IT PMO Consultant

IT Strategy & Project Management Office Transformation Consultant

SCOPE OF WORK:

SMUD is seeking a leased employee Information Technology (IT) Project Management Office (PMO) Consultant to manage projects as assigned (30-50% of time) and lead effort to transform PMO into an AI enabled, Shared Services model designed to support PM's and customers at scale.

Key Responsibilities

I. Project Manager Responsibilities (20-50%)

A) Manage Assigned Project

• Lead all PMP-aligned project management processes including initiation (project readiness), detailed planning, resource coordination, risk management, communications, execution monitoring, and project closing activities per SMUD’s phase gates and controls.
• Develop and maintain key project artifacts required by SMUD such as Business Cases, Stakeholder Lists, Communication Plans, Project Charters, Risk Registers, Project Schedules with defined milestones, Benefit Realization Plans, and Status Reports.
• Facilitate formal phase gate reviews and authorizations (Initiation → Planning → Execution → Closing), ensuring all project deliverables meet SMUD's specified inputs, outputs, and approval requirements per each phase in the Enterprise Project Process.
• Work closely with Business Unit Planning Coordinators (BUPC), Business Planning Analysts (BPA), Project Sponsors, Execution Sponsors, and other key stakeholders to confirm funding, resource availability, and alignment with enterprise priorities.
• Monitor and control project scope, schedule, cost, and risks, initiating Change Requests as necessary in accordance with SMUD approval thresholds.
• Provide regular and ad hoc status updates using SMUD’s systems of record (ServiceNow PPM, SAP BPC, and PowerBI dashboards) to ensure enterprise-wide visibility and facilitate governance.
• Lead project closeout activities including lessons learned documentation and benefits realization follow-up in coordination with SMUD’s Closing and Benefits Realization processes.
• Ensure adherence to SMUD ethical standards, delegated approval authorities, and reporting requirements throughout project lifecycles.

II. PMO Consultant Responsibilities (50-80%)

A) PMO Transformation & Portfolio Governance

• Optimize the PMO operating model (scope, roles, RACI, services catalog).
• Optimize Project Intake & Onboarding function (triage, prioritization, gating, templates, playbooks).
• Assess and optimize / transform standard delivery frameworks (predictable stage gates, controls, reporting cadence).
• Assess and optimize / transform portfolio prioritization & value management (OKRs, business case templates, benefits realization).
• Launch AI-augmented PMO workflows (status automation, risk sensing, resource forecasting).

B) BRM Integration

• Optimize BRM operating rhythm to front-load demand shaping with PMO.
• Co-create joint cadence (quarterly planning, intake councils, opportunity assessments).
• Define shared KPIs (idea-to-approval SLA, demand conversion rate, strategic alignment).
• Introduce playbooks for ideation → discovery → business case → delivery transition.

C) Enterprise Architecture Office Setup

• Partner with EA Consultant to define EA mandate, processes, and artifacts (principles, standards, roadmaps).
• Integrate EA checkpoints in intake, solution reviews, and stage gates.
• Create architecture governance (Design Authority, tech standards lifecycle).
• Map capability-based planning to portfolio prioritization and BRM engagements.

D) Data, AI, and Financial Controls

• Deploy PMO data model & dashboards (portfolio health, delivery KPIs, capacity).
• Embed a Finance & Budget Analyst role for CapEx/OpEx tracking, forecast vs. actuals, and benefits tracking.
• Operationalize AI tooling (Copilot for M365, Power Automate, Power BI) for automated reporting, risk identification, and document generation.
• Value Analytics: Enable intelligent resource optimization for unbiased decision-making, efficient resource allocation, and financial planning that cuts waste and maximizes ROI across your project portfolio. Include variance analysis, forecast models; link portfolio financials to business outcomes.

E) Change Management & Communications

• Develop and execute a change plan including leadership alignment, communications, and enablement.
• Deliver training curriculum for PMs, BRMs, and stakeholders (processes, tools, AI usage).

