Project Manager III, CAAT

Job Title
Project Manager III, CAAT

Agency
Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

Department
Autonomy Research Institute

Proposed Minimum Salary
Commensurate

Job Location
Corpus Christi, Texas

Job Type
Staff

PURPOSE

The Project Manager III, CAAT manages assigned projects and task orders for the Center for Advanced Aviation Technologies (CAAT) and provides project management and coordination support for other CAAT projects, programs, consortium activities, working groups, and Autonomy Research Institute (ARI) activities as directed. This position is responsible for planning, coordinating, tracking, documenting, and reporting assigned project activities across CAAT staff, ARI support offices, CAAT Consortium members, external partners, subcontractors, and public-agency stakeholders. The position supports the Project Director, CAAT, by managing assigned project scope, schedules, deliverables, action items, risks, project records, proposal inputs, statement of work support, working group facilitation, and inputs for sponsor-facing reporting. This position is based in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Project Manager III for the Center for Advanced Aviation Technologies (CAAT), operating under the general direction of the Project Director, CAAT, is responsible for managing assigned CAAT projects and task orders from initiation through execution and closeout. This role may serve as the lead Project Manager for assigned projects or provide project management and coordination support to other CAAT Project Managers on additional CAAT projects, programs, consortium activities, working groups, and ARI coordination activities as directed. This role coordinates and maintains project schedules, action item logs, project records, risk and issue trackers, deliverable trackers, meeting documentation, proposal inputs, statement of work support, working group coordination materials, and project reporting materials. This position also coordinates with ARI offices and personnel when CAAT projects require support related to finance, contracting, task order administration, research administration, operational support, or other ARI-support functions.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Project Management and Execution: 40%

• Manage assigned CAAT projects and task orders from initiation through execution and closeout.
• Provide project management and coordination support for other CAAT projects, programs, and activities under the direction of CAAT Project Managers or the Project Director, CAAT, as well as ARI activities that align with CAAT operational requirements.
• Develop and maintain project plans, schedules, task lists, milestones, deliverable trackers, risk and issue logs, action item logs, and project coordination tools for assigned projects.
• Coordinate project activities with CAAT personnel, CAAT Consortium members, ARI support offices, subcontractors, external partners, subject matter experts, and public-agency stakeholders to support project schedules, deliverables, dependencies, and coordination requirements.
• Lead and coordinate project meetings for assigned projects, including kickoff meetings, recurring project meetings, technical interchange meetings, partner coordination meetings, and closeout meetings.
• Track project deadlines, deliverable requirements, decisions, responsible parties, dependencies, and follow-up actions.
• Monitor assigned projects for schedule conflicts, scope concerns, missing inputs, overdue actions, documentation gaps, and emerging risks; escalate issues to the Project Director, CAAT, or CAAT Project Managers as appropriate.
• Coordinate project startup activities, including project file setup, schedule development, contact list development, kickoff preparation, action item tracking, and initial project documentation.
• Coordinate project closeout activities, including final records organization, deliverable verification, closeout checklists, lessons learned tracking, and final documentation support.
• Coordinate and manage assigned project activities in accordance with CAAT policies, procedures, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), templates, and reporting requirements.
• Coordinate with the Business Operations Manager to ensure project meeting documentation, project records, and related materials are maintained in accordance with CAAT processes.
• Other duties assigned in support of CAAT operations and Fort Worth-based coordination requirements.

Project Controls, Documentation, Reporting, and Meeting Support: 35%

• Prepare project meeting agendas, meeting notes, action item summaries, decision logs, attendance records, and follow-up trackers for assigned CAAT project meetings.
• Participate in project meetings, technical interchange meetings, internal coordination meetings, partner meetings, and sponsor-facing meetings to document decisions, action items, risks, issues, and required follow-up.
• Maintain organized project records, including meeting materials, project correspondence, schedules, action item logs, risk and issue logs, deliverable trackers, status reports, technical inputs, and closeout records.
• Support the preparation of project status reports, internal updates, sponsor-facing reporting inputs, data calls, deliverable status updates, and project documentation packages.
• Support CAAT Project Managers in collecting, organizing, coordinating, and integrating project-related inputs from internal staff, ARI support offices, CAAT Consortium members, working groups, subcontractors, external partners, and subject matter experts.
• Assist in reviewing, compiling, formatting, and routing project deliverables, reports, briefing materials, meeting packages, and supporting documentation.
• Ensure project records and data are stored in approved CAAT file structures and follow established records management, naming convention, reporting systems, and document control processes.
• Coordinate with the Business Operations Manager regarding official records, SOP compliance, document control, meeting records, and project file organization.
• Support recurring project reporting by maintaining accurate and current project information, including schedules, risks, issues, deliverables, dependencies, and action items.
• Identify missing documentation, incomplete records, inconsistent project information, and project tracking gaps; coordinate with responsible personnel to resolve issues.

