Senior Project Manager – Accela & Municipal Permitting Systems

Senior Project Manager – Accela & Municipal Permitting Systems

KAI Partners, Inc. (KAIP) is currently seeking a Senior Project Manager – Municipal Planning & Technology Systems, who serves as both a project delivery leader and a strategic technology manager, with primary accountability for Accela-based municipal permitting and development systems, supporting city and county initiatives related to planning, housing, permitting modernization, and digital service delivery. This role leads complex projects while also acting as a technology and systems lead, driving innovation across development services through implementation and optimization of the Accela Civic Platform, digital tools, and customer-facing solutions.

Responsibilities

• Serve as product owner or senior functional lead for the Accela Civic Platform, including configuration, enhancements, and ongoing optimization.
• Lead Accela system roadmaps, upgrades, and integrations; coordinate closely with City IT, Accela vendors, and implementation partners.
• Oversee Accela based digital permitting tools, online portals, and customer self-service solutions.
• Conduct process mapping and workflow redesign specifically aligned to Accela configurations, workflows, and business rules for permitting and development review processes.
• Lead innovation efforts as they relate to Accela optimization, permitting modernization, and civic technology enablement, including selective evaluation of emerging technologies (e.g., AI, civic tech tools).
• Manage full project lifecycle, including planning, budgeting, execution, and reporting.
• Ensure delivery aligns with public sector governance, compliance, and performance standards.
• Lead system roadmap planning, enhancements, and coordination with IT and vendors.
• Oversee implementation of digital permitting tools, online portals, and customer self-service solutions.
• Drive adoption of low-code/no-code solutions to improve operational efficiency.
• Lead initiatives to improve customer-facing services, including permitting portals, knowledge bases, and digital workflows.
• Support website modernization, accessibility, and content strategy in coordination with communications and IT teams.
• Apply user-centered design (UX) principles to improve permitting and development experiences.
• Develop dashboards, reporting tools, and performance metrics.
• Act as primary liaison between Community Development, IT, Communications, and external vendors.
• Coordinate with city departments, agencies, and leadership to align priorities.
• Facilitate stakeholder workshops and cross-functional collaboration.
• Oversee or mentor project teams, analysts, or technical staff.
• Support onboarding and development of technology-focused roles.
• Manage consultants, vendors, or contract resources as needed.
• Perform other related duties, as assigned.

Skills and Qualifications

• Strong project and program management expertise in public sector environments
• Hands-on experience delivering, managing, or optimizing the Accela Civic Platform in municipal environments
• Deep knowledge of municipal planning, permitting, and development workflows as implemented within Accela
• Experience with digital transformation, system implementation, and process automation
• Familiarity with: o UX / user-centered design o Content strategy / web modernization o Data dashboards and reporting tools
• Ability to translate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
• Strong stakeholder engagement across government, IT, and vendors
• Experience with policy development or technology governance
• Analytical mindset with focus on operational efficiency and service delivery improvement

Work/Education Experience

• Bachelor's degree (Required).
• Current PMP Certification (Required).
• 7+ years of experience applying project management principles, methods, techniques, and tools.
• 3+ years of Senior Project Management experience leading large, complex projects.
• 3+ years of experience providing PMO or project leadership support within a Government Agency (City or County).
• 3+ years of direct experience delivering, managing, or leading Accela Civic Platform implementations, upgrades, or major enhancements for City or County agencies (Required)
• Experience…