Director-Project Portfolio Planning Office

Sound Transit; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 276,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Benefits

Retirement Plans

Paid Time Off

Parental Leave

Tuition Reimbursement

ORCA Card

Pet Insurance

Job summary

Sound Transit seeks an experienced leader to head the IT Project Portfolio Management Office, guiding enterprise portfolio, program, and project management, quality assurance, and IT controls. You will standardize practices, build partnerships across the agency, and align IT delivery with the SEIP framework to maximize value.

You will drive governance, performance metrics, and cross‑department planning while managing a skilled delivery workforce in a fast‑growing, hybrid environment in Seattle.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Management, Information Systems, Engineering, or closely related field.
• Eight years hands-on experience in senior level IT project/program positions.
• Six years of leadership, budgetary, planning and workforce management experience.
• Project Management Professional certification (PMP) or PgMP.

Responsibilities

• Leads the IT Project Portfolio Management Office (PPMO) by providing enterprise oversight of portfolio, program, and project management services, quality assurance, and IT business controls.
• Evolve portfolio, program, and project management capabilities by standardizing processes, strengthening controls, and maturing skills to improve delivery outcomes and business value.
• Builds and sustains strategic partnerships across the agency to support cross‑department planning, demand alignment, and a customer‑centric, service‑oriented approach.
• Aligns IT delivery with the System Expansion Implementation Program (SEIP) by ensuring IT initiatives are planned, resourced, and managed within the agency’s overall delivery framework.
• Leads enterprise technology investment governance by aligning intake, demand, prioritization, and resourcing to ensure effective use of agency resources.
• Develops and matures portfolio management practices to manage project selection, dependencies, and sequencing across strategic programs.
• Establishes a culture of performance management and continuous improvement by defining metrics, monitoring outcomes, and refining portfolio and delivery services.
• Defines and enforces project controls and quality assurance standards to ensure consistent management of scope, schedule, cost, risk, and resource utilization.
• Provides executive‑level portfolio insight and reporting including backlog, status, risk, timelines, and financial performance to support informed decision‑making.
• Leads and develops staff by coaching, training, motivating teams, and managing performance and employee relations.

Skills

Enterprise Portfolio Management

Program/Project Management

Leadership

Stakeholder Management

Governance & Controls

Delivery Standards

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science / IT / IS / Engineering

Tools

ServiceNow

PMBOK-aligned methods

Job description

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Locations

Showing 1 location

Seattle, WA 98104, USA

• Hybrid
• Planning/Project/Program Management
• Full-Time

Description

Salary range is $160k to $276k, with a midpoint of $218k. New hires typically receive between minimum and midpoint, however, we may go slightly higher based on experience, internal equity and market.

Sound Transit also offers a competitive benefits package with a wide range of offerings, including:

• Health Benefits: We offer two choices of medical plans, a dental plan, and a vision plan all at no cost for employee coverage; comprehensive benefits for employees and eligible dependents, including a spouse or domestic partner.
• Long-Term Disability and Life Insurance.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Retirement Plans: 401a – 10% of employee contribution with a 12% match by Sound Transit; 457b – up to IRS maximum (employee only contribution).
• Paid Time Off: Employees accrue 25 days of paid time off annually with increases at four, eight and twelve years of service. Employees at the director level and up accrue additional days. We also observe 12 paid holidays and provide up to 2 paid floating holidays and up to 2 paid volunteer days per year.
• Parental Leave: 12 weeks of parental leave for new parents.
• Pet Insurance.
• ORCA Card: All full-time employees will receive an ORCA card at no cost.
• Tuition Reimbursement: Sound Transit will pay up to $5,000 annually for approved tuition expenses.
• Inclusive Reproductive Health Support Services.
• Compensation Practices: We offer competitive salaries based on market rates and internal equity. In addition to compensation and benefits, you’ll find that we provide work-life balance, opportunities for professional development and recognition from your colleagues.

GENERAL PURPOSE:

This opportunity has a focus on evolving the IT project portfolio management office toward an agency aligned IT division that is customer‑centric and service minded. Builds effective strategic relationships with other departments, while enabling the Project Portfolio Management team to deliver effective portfolio management, program management, and project management services, quality assurance services, and IT business controls at a time of rapid agency growth. This position reports to the Deputy Executive Director IT Business & Portfolio Management. With the DED, this position is responsible for a centralized services model representing IT programs and projects, quality assurance, and IT business controls, in alignment with business partners agency wide.