Proposal, Statement of Work, Working Group, Consortium, ARI, and Matrix Support: 25%

• Support proposal, Request for Proposal (RFP) response, task order planning, and statement of work development activities for assigned CAAT projects or larger CAAT efforts.
• Develop or support project schedules, deliverable matrices, project assumptions, project coordination inputs, partner input trackers, and project planning materials for proposal or task order development.
• Facilitate assigned CAAT working groups, including coordinating meeting schedules, agendas, attendance, action items, member input, follow-up actions, and working group documentation.
• Support CAAT working group activities through coordination with working group chairs, co-chairs, Consortium members, subject matter experts, CAAT Project Managers, and the Project Director, CAAT.
• Assist with documenting and organizing working group feedback, technical inputs, and open items, and support the transition of working group outputs into white papers, project concepts, proposal inputs, or task order planning materials when assigned.
• Support CAAT Consortium meetings, consortium events, all-hands meetings, technical interchange meetings, and other CAAT-wide activities as assigned.
• Support coordination between CAAT project execution activities and CAAT Consortium or working group outputs as white papers, industry feedback, or technical concepts transition into project planning.
• Coordinate with ARI personnel when CAAT projects require ARI support.
• Support coordination of task order-level contracting, finance, research administration, purchasing coordination, partner inputs, documentation, and other administrative requirements in coordination with the appropriate CAAT and ARI personnel.
• Support project intake and startup documentation, project planning, scope clarification, and partner coordination.
• Coordinate with public-agency stakeholders, Texas A&M University System (TAMUS), Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC), Consortium members, subcontractors, and partners in a professional and responsive manner.
• Maintain project contact lists, stakeholder rosters, partner responsibility trackers, distribution lists, and coordination records for assigned projects, working groups, or CAAT activities.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in applicable field
• Seven (7) years of related experience in project management, project coordination, project controls, program coordination, research administration, sponsored project support, aviation operations, public-agency project support, technical project support, or related operational support function.
• Additional education may substitute for the required experience.
  • Master's degree in applicable field, and five (5) years of related experience in project management, project coordination, project controls, program coordination, research administration, sponsored project support, aviation operations, public-agency project support, technical project support, or related operational support function.
  • Doctoral degree and three (3) years of related experience in project management, project coordination, project controls, program coordination, research administration, sponsored project support, aviation operations, public-agency project support, technical project support, or related operational support function.

• Experience supporting project schedules, action item tracking, risk and issue logs, deliverable trackers, status reports, or project dashboards.
• Experience supporting project closeout, lessons learned, final reports, or sponsor-facing deliverable packages.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
• High level of articulation and professionalism
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Critical thinking and proactive problem solving
• Ability to take initiative and identify opportunities for improvement
• Ability to either work in a team environment or independently with minimal guidance
• Ability to independently manage multiple projects, priorities, schedules, deliverables, risks, and follow-up while supporting other CAAT activities as directed.
• Ability to prepare and maintain project documentation, including meeting agendas and notes, action item logs, project trackers, deliverable trackers, and status-reporting inputs.
• Ability to support proposal development, RFP response preparation, statement of work development, project intake, and task order startup documentation.
• Ability to facilitate and support working groups, CAAT Consortium meetings, all-hands meetings, technical interchange meetings, and other multi-stakeholder activities, including coordinating agendas, tracking inputs and action items, and supporting follow-up.
• Ability to coordinate effectively across ARI Business Administration, Grants and Research Administration, contracting, finance, Operations, Applied Research, university offices, CAAT Consortium members, subcontractors, external partners, and public-agency stakeholders.
• Ability to assign, coordinate, and monitor work performed by student workers, matrix-assigned personnel, or other assigned project support personnel.
• Ability to identify missing information, schedule conflicts, documentation gaps, project risks, and coordination issues.
• Ability to work effectively within federal, state, local, university, and public-agency project environments.
• Ability to travel up to 20% for position-associated missions and training sessions
• Ability to lift 50 lbs. and occasionally work outdoors

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's degree or higher in Project Management, Business Administration, Aviation, or related field.
• More than seven (7) years of related project management, project coordination, project controls, program coordination, public-agency project support, aviation operations, research administration, or sponsored project support experience.
• Project Management Certification or project management training.
• Experience managing projects or task orders with defined scope, schedule, deliverables, and partner coordination requirements.
• Experience supporting federally sponsored projects, task orders, research projects, public-agency programs, or multi-partner technical projects.
• Experience in aviation, advanced aviation, autonomy, transportation, public-sector technology, research operations, or university research administration.
• Experience supporting proposal development, RFP responses, statements of work, project planning packages, project intake, or task order startup documentation.
• Experience facilitating or supporting working groups, committees, technical teams, project kickoff meetings, technical interchange meetings, consortium meetings, partner meetings, or other multi-stakeholder coordination activities.
• Experience c