Cots Implementation Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Job Title: Senior Project Manager

Location: Hybrid (Dallas, TX)

POSITION TYPE: Contract (6 months) with the possibility of direct hire

OVERVIEW: The Senior IT Project Manager leads technology initiatives that are primarily project-based rather than product-based. These initiatives typically involve Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) implementations, vendor-managed solutions, infrastructure projects, and enterprise technology deployments where software development is performed primarily by external vendors. The Project Manager is responsible for planning, coordination, governance, vendor management, budgets, schedules, risks, and executive communication while partnering closely with Product Managers, Product Owners, Business Analysts, Scrum Masters, and technical teams. The Project Manager does not own product strategy, backlog prioritization, or Scrum team delivery.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:

• Reviews project proposals, statements of work, contracts, and implementation plans to determine scope, schedule, funding, resource, procurement, and governance requirements.

• Develops and maintains project charters, integrated schedules, milestones, work plans, resource plans, and implementation roadmaps.

• Coordinates vendor-led activities, deliverables, dependencies, demonstrations, testing, training, deployment, and contractual commitments.

• Serves as the primary coordination point among vendors, County departments, Product teams, architecture, security, infrastructure, procurement, and other delivery partners.

• Maintains project RAID logs and actively manages risks, issues, assumptions, decisions, and dependencies through resolution or escalation.

• Monitors project scope, schedule, budget, quality, and vendor performance and recommends corrective action when variances occur.

• Prepares and presents project status reports, executive briefings, steering committee updates, dashboards, and decision requests.

• Coordinates implementation readiness, cutover planning, communications, training, operational transition, and post-implementation support.

• Manages project financials, forecasts, purchase orders, invoices, contract milestones, and budget reporting in coordination with County processes.

• Facilitates project meetings, documents decisions and action items, and ensures accountable owners and due dates are established.

• Partners with Product Managers and Product Owners to align project deliverables with product strategy and to coordinate any work required from Scrum teams.

• Ensures project activities comply with County governance, security, architecture, procurement, change control, and documentation standards.

• Provides guidance and mentoring on project management practices and supports continuous improvement of project delivery standards.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

SKILL REQUIREMENTS:

• Education and experience equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, Project Management, or a related field.

• Minimum eight (8) years of experience managing complex IT projects, including vendor-led implementations, COTS solutions, infrastructure, or enterprise technology deployments. Experience managing project schedules, budgets, contracts, procurement activities, risks, dependencies, executive reporting, implementation readiness, and organizational change.

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification required or must be obtained within twelve (12) months of starting the assignment. Experience working with Agile product teams is preferred.

• Advanced knowledge of project management practices, including scope, schedule, cost, quality, risk, communications, procurement, and stakeholder management.

  • Demonstrated experience managing vendors, statements of work, contractual deliverables, implementation schedules, and performance issues.

  • Knowledge of COTS implementations, systems integration, infrastructure delivery, testing, cutover, training, and operational transition.

  • Proficiency with Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Jira, Confluence, Microsoft Office, and collaboration tools.

  • Ability to develop integrated schedules, RAID logs, executive reports, budget forecasts, and decision materials.

  • Ability to coordinate work across Product, Scrum, technical, business, procurement, security, architecture, and vendor teams without assuming ownership of product priorities.

  • Strong written and verbal communication, facilitation, negotiation, conflict resolution, and executive presentation skills.

• Ability to manage competing priorities, establish accountability, escalate issues appropriately, and maintain delivery focus.

  • Knowledge of Agile, Scrum, and Kanban sufficient to coordinate project dependencies with Agile product teams.

  • Ability to build trust with County stakeholders and external partners while maintaining clear roles, responsibilities, and governance