Project Manager (1. Team Leader)

INTERVIEW= Onsite / Virtual
JOB TYPE= Onsite

SCOPE
The Contractor will provide an experienced Project Manager to:
• Lead and manage IT projects including software development, hardware replacements, data migrations, strategic planning, and governance.
• Utilize Earned Value Management (EVM), Cost Performance Index (CPI), and Schedule Performance Index (SPI) for effective budget tracking and monitoring.
• Employ project management tools such as Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Jira, or Trello for comprehensive project planning and tracking.
• Operate within Agile frameworks (Scrum and Feature Driven Design) to deliver iterative project solutions.
• Facilitate stakeholder workshops and meetings to gather and validate requirements.
• Develop and manage user stories and acceptance criteria, maintaining traceability in Azure DevOps or GitHub.
• Support testing activities by creating and coordinating user acceptance test cases.
• Collaborate with technical teams to translate business needs into actionable technical solutions, overseeing testing and rollout.
• Identify and document project risks and issues, maintaining a risk register and mitigation plans.
• Work closely with assigned Business Analyst to ensure alignment of project deliverables with business needs.
• Review project proposals or plans to determine a time frame, funding limitations, procedures for accomplishing projects, staffing requirements and the assignment of available departmental resources to various project phases.
• Identify and schedule project deliverables, milestones, and required activities and tasks.
• Provide leadership and motivation to project team members throughout the project life cycle and confer with project staff to outline a work plan.
• Act as a coach to junior project managers, executives and others who need assistance and advice regarding project management practices.
• Establish a work plan and staffing for project activities, iterations or phases, and arrange for recruitment or assignment of project personnel.
• Review/approve the work plan of an external service provider or consultancy contracted to execute the project.
• Implement a project communication plan.
• Conduct risk assessment and mitigation.
• Monitor project activities, ensuring the currency, quality and integrity of information, while providing consistency in content and "look and feel” across the organization.
• Ensure that project goals are in line with business objectives.
• Ensure that project goals are achieved.
• Assign duties and responsibilities to project personnel and define the scope of their authority.
• Direct and coordinate the activities of project personnel to ensure projects progress on schedule and within budget.
• Review status reports prepared by project personnel, and modify schedules or plans as required.
• Coordinate and monitor dependencies and integration across program projects and business areas, resolving conflicts as needed.
• Measure and monitor progress with metrics and KPIs, including phase reviews and deliverable sign-offs.
• Supervise relationships with suppliers and subcontractors engaged with the program, monitoring progress according to schedules.
• Direct the creation and maintenance of required program documentation and artifacts.
• Implement and produce regular program communications, reporting and briefings for stakeholders.
• Ensure comprehensive change management practices are embedded across program initiatives.
• Provide expertise on best practices for business analysis and continuous process improvement.
• Ensure that projects adhere to PMBOK and Project Management Institute best practices.
• Follow FDACS and State of Florida rules and guidelines for project management.
• The Contractor, through its selected candidate, must perform all tasks and complete the deliverables identified in this Statement of Work (SOW).

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTRACTOR'S CANDIDATE
To accomplish the work outlined above, FDACS requires an experienced IT Project Manager with the following skills and experiences listed below. This list is not exhaustive; nor are all skills required. Technical Skills, written and verbal communication, and experience will be the basis for evaluation of responses to the RFQ.
Minimum Qualifications:
• 5+ years of experience as a Project Manager leading projects ranging from software development, hardware replacements, data migrations, strategic planning, and governance.
• Experience analyzing workflows, identifying inefficiencies, and recommending improvements to support strategic goals. • Experience as an IT Project Manager for software development projects.
• Proficiency in eliciting requirements, documenting user stories, and defining acceptance criteria.
• Hands-on experience using Azure DevOps or GitHub for backlog management and tracking.
• Experience developing and executing user acceptance test cases.
• Strong knowledge of Agile methodologies, including Scrum and Feature Driven Design.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience with Earned Value, Cost Performance Index (CPI), Schedule Performance Index (SPI), and budget tracking and monitoring.
• Experience with Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or similar project management tools.
• Strong leadership skills and experience managing cross-functional teams.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of business needs, with the ability to establish and maintain a high level of customer trust and confidence.
• Ability to support a tactical resource plan by mapping future demand to forecast project completions in the project portfolio.

Preferred Experience for a Project Manager:
• Extensive experience in business process modeling and improvement.
• Proven track record of leading cross-functional teams and managing large-scale projects.
• Experience overseeing multiple project teams and managers, ensuring overall delivery achieves program goals.
• Deep understanding of data analysis techniques and tools.
• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities.
• High proficiency in stakeholder management and communication.
• Experience with cloud computing and enterprise architecture.
• Experience with policy development and drafting legislative budget requests.
• Proficiency in project budget tracking and monitoring, as well as vendor management.
• Experience working in a government or public sector environment.
• Experience utilizing BI tools (Power BI, Tableau) to provide insights and support decision-making.
Educational qualifications meeting at least one of the following levels:
• Bachelor's or master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or another related field or equivalent work experience.
• Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Business Analysis certifications (CBAP, PMI-PBA), Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP), and ITIL Certification.

CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITIES
The Project Manager will be responsible for the following tasks:
• Lead the Program or Project Team in the execution of activities by ensuring that required artifacts and required documentation evidencing the deliverables are created and maintained.
• Document and manage the scope, schedule, and budget to ensure projects are completed on time, are within budget, and meet expectations for quality.
• Review/approve the work plan of an external service provider or consultancy contracted to execute the project.
• Implement a project communication plan.
• Conduct risk assessment and mitigation.
• Monitor project activities, ensuring the currency, quality and integrity of information, while providing consistency in content and "look and feel” across the organization.
• Prepare the Project Management Plan within the timeframe specified by the Contract or Functional Manager. Develop the Project Management Plan using the Project Management Book of Knowledge Guide (PMBOK), Project Management Institute (PMI) standards, which covers how the project will be implemented and controlled to ensure success. Submit the Project Management Plan to the Department's Contract Manager for approval. At a minimum, the Project Management Plan must document the following:
o the approved project scope and scope exclusions;
o planning assumptions, constraints, and decisions;
o possible risks or issues and quality assurance standards,
o the staffing plan, including Project Team member roles and responsibilities;
o the project's communication plan; and
o the change management plan including the process used to control scope, budget, and timeframes.
• Implement and follow project change management best practices to ensure smooth transitions and adherence to project goals.
• Develop business cases and feasibility studies to support project proposals and decision-making.
• Create detailed functional specifications and user stories for development teams.
• Develop user stories, acceptance criteria, and maintain traceability in Azure DevOps or GitHub.
• Facilitate workshops and meetings to drive consensus and clarify requirements.
• Provide guidance and oversight during the development and testing phases to ensure alignment with business goals.
• Conduct gap analysis and impact assessment for system changes and enhancements.
• Support management activities, including training, communication, and user adoption strategies.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation, including process flows, data models, and business rules.
• Perform quality assurance and validation to ensure solutions meet business needs and comply with standards.
• Provide ongoing support and expertise for business users, addressing issues and identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Coach, mentor, and train OATS team members and other FDACS staff.
• Create and maintain technical documentation and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Attend and participate in project meetings and provide regular status updates.
• Submit weekly project reports and time sheets.