IT Project Manager III

Job Title: IT Project Manager III

Location: Remote Akron, OH

Duration: 6 Months with Possibility of extension or Conversion

IT Project Manager for delivering Application Portfolio Management, application rationalization, application modernization, consolidation, migration, and delivery governance for this role in Akron, OH.  

The engagement is expected to run approximately 6 months, with capability-model refinement and planning first, followed by mapping, rationalization, and roadmap development. 

Role / Responsibilities:Seeking an experienced Technical Project Manager to plan, lead, and deliver a focused Application Portfolio Management (APM) initiative. The Technical Project Manager will run the engagement end to end: building the integrated plan, facilitating working sessions with Enterprise Architecture, IT application owners, business stakeholders, and subject matter experts, and driving the assessment of the current application portfolio, the identification of rationalization opportunities, and the development of a phased application roadmap.

The initiative starts from the EPRI 2026 Business Capability Model for Utilities, which will be reviewed and tailored to the client.  The initial scope includes approximately 12 application domains, prioritizing higher-cost applications, areas with potential redundancy, and applications potentially affected by ERP modernization. The Technical Project Manager will work closely with Enterprise Architects, who own architectural content and standards, and will be accountable for schedule, scope, risk, dependencies, and the quality and timely completion of every deliverable.

 This is a hands-on delivery role. The successful candidate will do more than track status. They will build and maintain the plan and governance artifacts, structure and facilitate workshops, consolidate and analyze portfolio data, document findings, and drive deliverables through review and approval. Excellent facilitation and delivery management skills are essential.

 Key Responsibilities

Project Planning and Governance

• Define the project plan, work breakdown structure, milestones, resource needs, and delivery approach (Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid) aligned to the project charter.
• Establish and run the governance model, including cadence, steering committee reporting, and escalation paths.
• Maintain the RAID log (risks, assumptions, issues, dependencies) and the decision log.
• Manage scope, change control, schedule, and stakeholder expectations across the six-month engagement.
• Produce regular status reports and dashboards for the project sponsor, Enterprise Architecture, and IT leadership.

Workshop Facilitation and Stakeholder Management

• Plan and lead structured workshops with application owners, business stakeholders, IT leaders, and architects.
• Prepare workshop materials, data requests, and decision points in advance.
• Capture decisions, assumptions, dependencies, issues, and follow-up actions, and track them to closure.
• Resolve conflicting stakeholder perspectives through structured analysis, evidence, and escalation when needed.
• Obtain review and approval of deliverables from FirstEnergy stakeholders at each phase.

Application Portfolio Data and Capability Mapping Coordination

Coordinate the review and tailoring of the EPRI Utility Business Capability Model with Enterprise Architecture and business stakeholders.

Drive the collection and validation of application inventory, cost, ownership, and dependency data for approximately 12 in-scope domains.

Coordinate the mapping of in-scope applications to business capabilities and the documentation of functional and technical fit with IT and Business Owners.

Maintain the application portfolio data in the designated repository or working tool and keep it consistent and current.

Application Rationalization and Roadmap Delivery

• Coordinate the analysis of applications by cost, functionality, risk, and strategic fit.
• Work with Enterprise Architects and application owners to identify:
• Duplicate or overlapping applications
• Functional gaps
• Technical risks and technical debt
• Applications suitable for consolidation
• Opportunities for ERP or enterprise platform replacement
• Candidates for modernization or retirement
• Drive recommendations using the project's Tolerate, Invest, Migrate, or Eliminate disposition framework, with clearly documented rationale and supporting evidence.
• Coordinate the development of current-state and future-state architecture views with Enterprise Architecture and IT Owners for selected domains.
• Translate approved recommendations into a phased application roadmap, including sequencing, dependencies, and transition states.
• Prepare executive-level summaries explaining findings, recommendations, business value, risk, and required decisions.

 Expected Deliverables: The Technical Project Manager will be directly responsible for planning, driving, and completing the following deliverables:

 Project management artifacts

Integrated Project Plan and Schedule

1. Governance Model and Communication Plan
2. RAID Log and Decision Log (maintained throughout)
3. Weekly Status Reports and Steering Committee Updates

Application Portfolio Management outputs (delivered with Enterprise Architecture and application owners)

1. Updated Business Capability Model
2. Application-to-Capability Mapping Matrix
3. Application Rationalization Assessment and Recommendations
4. Current-State and Future-State Architecture views for selected application domains
5. Phased Application Roadmap
6. Executive Summary Presentation

 Required Qualifications

7+ years of experience in technical project management, program management, or IT delivery management for enterprise application or technology initiatives.

Demonstrated experience planning and delivering complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives on schedule and within scope.

Excellent workshop facilitation and stakeholder-management skills, including with senior business and IT leaders.

Strong delivery management skills, including scope and change control, risk and issue management, dependency management, and status reporting.

Hands-on experience building and maintaining project plans, RAID logs, governance materials, and executive reporting.

Experience delivering Application Portfolio Management, application rationalization, application modernization, consolidation, migration, or retirement initiatives.

Working knowledge of enterprise and application architecture concepts, sufficient to read architecture artifacts, work with architects, and keep architecture deliverables on track.

Experience with Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid delivery approaches.

Ability to independently transform incomplete or conflicting information from stakeholders into structured, decision-ready deliverables.

Ability to communicate findings and recommendations to both technical teams and executives.

Strong documentation and presentation skills.

 Preferred Qualifications

PMP certification (preferred, not required). PMI-ACP, SAFe, or similar certifications are also valued.

Experience working within a large electric utility, energy company, or similarly regulated enterprise.

Experience supporting ERP modernization or transformation programs, particularly where ERP changes drive application consolidation.

Experience with large application portfolios containing hundreds or thousands of applications.

Familiarity with project management tools such as MS Project, Jira, Azure DevOps, Smartsheet, or similar tools.

Familiarity with Enterprise Architecture and APM repositories or platforms such as ServiceNow APM, Ardoq, LeanIX, or similar tools.

Familiarity with utility Business Capability Models, preferably the EPRI Utility Business Capability Model, and architecture frameworks such as TOGAF.

 Measures of Success

The Technical Project Manager will be successful when:

The project is delivered within the six-month timeline and agreed scope, with milestones and dependencies actively managed.

Governance is in place and operating, with timely, transparent status reporting and a current RAID log.

Client has an agreed-upon Business Capability Model appropriate for the scoped domains.

In-scope applications are consistently mapped to capabilities and have documented functional and technical fit assessments.

Rationalization recommendations contain clear dispositions and rationale supported by sufficient evidence for architecture and investment decisions.

Selected application domains have usable current-state and future-state architecture views.

Recommendations are translated into an actionable phased roadmap.

Stakeholders participate actively in workshops, and deliverables are reviewed and approved by Enterprise Architecture and IT leadership.