Project Manager 3

Project Manager Position Description

The State of Michigan is seeking an experienced and dynamic Senior Project Manager to lead complex, large-scale IT initiatives. This role requires a strong blend of project management expertise, leadership capabilities, technical awareness, and change management proficiency to ensure successful project outcomes aligned with business objectives and enterprise standards.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic oversight, leadership, and accountability for one or more large, complex IT projects, typically lasting longer than 6 months, involving 20 or more team members, and requiring executive-level communication and coordination.
• Ensure alignment with State of Michigan project management methodologies, including SUITE, investment management, and systems engineering methodology.
• Lead cross-functional teams through all phases of project planning and execution, including the development of integrated schedules, risk management plans, and budget tracking.
• Monitor and report on project progress regarding scope, quality, schedule, and budget, and escalate issues and risks to executive leadership as necessary.
• Perform long-term release planning to support organizational strategic goals and ensure alignment with broader enterprise initiatives.
• Evaluate technical requirements in collaboration with IT and business stakeholders, proposing solutions that meet business needs while adhering to SOM best practices and industry standards.
• Apply structured change management practices grounded in the ADKAR (Prosci) framework to ensure stakeholder alignment and successful adoption of project deliverables.

Technical Competencies:

• Strong knowledge of APIs, system interfaces, and multi-system integrations across complex IT environments.
• Working knowledge of IT infrastructure components and their interactions within networked environments (e.g., firewalls, VIPs, F5 listeners, ports).
• Familiarity with core infrastructure environments including networks, servers, storage, web platforms, and virtual/cloud solutions.
• Ability to effectively collaborate with technical teams and external vendors to support solution design, integration, deployment, and issue resolution.

Change Management and Stakeholder Engagement: This position plays a critical role in driving change adoption through:

• Integration of change management principles from the outset of the project.
• Close collaboration with stakeholder engagement leads to develop and implement communication plans, facilitate training sessions, and monitor organizational readiness.
• Supporting stakeholders at every level to reduce resistance, align expectations, and ensure long-term user adoption of new systems and processes.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

• Proven ability to lead large, cross-functional teams and manage high-visibility projects with medium to high risk.
• Strong leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills with experience interacting with Agency Leadership.
• Ability to manage both technical delivery and change management efforts within complex environments.
• Demonstrated success managing vendor-supported projects with integrated technical components and stakeholder groups.