Job Summary
The Project Manager will lead the Agency/Employer Outreach, Business Procedures, and Training efforts for a pension and benefits system replacement program. The role is responsible for planning, coordinating, monitoring, and managing outreach and readiness activities to ensure external employers/agencies and internal staff are prepared for technical, interface, process, training, and reporting changes associated with system implementation and go-live. The Project Manager will serve as the central liaison between the organization, employers/agencies, internal teams, vendors, and other stakeholders while managing risks, communications, testing, training, and overall project readiness.
Key Responsibilities
• Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans for Agency/Employer Outreach, Business Procedures, and Training activities, including timelines, milestones, and deliverables.
• Coordinate with internal teams and solution vendors to align outreach, business procedures, testing, and training efforts with system implementation phases.
• Serve as the primary liaison between the organization and external employers/agencies, ensuring clear and consistent communication.
• Design and execute communication plans to educate employers/agencies on upcoming changes, technical specifications, processes, and timelines.
• Establish and manage an Employer Advisory Group to gather feedback and guide outreach strategies.
• Oversee the development and delivery of training materials and sessions to ensure employers understand new reporting processes and system functionality.
• Manage coordinated testing activities, including interface testing between the organization and employers/agencies, and oversee issue resolution.
• Track employer certification and readiness related to new file layouts, reporting requirements, and system specifications.
• Develop and execute employer outreach strategies and plans covering 50 or more employers.
• Coordinate employer outreach testing and training activities.
• Serve as the primary liaison with solution vendors for organizational training and readiness efforts.
• Oversee training activities between solution vendors and internal organizational teams.
• Identify potential risks related to employer/agency and organizational readiness and develop appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Monitor and resolve issues promptly to maintain project timelines and quality standards.
• Provide regularly scheduled progress reports and presentations to project sponsors, steering committees, and other stakeholders.
• Identify and mitigate project risks and provide feedback on quality issues.
• Lead project activities involving testing, training, communication, stakeholder coordination, and organizational readiness.
• Ensure external employers/agencies and internal staff are prepared for technical, interface, procedural, training, and reporting changes associated with system implementation and go-live.
• Communicate respectfully and work effectively with internal teams, customers, vendors, and other stakeholders.
• Manage multiple project activities and priorities while meeting delivery deadlines and organizational requirements.
• Take initiative to identify, prevent, and resolve project issues.
Required Qualifications
• 20+ years of Project Management experience.
• 10+ years of experience working in the pension or benefits industry.
• Experience working with public pension and benefits retirement systems.
• 2+ years of Agency/Employer Outreach experience.
• Experience leading an Agency/Employer Outreach Project Lead/Manager role.
• Experience managing outreach efforts involving 50 or more employers.
• Experience developing and executing Employer Outreach Strategies and Plans.
• Experience coordinating Employer Outreach testing and training activities.
• Experience leading large projects requiring extensive communication and stakeholder coordination.
• Experience leading testing and training activities within project environments.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• PMP (Project Management Professional) certification.
• Strong project planning, communication, coordination, risk management, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to work effectively with internal teams, external employers/agencies, vendors, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to work under pressure, adapt to changing priorities, and manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to take initiative in preventing and resolving issues.