This position is responsible for ensuring that the work of the Project Portfolio Management Office adds measurable business value, is relevant to the strategy of the organization, and meets the goals set by the ITLT. This role is responsible for standardizing and maintaining various methods and practices for project management and tracking and reporting the conformance of projects to plans and expectations. This position is tasked with setting, improving, and communicating project management standards, methodologies (waterfall and agile), and best practices; supporting and enabling the organization's projects, programs, and structured work efforts; and optimizing and managing the project management workforce and project resourcing.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

The following duties are a representative summary of the primary duties and responsibilities. Incumbent(s) may not be required to perform all duties listed and may be required to perform additional, position‑specific duties.

• Owns the product vision and outcomes by deeply understanding customer needs, business objectives, and user experience impacts.
• Leads the IT Project Portfolio Management Office (PPMO) by providing enterprise oversight of portfolio, program, and project management services, quality assurance, and IT business controls.
• Evolve portfolio, program, and project management capabilities by standardizing processes, strengthening controls, and maturing skills to improve delivery outcomes and business value.
• Builds and sustains strategic partnerships across the agency to support cross‑department planning, demand alignment, and a customer‑centric, service‑oriented approach.
• Aligns IT delivery with the System Expansion Implementation Program (SEIP) by ensuring IT initiatives are planned, resourced, and managed within the agency’s overall delivery framework.
• Leads enterprise technology investment governance by aligning intake, demand, prioritization, and resourcing to ensure effective use of agency resources.
• Develops and matures portfolio management practices to manage project selection, dependencies, and sequencing across strategic programs.
• Establishes a culture of performance management and continuous improvement by defining metrics, monitoring outcomes, and refining portfolio and delivery services.
• Defines and enforces project controls and quality assurance standards to ensure consistent management of scope, schedule, cost, risk, and resource utilization.
• Provides executive‑level portfolio insight and reporting including backlog, status, risk, timelines, and financial performance to support informed decision‑making.
• Leads and develops staff by coaching, training, motivating teams, and managing performance and employee relations.
• Champions and models Sound Transit's core values and demonstrates values‑based behaviors in everyday interactions across the agency.
• Contributes to a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion in alignment with Sound Transit’s Equity & Inclusion Policy.
• It is the responsibility of all employees to follow the Agency safety rules, regulations, and procedures pertaining to their assigned duties and responsibilities, which could include systems, operations, and/or other employees.
• It is the responsibility of all employees to integrate sustainability into everyday business practices.
• Other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Management, Information Systems, Engineering, or closely related field. Eight years hands‑on experience in senior level IT project/program positions; Or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Six years of leadership, budgetary, planning and workforce management experience.

Preferred Knowledge and Skills:

• Project Management Professional certification (PMP) or PgMP.

Required Knowledge and Skills:

• Enterprise Portfolio, Program & Project Strategy
• Applies best practice portfolio, program, and project management principles to align initiatives with business strategy and maximize organizational value.
• Aligns business and technology strategy by translating agency priorities into investment portfolios and delivery plans.
• Demonstrates a strong understanding of IT organizational success factors and enterprise delivery challenges.
• Understands applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations relevant to IT investment and delivery.

Governance, Controls & Performance Management

• Leads development and maturation of governance, controls, and standards for portfolio, program, and project management.
• Applies project control disciplines to manage scope, schedule, cost, risk, and quality across enterprise initiatives.
• Drives performance measurement and transparency through defined metrics, reporting, and benefit realization practices.
• Promotes continuous improvement across portfolio and delivery services.

Delivery Methods, Tools & Standards

• Leads delivery using multiple methodologies and tools including PMBOK aligned practices, waterfall, agile, hybrid approaches, and systems such as ServiceNow & other SPM tools.
• Establishes and maintains enterprise delivery standards and workflows to ensure consistency and predictability across initiatives.

Leadership, Stakeholder & Change Management

• Builds and maintains effective working relationships with agency leadership, business partners, vendors, and external stakeholders.
• Communicates complex portfolio and delivery information clearly and persuasively through strong written, verbal, and facilitation skills.
• Leads organizational change and transformation by influencing outcomes, resolving conflicts, and removing delivery roadblocks.
• Operates effectively under pressure while managing competing priorities and evolving demands.
• Researches and evaluates new delivery methods and techniques to improve effectiveness and agency value.

Physical Demands / Work Environment:

• Work is performed in a hybrid environment with an expectation of working in office a minimum of 3 days per week.
• The Agency promotes a safe and healthy work environment and provides appropriate safety and equipment training for all personnel as required.

Sound Transit is an equal employment opportunity employer. No person is unlawfully excluded from employment action based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status or other protected class.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
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