[Hiring] Project Management Specialist III @Texas Health & Human Services Commission

Role Description

Performs advanced (senior level) project management specialist work in the areas of scheduling and estimating. Work involves overseeing schedules and/or estimates of projects at various levels of completion; monitoring the progress and schedule for projects; and communicating with project stakeholders, management, and other relevant parties. May supervise the work of others. Works under limited supervision, with considerable latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.

Essential Job Functions

• Oversees and/or develops project schedules, resource requirements, and cost estimates and projections.
• Gathers quantitative and qualitative data on employee performance, productivity levels, work methods, and organizational procedures.
• Analyzes job roles, responsibilities, and staffing levels to ensure alignment with organization needs.
• Gathers data from various sources, including employee surveys, performance metrics, and customer feedback.
• Designs, evaluates, recommends, and approves changes to forms and reports.
• Gathers and analyzes data related to case performance, including metrics on productivity, quality, and resource utilization.
• Collaborates with stakeholders to gather input, validate findings, and ensure recommendations align with organization goals.
• Consults with internal DFPS divisions and external stakeholders to identify and coordinate mutually beneficial meetings and training.
• Monitors and updates project schedules and cost estimates; assesses the effect of adjustments.
• Monitors and reviews current organizational, procedural, and operational systems for effectiveness, efficiency, and conformance to established guidelines.
• Monitors and analyzes current policy and practice trends within the Child Protective Investigations division.
• Coordinates and monitors CPI related studies, projects, and evaluations and identifies issues.
• Reviews comprehensive technical records and reports that present and interpret data, identify alternatives, and make recommendations.
• Oversees and/or compiles and distributes project information, status reports, and project budget expenditures.
• Researches new or improved business and management practices for application to agency programs or operations.
• Oversees the timely preparation of and response to correspondence, inquiries, reports, and other time-sensitive items.
• Conducts studies of employee or organizational efficiency and productivity.
• Coordinates, plans, and directs organizational studies and evaluations.
• Conducts readiness assessments for change initiatives, analyzes results, and reports findings to management.
• Analyzes quantitative and qualitative data related to Investigations, Special Investigations, and Alternative Response cases.
• Conducts training on new methods and procedures.
• Facilitates meetings with stakeholders to gather necessary information for guidance documents.
• Communicates or presents information to stakeholders upon request.
• Oversees the documentation of project plans, project procedures, and project change orders.
• Develops and directs the implementation of studies, assessments, projects, and other tools to evaluate program strengths.
• Provides guidance to CPI regional leadership on program policy, procedural, and action issues.
• Assists with the development of implementation plans based on studies, projects, evaluations recommendations.
• Develops new or modifies existing operational program policies, procedures, goals, and objectives.
• Researches best practices to assist with the development or modification of policies, procedures, goals, and objectives.
• Collaborates with other agency departments to ensure new or modified policies and procedures are integrated across the agency.
• Develops a comprehensive strategy that defines the solution’s objectives, scope, expected outcomes, and alignment with the organization’s long-term goals.
• Assists in the preparation of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and participates in the vendor selection process.
• Ensures that project schedules comply with department policies, practices, and procedures.
• Ensures that all aspects of the work meet the required quality standards.
• Prepares comprehensive reports detailing findings, recommendations, and concerns for the division.
• Develops procedures that outline steps required to implement new policies, procedures, and best practices.
• Manages and/or contributes to the successful implementation of special and routine projects and reports.
• Provides management with reports on the changes made, user adoption, feedback, and recommendations.
• Ensures compliance with all relevant laws, regulations, and agency policies.
• Assesses and reports actual project progress compared with planned progress to determine trends and variances.
• Monitors agency policy and training compliance and key performance measures related to field casework.
• Analyzes new or proposed legislation or regulations to determine their effect on program operations and management.
• Provides guidance and support for pilot programs within the CPI Division.
• Consults with project managers to establish feasible project schedules and cost estimates.
• Consults with management to initiate studies; identify priorities; and define study scope, purpose, objectives, time frames, and resource requirements.
• Collaborates with subject matter experts, leadership, and other stakeholders to gather feedback on draft reports.
• Provides ongoing support to regional leadership and field staff as they implement new procedures.
• Works with leadership and stakeholders to define project objectives, deliverables, timeline, and scope.
• Advises and consults with DFPS management and staff to ensure policies, procedures, and processes follow DFPS policy.
• Acts as a primary liaison to internal and external stakeholders to ensure appropriate coordination and collaboration efforts.
• Creates project schedules and scheduling components for all phases of a project.
• Develops tracking procedures and prepares reports regarding regional or program outcomes for CPI.
• Prepares final reports upon completion that summarize project outcomes and recommendations.
• Engages with state office, regional leadership, and staff to understand their needs and challenges.
