Job Title: Senior Technical Debt Project ManagerLocation: Fully Remote - MUST BE IN EST/CST Time Zone
Client: State of North Dakota - Health and Human Services (NDHHS)
Pay Rate: $65/hr on Agama W2 or Own Corp C2C - no 3rd Party Vendors
Job Summary:The State of North Dakota is seeking a seasoned
Technical Debt Project Manager to lead the retirement of
mainframe-based legacy applications and oversee efforts to reduce technical debt across NDHHS. This role will manage the decommissioning of
27 applications currently operating on outdated platforms like
COBOL, DB2, and ADABAS running on IBM Z-Series mainframes. The PM will drive coordination between IT and business stakeholders, manage vendors and costs, and ensure the successful migration or elimination of unsupported systems.
Key Responsibilities: - Lead and manage mainframe retirement projects and technical debt reduction initiatives
- Coordinate work across IT, business units, and vendor teams
- Track project scope, resources, costs, timelines, and deliverables
- Collaborate closely with the larger PM and LPO PM teams to ensure compliance and QA
- Support modernization efforts, IT process updates, and data decommissioning activities
Required Qualifications: - 10+ years of IT project management experience
- 5+ years in software development, systems architecture, or IT infrastructure
- Demonstrated experience managing the retirement of mainframe technologies
- Proven experience handling technical debt initiatives
- Familiarity with Agile, Scrum, and Waterfall methodologies
- Strong communication, leadership, problem-solving, and risk management skills
Preferred Qualifications: - State government experience in mainframe retirement projects
- Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) or GIAC Project Manager (GCPM)
- Technical knowledge of COBOL, DB2, ADABAS, and IBM Z-Series systems