Overview
Skills
Job Details
Position Summary:
1 Alpha Consulting is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Program Manager to serve as the single point of contact for the State regarding the day-to-day operations of IT projects. The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership capabilities, deep experience in managing complex IT programs, and an ability to communicate effectively with both executive leadership and technical teams. This role includes overall project governance, planning, budgeting, execution, monitoring, quality assurance, and ensuring adherence to State System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) standards and Agile methodologies.
Key Responsibilities:
Project Oversight:
- Manage day-to-day project activities and lead cross-functional teams.
- Identify issues and risks, and recommend effective mitigation strategies.
- Ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope and budget, and aligned with State and Federal standards.
- Stakeholder Engagement & Communication:
- Serve as liaison between State agencies and contractors.
- Facilitate regular meetings and discussions with stakeholders.
- Adapt strategies to evolving project needs and priorities.
- Provide detailed status updates and executive-level reports to the PMO Director, stakeholders, and federal partners.
Planning & Execution:
- Define and manage critical paths, tasks, milestones, testing, and acceptance criteria.
- Apply State SDLC standards to all phases of the project.
- Track sprint and project progress using Agile tools like JIRA and VersionOne.
- Document and maintain clear reporting on project progress, dependencies, capacity, and deliverables.
Continuous Improvement:
- Develop and implement solutions to increase efficiency and reduce costs while maintaining or improving performance.
- Ensure documentation consistency using standardized templates and artifacts.
Required Qualifications:
Education:
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Business, or a related field.
- PMP certification is required.
- Master's degree and prior experience supporting Maryland Benefits programs are highly desirable.
General Experience:
- Minimum 10 years of experience in project management.
- Strong understanding of the Agile development lifecycle, including backlog grooming, sprint planning, retrospectives, and release management.
- Hands-on experience with Agile Scrum, SAFe frameworks, and tools such as VersionOne and JIRA.
- Ability to manage multiple projects, drive performance, and create executive-level documentation.
Specialized Experience:
- Minimum 8 years managing complex IT development projects.
- Proven leadership on at least 3 successful projects involving organizational change management across diverse stakeholder groups.
- Minimum 5 years applying PMBoK methodologies and managing associated artifacts.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Technical background and familiarity with Java and cloud-based web application development.
- Experience with government projects in:
- Child Support
- Integrated Eligibility
- Child Welfare
- Adult Protective Services
- Juvenile Justice
- Health and Human Services
- Familiarity with State or Federal reporting requirements and ability to align project deliverables accordingly.
Background Screening Requirement:
All candidates selected for this position will be subject to a background check
Physical Requirements
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.
Sitting/Standing: Ability to sit or stand for extended periods while using a computer and telephone.
Handling: Frequent use of hands and fingers to operate computer systems and office equipment.
Communication: Clear speaking and adequate hearing required for effective communication via phone, video conferencing, and in-person.
Mobility: Ability to walk short distances and move about the workspace as needed.
Lifting: Ability to lift, carry, push, or pull objects weighing up to 25 pounds
Vision: Close vision required for reading documents and working on a computer screen.
Work Environment: Must maintain a safe, ergonomic workspace at home or in the office with appropriate lighting, ventilation, and moderate noise levels.