16313 - Project Manager

Work Model Hybrid

Allows Relocation NO, must be within 90 miles

SUMMARY/RESPONSBILITIES

Strategic Project Manager to lead the replacement of its legacy probation case management system. This role bridges technical infrastructure, legislative and policy compliance, and the daily experience of probation officers, judicial staff, and justice-involved individuals across Colorado's 23 judicial districts. The position will operate within a multi-level governance framework, supporting executive decision-making, managing stakeholder alignment, and facilitating issue escalation across business, technology, and judicial leadership.

The Branch's ICON/JPOD Case Management Information System provides probation case management statewide and tracks all felonies, juvenile cases, and about 90% of misdemeanors (CICJIS). Replacing it is a multi-year, high-visibility modernization that touches every probation department in the state.

ICON/JPOD also exchanges data with partner agencies through the Colorado Integrated Criminal Justice Information System (CICJIS), including the Department of Corrections, the Division of Youth Services, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, and the Colorado District Attorneys' Council. The new system must preserve those exchanges without interruption.

Success means more than a working system. It means probation officers spend less time on data entry and more time with clients, supervisors get reliable data for decisions, and justice-involved individuals experience clearer, fairer, and more consistent supervision.

Strategic leadership and governance

• Lead the full project lifecycle, from requirements and procurement through design, build, data migration, testing, statewide rollout, and decommissioning of ICON/JPOD
• Develop and maintain the master schedule, budget, scope baseline, and benefits realization plan
• Translate the Branch's strategic goals for probation into clear project objectives and measurable success criteria

Vendor and procurement management

• Support the solicitation, evaluation, and selection of a solution vendor under state procurement rules
• Hold vendors and internal teams accountable for quality, schedule, and cost

Legislative and policy compliance

• Track Colorado statutes, Chief Justice Directives, and probation standards affecting system requirements, and build them into the solution
• Coordinate with legal, policy, and research staff so the system supports required reporting, risk and needs assessments, and evidence-based practices

Stakeholder engagement and change management

• Engage chief probation officers, officers, supervisors, judges, court staff, and partner agencies across all 23 judicial districts, urban and rural alike
• Lead human-centered design activities, such as field observation, user testing, and feedback loops with frontline staff
• Direct organizational change management, training, communications, and go-live support
• Make sure the client-facing parts of the system are accessible, plain-language, and equitable for justice-involved individuals

Risk, quality, and reporting

• Identify, track, and mitigate risks and issues; escalate decisions promptly
• Plan cutover so probation supervision is never interrupted
• Report status, risks, and outcomes to leadership

Knowledge, skills, and abilities

Project and program management: command of predictive, Agile, and hybrid methods, and the judgment to choose between them

Systems thinking: ability to understand how technology, policy, operations, and people interact, and to see downstream effects of design choices.

Communication: clear, plain-language writing and speaking for audiences ranging from judges and legislators to frontline officers and vendors

Facilitation and influence: ability to build consensus among stakeholders with competing priorities, without direct authority

Empathy for users: genuine interest in how probation officers and clients experience the system, and the discipline to design around their needs

Analytical skills: ability to interpret data, evaluate trade-offs, and make sound decisions under uncertainty

Integrity and discretion: sound handling of confidential criminal justice information and sensitive organizational matters

Resilience: steady leadership through ambiguity, setbacks, and the pressures of a high-visibility public project

Benefits orientation: understanding of business outcomes and the ability to support measurement of adoption and value realization objectives

Governance and executive engagement:ability to operate within complex governance structures, prepare executive decision materials, facilitate escalations, and support leadership decision-making across multiple organizational levels

Change management: ability to support organizational readiness, stakeholder engagement, communications, training, and user adoption activities

QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in project management, information systems, public administration, criminal justice, business, or a related field (Additional relevant experience may substitute for the degree year for year)
• Ten years of progressively responsible project management experience, including at least five years leading large, complex technology implementations with multiple vendors and stakeholder groups
• Demonstrated experience managing a multi-year schedule
• Experience leading enterprise system replacements that included data migration and organizational change management
• Ability to pass a criminal background check

Preferred:

• Project Management Professional (PMP), PgMP, or equivalent certification
• Agile and change management certifications
• Experience with Waterfall Project methodology
• Experience applying Waterfall governance and procurement controls in conjunction with Agile solution delivery
• Experience implementing case management systems for courts, probation, parole, corrections, or other justice agencies
• Familiarity with Colorado state government, the Colorado Judicial Branch, or CICJIS data exchanges
• Experience with commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) or configurable SaaS platform implementations in the public sector
• Experience working with geographically distributed users in both urban and rural settings

Manager NOTES

Working conditions. This is a hybrid position based in Denver. You will be asked to come into the office once a week, ideally on Tuesdays. Regular in-state travel to judicial districts, including rural districts, may be required, especially during training and rollout. Occasional work outside normal hours is expected around go-live and cutover events.

PRE-EMPLOYEMENT & CLIENT SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Employment and/or client submission is contingent upon successful completion of required pre-employment screening and verification processes. These requirements include:

• Background check: Candidates must successfully complete the required background screening in accordance with company policy and applicable law.
• Drug screening: Candidates must successfully complete the required drug screening in accordance with company policy, applicable client requirements, and applicable law.
• Identity and location verification: Candidates may be required to complete identity and/or location verification using a secure verification tool prior to client submission.
• Employment eligibility: Candidates must provide appropriate documentation to verify employment eligibility as required by law.
• Qualification verification: Information provided during the application and recruiting process, including employment history, education, certifications, licenses, and professional references, may be verified as applicable.
• Additional client requirements: Additional screening, documentation, or verification may be required based on the client, position, work location, or applicable requirements.

All screening and verification activities will be conducted in accordance with applicable company policies, client requirements, and federal, state, and local laws.

BENEFITS

This is a contract opportunity with a great organization. As a contractor for Smith Johnson, you are eligible for medical, dental, life, disability. Smith Johnson pays for 70% of your medical and dental and 100% of life and disability. The contract is also eligible for PTO/holiday accrued monthly. You are also eligible for a 3% retirement matching plan. Smith Johnson believes in taking care of our contractors.