Project Manager - Senior

Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services (DMS)

Position Title: Project Manager - Senior

Department: Medicaid Services / Portfolio & Implementation Management

Location: Frankfort, KY (Hybrid eligible)

Position Summary

The Project Manager - Senior serves as a senior strategic leader responsible for managing a division’s full portfolio of Medicaid programs, initiatives, and regulatory commitments. This role works closely with Department Leadership and, at times, Cabinet-level executives to ensure the division meets all program, compliance, and operational objectives. The Project Manager - Senior oversees project delivery, portfolio governance, vendor performance, and regulatory deadlines while driving alignment across teams and resolving conflicts that impact program outcomes. The Program Manger also leads requirements development, business analysis, and data-driven assessment to support decision-making and ensure solutions meet Medicaid policy and compliance standards. This position requires exceptional communication skills, as the Project Manager - Senior owns all executive reporting for the division and serves as key liaison across internal and external  stakeholders.

This is a high-visibility role suited for a strategic, analytical, and collaborative leader with deep experience in Medicaid program operations, project/portfolio management, and cross-functional coordination.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end project planning, execution, monitoring, and closure for assigned DMS Division initiatives.
• Develop and maintain project schedules, risk logs, mitigation plans, and performance dashboards.
• Ensure all projects meet Medicaid regulatory requirements, quality standards, and delivery timelines.
• Coordinate cross-function project teams, including internal sta􀆯, vendors, and consultants.
• Facilitate project governance meetings, decision-making processes, and issue escalation
• Oversee the assigned division’s full portfolio of programs, initiatives, and operations commitments.
• Lead requirements gathering, business process analysis, and workflow documentation for assigned Division initiatives.
• Translate business needs into functional requirements for IT, vendors, and operational teams.
• Conduct impact assessments, gap analyses, and readiness evaluations.
• Serve as the primary liaison between Division leadership and Department leadership.
• Prepare and deliver executive reports, briefings, presentations, and decision memos.
• Facilitate stakeholder meetings, workshops, and cross-agency coordination sessions.

Minimum Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, Information Systems, or related field (preferred)
• 7+ years of professional experience managing Medicaid projects and programs or healthcare portfolio as a Project Manager.
• 5+ years of direct in-depth Medicaid experience, including familiarity with eligibility,
• benefits, program operations, managed care or fee-for-service models, provider enrollment, claims, 1115 waivers, State Plan Amendments, or1915(c) wavers, and federal compliance.
• 2+ years of experience analyzing Medicaid data using business analytic tools (e.g., Excel Power BI, Tableau, SQL, or other Data Analytic tools) to provide Medicaid Leadership with high-level trending summary to support operational decision making.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex project and cross-functional teams.
• Strong organizational and communication skills.
• Experience preparing executive-level reports, presentations, and briefings.
• Experience managing vendors or consultants through contract performance protocols.

Preferred Relevant Certifications are a plus

• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Program Management Professional (PgMP)
• Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP)
• Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or SAFe Agilist
• Lean Six Sigma Certification (Green Belt or higher)

Working Conditions

• Hybrid work environment with mandatory in-o􀆯ice days for key project meetings.
• Occasional travel to stakeholder meetings, training sessions, or program sites, as requested.

Core Responsibilities

1.      Project Management (30%) / Strong command of project management methodologies (Waterfall, Agile, Hybrid) and ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously.

• Lead end-to-end project planning, execution, monitoring, and closure for assigned DMS Division initiatives.
• Develop and maintain project schedules, risk logs, mitigation plans, and performance dashboards.
• Ensure all projects meet Medicaid regulatory requirements, quality standards, and delivery timelines.
• Coordinate cross-function project teams, including internal sta􀆯, vendors, and consultants.
• Facilitate project governance meetings, decision-making processes, and issue escalation.

2.      Division Portfolio Administration (30%) / Comprehensive understanding of Medicaid program design, implementation, and evaluation including knowledge of federal programs (e.g., 1115, 1915(c), SPA, MCOs, FFS). Portfolio management expertise, including prioritization frameworks and resource allocation.

• Oversee the assigned Division’s full portfolio of programs, initiatives, and operations commitments.
• Lead portfolio governance processes, ensuring alignment with Medicaid strategic priorities.
• Monitor assigned Division performance metrics, compliance indicators, and regulatory deadlines.
• Manage vendor and consulting performance through contract monitoring protocols.
• Drive conflict resolution, alignment of priorities, and escalation of portfolio outcomes to
• the Medicaid Portfolio Manager.

3.      Requirements & Business Analytics (20%): Ability to convert complex policy and operation needs into actionable requirements. Proficient with data tools (Excel, Power BI, Tableau, SQL, etc.)

• Lead requirements gathering, business process analysis, and workflow documentation for assigned Division initiatives.
• Translate business needs into functional requirements for IT, vendors, and operational teams.
• Conduct impact assessments, gap analyses, and readiness evaluations.
• Validate solution designs and ensure alignment with Medicaid program rules and compliance standards.
• Support data-driven decision-making through analysis of program performance, trends, and risks.

4.      Communication & Stakeholder Engagement (20%): Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to tailor messaging for executives, technical, and operational audiences.

• Serve as the primary liaison between Division leadership, Department leadership, and Cabinet-level executives.
• Prepare and deliver executive reports, briefings, presentations, and decision memos.
• Facilitate stakeholder meetings, workshops, and cross-agency coordination sessions.
• Ensure transparent communication of project and portfolio status, risks, and decisions.
• Build strong relationships with internal teams, external partners, and regulatory bodies.