Product Manager - 26-10858

Job Title: Product Manager
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Duration: 9 Months

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced IT Project Manager to lead the planning, execution, and delivery of technology projects. The role will manage projects involving custom application development, SaaS implementations, infrastructure modernization, and system integrations.

The Project Manager will work with business stakeholders, technical teams, vendors, and cross-functional partners to deliver projects on time, within scope, and within budget. Both Agile and Waterfall methodologies may be used depending on project requirements.

Key Responsibilities

Project Planning & Initiation

• Lead or participate in systems analysis and project planning activities.
• Gather and analyze business and technical requirements.
• Define project scope, objectives, deliverables, and success criteria.
• Develop project charters, plans, schedules, communication plans, and meeting agendas.
• Develop and manage project budgets.
• Estimate resource requirements and coordinate resource allocation.
• Select appropriate Agile, Waterfall, or Hybrid project delivery methodologies.
• Coordinate technology planning, procurement, and implementation activities.

Project Execution & Team Leadership

• Lead cross-functional teams consisting of business, technical, and professional staff.
• Coordinate application development, deployment, implementation, and support activities.
• Manage internal and external project resources.
• Provide guidance, coaching, and training to project team members as needed.
• Assign tasks based on project requirements and team expertise.
• Manage vendor SOWs, contracts, deliverables, and timelines.
• Coordinate activities across multiple departments, organizations, vendors, and stakeholders.
• Establish project documentation and development standards.

Stakeholder Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Gather stakeholder needs and translate them into achievable project plans.
• Facilitate project kickoffs, workshops, status meetings, standups, retrospectives, and steering committees.
• Communicate project status, risks, dependencies, issues, and trade-offs to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Manage stakeholder expectations throughout the project lifecycle.

Risk, Budget & Performance Management

• Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks.
• Monitor project schedules, budgets, resource utilization, and deliverables.
• Track project performance against established goals.
• Provide regular project status reports.
• Ensure projects remain within scope, schedule, and budget.
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and apply industry best practices.

Required Skills

• Strong project management and leadership skills.
• Experience managing multiple projects, priorities, and stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of Agile, Waterfall, and Hybrid methodologies.
• Experience with requirements gathering and stakeholder workshops.
• Experience facilitating project ceremonies and meetings.
• Strong budgeting, scheduling, and resource-management abilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to work independently and within cross-functional teams.
• Strong customer-service and relationship-building skills.

Required Experience

• 3+ years of IT project management or IT business analysis experience, covering project initiation through completion and closure.
• 3–5 years of supervisory or team-lead experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading Agile software delivery, including Scrum or Kanban.
• Experience with sprint planning, backlog management, and release coordination.
• Experience delivering web, mobile, SaaS, or enterprise technology projects.
• Experience with organizational change management, including Prosci ADKAR or comparable frameworks.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS, or GCP.
• Understanding of data integration and information security considerations.
• Experience with project and collaboration tools such as:
  • Azure DevOps
  • Jira
  • ServiceNow
  • Smartsheet
  • Microsoft Project

Preferred Certifications

• PMP or PRINCE2
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
• PMI-ACP
• SAFe certification

Additional Knowledge

• Microsoft 365, including Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, and Excel.
• Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
• Agile frameworks including Scrum and Kanban.
• PMBOK and project management principles.
• IT vendor and SOW management.
• Design thinking and user-centered requirements.
• Public-sector or complex enterprise technology environments.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, Project Management, or a related field.
• Equivalent combinations of education and relevant professional experience may be considered.