Program Management Director

Wayne County, MI; Detroit (MI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Wayne County in Detroit, MI seeks a PMO Director to oversee the program portfolio within the Management & Budget department. You will drive strategy, governance, and resource alignment while delivering real-time portfolio health insights.

Lead organizational change, mentor teams, and implement standardized PMO tools and processes to elevate project delivery and accountability across the County.

Qualifications

• Ten+ years of management experience preferred in program management.
• Ability to translate objectives into a cascaded PMO strategy and governance framework.
• Experience aligning budgeting, risk, and resources across multiple programs.

Responsibilities

• Translate organizational objectives into a PMO strategy and cascade it across sub-departments.
• Establish and enforce a unified Project Management Life Cycle and governance framework.
• Oversee budgeting, funding, risk, and resource allocation to maximize productivity.
• Develop real-time portfolio health reporting for leadership with KPIs and risk mitigation.
• Lead change and capability building to advance a project-disciplined culture across the County.

Skills

Strategic planning

Governance framework

Portfolio management

Resource alignment

Performance reporting

Change leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business Administration

Lean Six Sigma Certification

Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification

Job description

Purpose/ Description

The Program Management Office (PMO) Director provides oversight and direction for managing the portfolio of programs within the Management & Budget (M&B) department of Wayne County. The PMO Director will work directly with M&B leadership to ensure all programs and projects are uniformly organized, resourced, managed, reviewed, reported, decisioned and terminated in accordance with leading practice project management methodology.

Required Tasks

• Strategic Design & Cascading Implementation
  • Translate high-level M&B organizational objectives into a comprehensive PMO strategy. This position is responsible for "cascading" this strategy across all sub-departments, ensuring that every project lead understands the "why" behind the methodology and how their specific initiatives contribute to the County's broader mission.
• Governance Framework & Standardization
  • Establish and enforce a unified Project Management Life Cycle (PMLC) and Governance framework.
    • This includes standardizing assessment protocols, policies, and procedures; and
    • Ensuring "leading practice" methodologies suited for finance projects are applied consistently across the portfolio to minimize variance in delivery quality.
• Portfolio Optimization & Resource Alignment
  • Oversee the integration of budgeting/ funding, risk, and resource allocation to maximize departmental productivity. In alignment with the priorities established by the CFO, this position will orchestrate the tactical deployment of human and financial capital to ensure resources are steered toward the highest-priority initiatives, while proactively resolving cross-program dependencies.
• Performance Intelligence & Quality Assurance
  • Develop and manage sophisticated reporting mechanisms to provide M&B Leadership with real-time visibility into portfolio health.
    • This involves defining key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for satisfaction, quality, and performance; and conducting regular program reviews to ensure adherence to standards and timely risk mitigation.
• Capability Building & Change Leadership
  • Lead the cultural shift toward a project-disciplined department.
    • This duty focuses on: Knowledge Transfer: Mentoring project teams and department heads to increase "Project Management IQ" across the County; and
    • Change Management: Driving the adoption of new PMO tools and processes, ensuring that standardizations are embraced rather than just enforced.
• Perform all other duties as assigned

Educational Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business Administration or a similar discipline from a recognized college or university
• Lean Six Sigma Certification
• Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification

Experience Requirements

• Ten (10) years management experience, preferably in program management
• Must be highly analytical, detail oriented and possess an ability to work within tight timelines and in pressure situations.

The Charter County of Wayne

The Charter County of Wayne is Michigan's largest county. We are home to 34 cities and nine townships. From Rockwood to Livonia, from Sumpter Township to the Grosse Pointes, each community in Wayne County offers residents and businesses a unique blend of opportunity to live, work, play and raise families. Headquartered in Detroit, our largest city and the automotive capital of the world, Wayne County offers a diversified economy and high standards for our residents' quality of life. Our history is rich, and we take pride in being one of the most diverse communities that values culture, arts, and world-class amenities. Wayne County provides leadership that ensures the County operates efficiently, effectively, and responsibly. We provide transparently while building a stronger County inclusive of collaborations, innovation, and a clear focus on serving our residents.