transparent risk trade-offs.

Lead projects from requirements definition through deployment, identifying schedules, scopes, budget estimations, and implementation plans, including risk mitigation

Managing and evaluating project performance and ensuring stakeholder satisfaction throughout project cycle.

Develop and maintain a balanced relationship with third-party resources, including vendors and researchers, demanding quality results while protecting Association interests and ensuring mutual success.

Assign and monitor resources to ensure project efficiency and maximize deliverables

Report project outcomes and /or risks to the appropriate management channels and escalate issues, as necessary, according to the project work plan

Plan, coordinate, and facilitate meetings in an effective manner.

Effectively capture business needs and objections in functional and non-functional business requirements for a system and/or process/workflow.

Communicate project status to key stakeholders; document and communication key decisions.

Research, analyze, and write reports.

Maintain high standards with regard to content and form of written work.

Work both independently and in collaboration with colleagues to meet individual and team goals.

Balance multiple work responsibilities, tasks, projects while keeping to appropriate timelines.

Maintain confidentiality.

Education & Experience

Any combination of training and experience equivalent to a bachelor’s degree or higher with major coursework in computer science, information technology, business administration or related field or equivalent education and/or experience and four (4) to seven (7) years of experience in project and program management of software development products. Project Management and Software Lifecycle certifications are desired, (PMP, Agile Scrum Master).

Environment Elements & Physical Demands

Employee works in a primarily sedentary office environment with moderate noise levels, controlled temperature conditions, and no direct exposure to hazardous physical substances.

Employee is personally responsible for following health and safety guidelines, instructions, and policies.

Must possess mobility to work in a standard office setting and use standard office equipment, including a computer; vision to read printed materials and computer screen, and hearing and speech to communicate in person, and over the telephone; must be able to bend, stoop, kneel, reach, push and pull drawers open and closed in the execution of duties.

Must be able to sit at computer for long periods of time and have the dexterity to access, enter, and retrieve data using a computer keyboard or calculator, and operate standard office equipment.

Employee must possess the ability to lift, carry, push, and pull materials and objects weighing up to 25 pounds, hand truck available to assist.

Must be able to travel overnight on occasion throughout the state of California.

Must have the dexterity and mobility to facilitate or present information to a group, access, enter, and retrieve data using a computer keyboard or calculator, and operate standard facilitation equipment.

Hybrid work environment based out of CSBA’s headquarters.

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