Readiness Planning Project Manager
New York, NY

Job Description

Grant Thornton is seeking an experienced senior-level Project Manager to assist with leading Readiness planning and execution in support of the multi-year TAAPS Application program. Readiness is defined as ensuring all stakeholders are ready to do business with the new TAPPS system, including:

* Defining what our organization and our interfaces need in order to be ready for the production implementation, post implementation activities and regular, on-going maintenance;
* Ensuring the internal operations staff is prepared to administer the system;
* Ensuring the technical staff is prepared to take over the development and maintenance of the system;
* Ensuring we have a communication path and training in place for external auction participants; and
* Ensuring we have a future state operating / support model for the new system.

The Readiness Project Manager will be expected to plan, lead and monitor core Readiness tracks of work. The Readiness Project Manager will work with project teams in client's Fiscal Service and National IT.

Please Note: This role is located in Lower Manhattan, NY.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

Project Management Responsibilities

* Provide administrative support such as scheduling and coordinating Summits and large Planning Sessions for the Readiness Track Lead, and serve as a back-up for the Readiness Track Lead.
* Work with a team of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to create and maintain a detailed Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), including dependencies, drive and track the work to schedule, resolve or escalate obstacles and report progress.
* Review all facets of program Readiness to include overall project schedules, constraints, staffing requirements and risks. This includes working with the Master Scheduler to ensure the Readiness track stays in sync with the Integrated Master Schedule.
* Provide direction and oversight of Project Management support contractors and their work.
* Hold program team members accountable to program budgets, schedules, milestones and deliverables; Escalate issues and competing priorities to the Readiness Track lead.
* Create detailed and executive-level status reports, Readiness artifacts, and issue/risk review and management.
* Catalog all user and system documentation required by support teams and business staff; identify owners and timelines for each document and stakeholders necessary for review and input.
* Other project management documentation and activities, as required.

Collaboration

* Work closely and effectively with an overall program team comprised of leadership from Fiscal Service, National IT and client, including Security and Legal representatives.
* Coordinate and lead day-to-day activities within the Readiness track such as pulling people together, setting a cadence, documenting meeting notes, decisions and action items, ensuring the correct people are in meetings, identifying dependencies, and creating/ maintaining checklists and deliverables.
* Collaborate and ensure integration across the various work tracks (Delivery, Development, Testing, etc.) as well as collaborate and coordinate with other Readiness leads (e.g. implementation and cutover lead).

Stakeholder Management

* Responsible for internal and external Program stakeholder communication and management, including establishing owners for all communications (public and internal), defining the timing of communications and the framework for drafting, reviewing and releasing communications.
* Support and track IT security audits, reviews and risk assessments as the program works toward environment certification and production.
* Support the updating of Service Level Agreements with FRB NY, NIT and AMPR.
* Plan and execute communication events, transition plans, and knowledge transfer plans with the Business Operations and ISS teams to ensure they are prepared for the new system.
* Work with Business Operations teams on internal readiness activities such as creating and executing on training plans, updating operating procedures and other documentation and general preparedness for administering the system.
* Other stakeholder communications and management documentation and activities, as required.

Implementation

* Lead planning for the creation of mock auction execution scripts, entry and exit criteria, connectivity and coordination/logistics of mock auctions with external dealers and ensure appropriate documentation is created.
* Lead planning for demonstration (dry-runs) of processes and procedures for invocation and execution of business continuity and contingency testing and ensure appropriate documentation is created.
* Provide support for the technical implementation / cutover, which requires a working understanding of IT web application infrastructure.
* Lead the creation of cutover deliverables such as implementation handbooks, cutover weekend playbook and contingency test plans.
* Other Readiness and testing planning, documentation and demonstration activities, as required.

Post-Implementation

* Drive the creation of an operating and support model (processes and procedures) for maintaining the Auction program after production, including incident management, change control, roles and responsibilities, business process and workflows and recurring system tasks.
* Support post release 1.0 planning and scope definition and legacy TAAPS decommissioning.
* Other post-implementation documentation and activities, as required
* Bachelor's degree in business, finance, economics, public policy, IT related field or equivalent work experience
* Demonstrated success at preparing large organizations for and leading the implementation of major IT systems
* PMP certification
* Working understanding of IT web application infrastructure
* Exceptional organizational, planning and communication skills
* Demonstrated senior-level project management experience on large projects /programs
* Proven success as a leader and as a team player, with the ability to build collaborative relationships at all levels within an organizational structure
* Excellent interpersonal and negotiation/ influence skills
* Ability to anticipate and respond to rapidly evolving needs and priorities
* Strong Microsoft Office, Microsoft Project and SharePoint skills
* Ability to obtain and maintain certain job-related certifications if no job-related advanced degrees
* U.S. citizenship may be required. Ability to work in the United States indefinitely required.
* Travel may be required.
* Coach and mentor junior staff members.
* Ability to work overtime required on occasion.
* Ability to sit in an office environment for long periods of time.
* Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
* Ability to communicate clearly in writing and verbally.
* Ability to obtain and maintain firm independence and abide by firm ethics requirements.
* Meet or exceed continuing professional education (CPE) requirements.

Grant Thornton LLP is the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International, one of the six global accounting, tax and business advisory organizations. Grant Thornton's Public Sector, based in Alexandria, VA, is a global management consulting business with the mission of providing responsive and innovative financial, performance management and systems solutions to governments and international organizations. Visit Grant Thornton's Public Sector at www.grantthornton.com/publicsector.

It is Grant Thornton's policy to promote equal employment opportunities. All personnel decisions, including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, training, promotion, compensation, benefits and termination, are made without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.