PMO Project Manager Senior Remote

The Illinois Secretary of State is seeking a highly skilled and experienced PMO Manager to establish and lead a new Project Management Office (PMO). This strategic role is critical for enhancing our organizational capabilities in light of our Digital Transformation and Modernization and ensuring the successful delivery of projects. The ideal candidate will have extensive project management experience along with experience in setting up and managing PMOs in complex environments.

Key Responsibilities:

• Establishment of PMO: Lead the establishment of a new PMO including defining its vision mission goals and objectives in alignment with the organizations strategic priorities.
• Governance Framework: Develop and implement a robust project governance framework to ensure effective decisionmaking risk management and resource allocation across all projects within the organization.
• Methodologies and Processes: Define and standardize project management methodologies processes and best practices to be adopted across the organization ensuring consistency and efficiency in project delivery.
• Project Portfolio Management: Oversee the management of the project portfolio including prioritization resource planning and performance tracking to ensure alignment with organizational objectives.
• Resource Management: Develop resource management processes to optimize resource utilization allocation and forecasting across projects identifying and addressing resource constraints proactively.
• Stakeholder Management: Establish strong relationships with key stakeholders at all levels of the organization ensuring effective communication collaboration and alignment of expectations.
• PMO Team Leadership: Build and lead a highperforming PMO team providing coaching guidance and support to project managers and other team members to enhance their skills and capabilities.
• Continuous Improvement: Drive continuous improvement initiatives within the PMO leveraging feedback metrics and lessons learned to enhance project delivery processes and outcomes.
• Reporting and Analysis: Develop and maintain project performance reporting mechanisms providing regular updates to senior management and key stakeholders on project status risks and issues.

Required Qualifications and Skills:

• Bachelors degree in IT or business administration or a related field. PMP certification is preferred.

• Proven experience (8 years) in project management roles with some experience establishing and managing PMOs in large organizations.
• Strong understanding of project management methodologies such as Agile Waterfall and hybrid approaches with the ability to tailor methodologies to specific project needs.
• Excellent leadership and communication skills with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Demonstrated ability to build and lead highperforming teams fostering a culture of collaboration accountability and continuous improvement.
• Strategic thinking and problemsolving skills with the ability to anticipate and address challenges proactively while maintaining a focus on achieving business objectives.
• Experience in developing and implementing project governance frameworks resource management processes and project portfolio management practices.
• Proficiency in project management tools and software applications (e.g. Microsoft Project JIRA Smartsheet) for project planning tracking and reporting.
• Strong analytical and decisionmaking skills with the ability to analyze complex issues identify root causes and develop practical solutions.