Deliverables

A) Mission

1. Transform PMO from all PMs to a scalable value-focused model that offloads repeatable and mundane tasks from PMs to shared services resources and automation within the PMO
   1. o Project Intake, Onboarding & Process Specialist
   2. o AI & Data Specialist
   3. o Finance & Budget Analyst
2. De-silo BRMs and tightly couple them with PMO delivery & governance.
3. Collaborate with and support Enterprise Architect Consultant in standing up an Enterprise Architecture Office (EAO) integrated with PMO and BRM — governance-ready, value-centric, and aligned to strategy.
4. Cover projects as PM role for any over-capacity needs such as early PM departures, unplanned extended absences, and general resource capacity constraints.
5. Manage assigned projects as needed.

B) PMO Consulting Deliverables (note that these will be prioritized with rest of team)

• Discovery & Alignment
  • Current-state assessment: PMO, BRM, EA, tooling, finance.
  • Stakeholder map and pain points; inventory of 20 PMs (skills, workloads).
  • Draft target operating model, RACI, and role definitions.
  • Baseline KPIs: cycle time, predictability, NPS, BRM conversion rate, % strategic alignment.
  • Deliverables: Discovery report, transformation roadmap, comms plan, risk register.
• Design & Foundations
  • Launch project intake & onboarding pilot (process, templates, SLAs).
  • Define stage gates, governance calendar, and steering charters.
  • Establish joint BRM–PMO cadence and shared KPIs.
  • Stand up EA governance (principles, standards, review boards).
  • Configure dashboards (Power BI) and automate status reporting (Copilot/Power Automate).
  • Deliverables: Operating model v1, intake playbook, governance playbook, EA governance pack, KPI dashboards v1.
• Implementation & Scaling
  • Transition to new model.
  • Expand intake to all new demand; embed benefits tracking.
  • Formalize capability roadmaps; integrate with portfolio prioritization.
  • Run quarterly portfolio review with KPIs and benefits realization.
  • Deliverables: Role transitions complete, portfolio governance in BAU, dashboards v2, training curriculum delivered.
• Stabilization & Handover
  • Performance optimization; refine SLAs, stage gates, and AI automations.
  • Conduct independent governance compliance audits.
  • Finalize EA Office integration with PMO/BRM.
  • Handover documentation; coaching for internal leads.
  • Deliverables: Playbooks v3, governance audit results, sustainability plan, full handover.
• Project Management Deliverables
  • Approved Business Cases and Project Charters per project.
  • Comprehensive Project Management Plan artifacts aligned with PMP principles and SMUD requirements.
  • Detailed Project Schedules with enterprise milestone templates integrated.
  • Stakeholder Engagement and Communication Plans.
  • Monthly (or more frequently) Status Reports and Project Dashboards.
  • Risk and Issue Logs with mitigation and escalation paths documented.
  • Approved Change Requests when thresholds are met.
  • Project Closeout reports including Lessons Learned and Benefits Realization documentation.

Mandatory Requirements

• Must have experience with data interpretation, visualization through tools like SQL and business objects.
• 7+ years in IT Strategy/PMO leadership with hands-on program delivery.
• PMO re-design experience (operating model, intake, governance, portfolio management).
• Demonstrated success implementing AI & analytics in PMO reporting and decision support.
• Financial governance experience (CapEx/OpEx, forecasting, benefits realization).
• Track record in organizational design and role clarity (RACI, job architecture).
• Excellent stakeholder management with CIO/CTO-level visibility.
• Minimum ten (10) years’ experience in IT Project Management.
• 7+ years demonstrating successful management of multiple concurrent enterprise-level projects, preferably within regulated or utility environments.
• Demonstrated ability to quickly assimilate and adapt to unfamiliar environments, cultures, processes, and technologies.
• 7+ years with strong skills in multi-stakeholder communication, schedule and cost control, risk management, and governance adherence.
• 7+ years proficient in project management tools such as ServiceNow, JIRA, Clarity, and PowerBI is a plus.
• Demonstrated success in building new teams and facilitating stakeholder engagement across levels from director contributors to executives.

Desirable Qualifications

• PMP certification
• Agile Product Owner certification
• MBA with emphasis in IT and/or financial-related studies
• Bachelor’s in CS/IS/Engineering/Business; MBA a plus
• PMP, PMI-ACP, SAFe, TOGAF, BRMP, ITIL, COBIT, Prosci (nice-to-have mix)

Soft Skills & Leadership

• Executive communication; storytelling with data.
• Change management (Prosci/ADKAR).
• Workshop facilitation; conflict resolution.
• Pragmatic, hands-on delivery while designing systems that scale