• Analyzes trends in data collected through forms and reports to identify further improvements.
• Promotes a culture of continuous improvement by regularly reviewing program performance.
• Evaluates industry developments and makes recommendations for possible agency application.
• Creates, organizes, and maintains detailed project cost estimates.
• Reviews, monitors, and tracks inquiries and reports recommendations from numerous sources.
• Provides research and data to CPI Regional Directors, State Office Deputy Directors, and Leadership.
• Develops and contributes to the preparation of concise, organized, consistent, and accurate documents.
• Prepares detailed project cost estimates using descriptive information.
• Analyzes agency functions and activities being considered for conversion to contract operations.
• Reviews and edits documents for leadership and recommends revisions or changes.
• Gathers relevant data from various sources and organizes data for analysis and reporting.
• Prepares and presents findings in a clear, concise format.
• Investigates underlying causes of system inefficiencies.
• Provides project management consultative services and technical assistance.
• Reviews current program practices to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.
• Prepares comprehensive technical records and reports to present and interpret data.
• Works with CPI Leadership & Staff Development team to identify training needs.
• Performs risk assessments and contingency estimates for project schedules and cost estimates.
• Assists with analyzing legislative bills to assess program and fiscal impacts.
• Assesses the gaps between current and desired states of readiness.
• Provides feedback from the field to create training materials.
• Ensures recommendations align with division and agency strategic goals.
• Analyzes data related to CPI to uncover trends, patterns, and insights.
• Performs related work as assigned.
• Collects and analyzes historical project data for future project planning.
• Collects and analyzes performance data and information provided by Data and Analytics.
• Collects, organizes, analyzes, and prepares materials in response to requests for program information.
• Researches historical, current, and projected data to identify problems and areas for change.
• Develops and disseminates workforce and productivity reports and data.
• Monitors and tracks completion of key milestones.
• Facilitates the approval process by preparing presentations or reports.
• Identifies and gathers relevant historical, current, and predictive data.
• Examines historical and current data to identify patterns, trends, and anomalies.
• Recommends and/or develops policies for project management scheduling and budgeting.
• Consults with management regarding relevant data gathered from various resources.
• Develops recommendations for improvement and corrective action.
• Develops solutions to organizational issues and concerns.
• Gathers feedback from employees and stakeholders on the implementation process.
• Implements quality control and quality assurance project management best practices.
• Reviews and evaluates new or improved business and management practices.
• Develops reports detailing resource capacity and/or use.
• Assists in the development of timelines for studies and prepares documentation for approval.
• Prepares detailed documentation of the research process, findings, and recommendations.
• Develops, reviews, updates, and monitors the region or program’s biennial budget.
• Assists in the development of implementation plans for recommended changes.
• Develops partnerships with other DFPS divisions and stakeholders.
• Identifies gaps between current practices and desired outcomes.
• Reviews and edits reports for accuracy, clarity, and consistency.
• Maintains organized records of all CPI reports, data sources, and supporting material.
• Develops CPI performance metrics and benchmarks.
• Reviews and analyzes construction documents and other technical documents.
• Analyzes data to identify trends, patterns, or anomalies.
• Reviews, provides consultation and guidance on legislative bills that impact CPI.
• Initiates reviews of internal data for compliance and adherence to policy.
• Reviews industry developments and makes recommendations for agency application.
• Advises management on agency studies.
• Reviews and evaluates recommendations for improvement.
• Evaluates agency functions and activities for conversion to contract operations.
• Develops and presents recommendations for initiatives that align with agency goals.
• Trains staff in the use of project management scheduling tools.
• Collects and analyzes data in various operational areas.
• Assists with the development of policy and procedural implementation.
• Creates detailed reports with insights and actionable recommendations.
• Verifies that project schedule controls are properly implemented.
• Establishes ongoing monitoring processes to track effectiveness of changes.
• Reviews external data for accuracy and compliance.
• Regularly monitors key metrics to ensure value delivery.
• Tracks the impact of implemented recommendations.
• May supervise the work of others.

Qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in a field relevant to assignment is generally preferred.
• Five years DFPS experience to include two years in Child Protective Investigations.
• A minimum of one year supervisory experience in Child Protective Investigations.
• Five years’ experience in program management in relevant areas of assignment.

Preferred

• Graduate degree.

Additional Information

• This position can be headquartered anywhere in Texas, but will report to State Office in Austin, TX.
• Military occupation(s) that relate to the initial selection criteria and registration or licensure requirements for this position may include those listed in this posting.
• All active-duty military, reservists, guardsmen, and veterans are encouraged to apply if qualified.
• Applicants selected for hire must pass a background check and if applicable a driver’s record check.
• State of Texas employees are required to maintain the security and integrity of critical infrastructure.
• DFPS uses E-Verify. You must bring your I-9 documentation on your first day of work.
• In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), HHS/DFPS agencies will provide reasonable accommodation during the hiring and selection process for qualified individuals with a disability.