Senior Technical Project Manager

Overview

T12 Technologies is seeking a highly experienced Technical Product Manager (Senior) to support the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). This senior-level role is responsible for leading the planning, delivery, management, and continuous improvement of technology products and related project activities for MHEC. The Technical Product Manager combines product management, technical project management, stakeholder engagement, Agile delivery, vendor coordination, and change management to ensure solutions meet business objectives, user needs, and applicable policy, regulatory, and compliance requirements.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned product and delivery leader with deep experience in financial aid environments, Agile methodologies, and public-sector IT governance — capable of managing day-to-day delivery activities while keeping an eye on long-term product strategy and roadmap execution.

• Define and manage product scope, roadmap, backlog, priorities, and release plans in alignment with MHEC’s business goals and user needs.
• Understand user value and business value through stakeholder engagement, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, and product performance measures.
• Collect, document, and translate business, user, and technical requirements into actionable tickets, user stories, acceptance criteria, and delivery plans.
• Define product improvements, feature sets, success criteria, and quality measures from both user and business perspectives.
• Create and manage prioritized product backlogs, roadmaps, release plans, and sprint-level delivery artifacts.

• Lead technical, business, vendor, and cross-functional teams in delivering high-quality IT solutions aligned with MHEC objectives.
• Support and facilitate Agile delivery practices including backlog refinement, sprint planning, release planning, sprint demos, and prioritization sessions.
• Develop rollout schedules, transition activities, implementation plans, and change management strategies to ensure successful product launches and enhancements.
• Drive adoption of Agile methodologies and best practices across delivery teams; leverage tools such as Jira for backlog and sprint management.

• Track and report on scope, schedule, budget, resources, risks, issues, dependencies, product performance, and delivery progress to leadership and stakeholders.
• Manage vendor relationships to ensure quality deliverables, accountability, and alignment with project and product objectives.
• Lead at least three (3) simultaneous IT projects, ensuring on-time and on-budget delivery with demonstrated outcomes.
• Manage dependencies and interdependencies across work streams; proactively identify and mitigate risks and issues.

• Develop clear written documentation, executive communications, reports, product artifacts, and oral briefings for a diverse audience including executive leadership, technical teams, and external stakeholders.
• Communicate and manage change across business, technical, vendor, and executive stakeholder groups throughout the product and project lifecycle.
• Brief MHEC leadership on product status, performance metrics, risks, and recommendations on a regular cadence.
• Align products with business processes, technical solutions, stakeholder needs, and operational workflows.

• Ensure all product and project activities comply with applicable laws, regulations, policies, standards, security, privacy, accessibility, and governance requirements.
• Adhere to the State of Maryland System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) methodology and IT Project Oversight requirements.
• Ensure compliance with the State of Maryland Information Technology Security Policy and Standards and Non-Visual (Accessibility) Standards.
• Follow project management methodologies consistent with the most recent edition of the PMI Project Management Body of Knowledge Guide (PMBOK).
• Remain current with new or revised laws, regulations, policies, standards, and guidelines affecting IT project execution in the State of Maryland.