Senior IT Project Manager

Beacon is seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager (PM) whose background is with software-focused project management for our client partner. This experience needs to be with the installation, upgrade, or conversion of commercial vendor-built software (e.g. COTS) and the associated vendor management. While our projects follow Waterfall SDLC (i.e., design, configuration, testing and go-live), they are not software development projects. This role requires a strong project leader who can effectively operate in complex and ambiguous environments where priorities, stakeholders, and decision makers may not always be aligned.

The successful candidate must be able to challenge assumptions, facilitate difficult discussions, navigate organizational conflict, drive decision making, and maintain forward momentum while holding stakeholders and vendors accountable for commitments.

The ideal candidate has demonstrated success leading large initiatives through organizational complexity, stakeholder resistance, competing priorities, and unclear governance structures. They must possess the confidence and credibility to appropriately challenge stakeholders, influence without authority, elevate issues when necessary, and drive projects through impasses when decisions are delayed or consensus is difficult to achieve.

The project is currently in a Design (Gate) Phase with a third-party vendor who is analyzing our current model helping define the system architecture design, evaluating the data readiness, defining an implementation approach, and establishing time and cost estimates to build a business case for the implementation phase. It is expected that this PM will bring the Design Phase to a successful close;

help the IT organization navigate their business case approval; and then serve as the PM for the implementation phase.

While experience with GIS and managing GIS projects is beneficial it is not necessarily required, if the candidate has relevant experience that correlates to the attributes of this type of project – software, large, complex, upgrade/conversion, etc. and they possess the necessary key skills, a technical aptitude and are a quick learner. In fact, we often focus on securing a strong, well-rounded Senior Technology PM who has a robust set of experiences managing time sensitive, large, Technology/IT software implementation or conversion projects using waterfall SDLC from start to finish.

The candidate must be a systems thinker and critical problem solver who has demonstrated successful delivery of enterprise software modernization projects – from initiation through implementation and project closeout. The PM must possess enough technical fluency to engage effectively with GIS staff, architects, IT system owners, field users, service providers, and implementation partners while translating complex technical concepts into meaningful business decisions and executive communications.

A demonstrated ability to drive execution with a strong sense of urgency, remove obstacles, hold teams and vendors accountable for commitments, and consistently deliver project outcomes is required. We are seeking a project leader, not simply a project administrator. This role requires a hands-on delivery leader who can independently build integrated and resourced project plans; establish measurable delivery baselines; track progress by workstream and deliverable;

identify schedule and resource constraints early; and drive project teams, vendors, and stakeholders toward committed outcomes.

Experience managing technology projects utilizing structured project delivery methodologies, including Waterfall SDLC governance, stage-gate reviews, scope management, risk management, and executive reporting is required.…