Product Manager- Mid Level

Roles/Responsibilities:

• Supports vendor relationships across DMV modernization and operations as a key point of contact, partnering with senior program leadership on complex or escalated issues.
• Manages multiple contracts simultaneously, ensuring vendors meet all deliverables, milestones, service levels, and quality expectations
• Oversees contract compliance, including SOW obligations, financial terms, data requirements, reporting, and performance metrics
• Partners with Procurement, Legal, Operations, Project Teams, and Budget teams to support contract amendments, renewals, RFP development, and evaluations
• Coordinates across internal teams (IT, Product, BA, Testing, OCM, Operations) to ensure vendor work aligns with DMV goals and program priorities
• Identifies risks early and supports escalation and issue-resolution processes, contributing to corrective action plans.
• Reviews vendor deliverables for completeness and alignment, coordinating with technical SMEs for deep technical validation.
• Ensures vendors follow security, compliance, integration, and data standards required by DMV and NCDIT
• Supports cross vendor coordination by identifying dependencies and raising alignment needs to senior program leadership.
• Maintains accurate and current documentation on contract status, performance, risks, and payment approval workflows
• Supports vendor accountability by monitoring deliverables, milestones, and service levels, and by coordinating with senior leadership on performance concerns.
• Supports financial tracking activities including invoice validation and burn rate monitoring.
• Monitors vendor resource usage and enhancement hours, ensuring accurate categorization, proper documentation, and adherence to approved budget and scope.
• Translates technical issues, risks, and impacts into clear and actionable communication for leadership
• Supports planning and procurement activities and supports vendor evaluations efforts.

Mandatory Skills:

1. Experience managing vendors, contracts, or delivery partners in complex technology environments- 5 years
2. Strong working knowledge of state government procurement, contracting processes, and compliance requirements- 5 years
3. Experience managing large technology contracts, system implementation vendors, SI partners, or SaaS/hosting providers- 5 years
4. Proven ability to interpret SOWs, technical deliverables, project plans, SLAs, acceptance criteria, and contract language- 5 years
5. Ability to drive vendor performance through influence, diplomacy, escalation management, and structured accountability
6. Technical fluency to understand systems, integrations, testing workflows, data impacts, and modernization related technical dependencies
7. Experience coordinating across cross functional teams, including IT, business leaders, SMEs, product, testing, operations and executive stakeholders- 5 years
8. Strong problem solving and analytical skills; ability to proactively identify risks and navigate complex vendor issues
9. Vendor performance management and escalation handling- 3 years
10. Experience validating deliverables, reviewing technical documentation, and confirming readiness for acceptance or payment
11. Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate contract terms and technical impacts to nontechnical audiences
12. Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to simplify complex technical or contractual topics
13. Skilled at facilitation, negotiation, and conflict resolution across vendors and internal stakeholders
14. Excellent analytical and critical thinking capabilities
15. Comfortable coordinating across diverse teams and personality types
16. Ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining focus on outcomes and timelines
17. Resilient, adaptable, and capable of supporting both operational and modernization initiatives simultaneously
18. Adaptable and resilient in environments where priorities and needs evolve quickly
19. Bachelor's degree in business, public administration, information systems, contract management, or related field
20. Equivalent professional experience accepted

Desirable Skills:

1. Vendor performance management and escalation handling- 3 years
2. Technical fluency (systems, integrations, data, testing)- 3 years
3. Financial and contract lifecycle management- 3 years
4. Experience in government, modernization programs, or regulated environments- 3 years
5. Continuous improvement of vendor processes and performance- 2 years
6. Highly organized and detail oriented, with the ability to manage many moving contractual and technical components
7. Proactive, assertive, and accountable - steps in early to address issues and ensures thorough resolution
8. Strong relationship builder who can foster trust while holding vendors to high-performance standards
9. Comfortable navigating ambiguity and establishing structure in evolving modernization and operational environments
10. Balances firmness with diplomacy, maintaining productive vendor relationships while protecting DMV interests
11. Demonstrates sound judgment when balancing contractual obligations, business needs, and technical constraints
12. Thrives in fastmoving, high-stakes delivery programs with multiple stakeholders and dependencies
13. Brings a continuous improvement mindset and seeks opportunities to improve vendor processes, deliverables, and outcomes
14. Certifications in contract management, procurement, vendor management, or project delivery are beneficial but not required