Program Manager/PMO Lead

Damco Solutions; North Carolina; Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Damco Solutions seeks a senior program management leader to guide a major ERP transformation for a U.S. client.

You will head the PMO and governance, manage readiness, funding, and cost baselines, and supervise vendor selection and implementation oversight through go-live and stabilization planned for end of 2029. The role requires deep ERP governance expertise, risk and benefits realization, and the ability to coordinate stakeholders across multiple vendor ecosystems.

Qualifications

• Proven success delivering complex ERP projects with PMO governance.
• Experience with ERP selection: RFPs, vendor demos, scoring.
• Public sector ERP experience prioritized in evaluations.
• Willing to travel within the United States and work with a US-based client.
• Independence from ERP vendors and system integrators required.

Responsibilities

• Set up and lead the initial Program Management Office (PMO) and provide end-to-end PMO leadership across ERP vendor ecosystems.
• Validate program feasibility, prepare executive briefings and baselines (cost, benefits, ROI).
• Design governance framework including Steering Committee roles and decision authorities.
• Build and maintain risk, dependency, and mitigation plans; drive governance and benefits realization.
• Coordinate support for ERP product and SI selection (administered by client Purchasing).
• Support SOW development, milestones, deliverables, acceptance criteria, and fee negotiations.
• Oversee integrator delivery through build, tests, mock cutovers, go-live, and stabilization (target end of 2029).
• Produce staffing and business process recommendations; lead assessment for later phases if approved.

Skills

ERP governance

Program management

Public sector ERP experience

Vendor selection & RFP process

Job description

Leads the program management office and governance for the full ERP transformation, from readiness and funding setup through selection, implementation oversight, go-live and stabilization.

ENGAGEMENT OVERVIEW

Client is replacing and consolidating its ERP portfolio (Tyler Munis, Infor Lawson, OpenGov, UKG Kronos) across Finance, HCM and Budget, starting with HR/payroll and capital asset tracking and depreciation off Lawson HCM (go-live required by end of 2029).

LOCATION / WORK MODEL

U.S.-based only (no offshore). Remote/hybrid is acceptable for appropriate activities as long as deliverables and responsiveness meet client expectations. Onsite presence at client offices in North Carolina is set for each project phase and activity. Must be willing to travel to client offices as needed throughout the engagement.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Set up and lead the initial Program Management Office (PMO), and provide end-to-end PMO leadership across multiple ERP vendor ecosystems.
• Validate program feasibility, prepare the executive briefing and business case baseline (cost, benefits, ROI), and recommend funding models and phasing.
• Design the governance framework: Executive Steering Committee roles and responsibilities, decision-making authority, escalation paths and governance structure.
• Build and maintain the risk, dependency and mitigation plan, and drive program governance, risk management and benefits realization.
• Coordinate support for the ERP product and system integrator selection (administered by client Purchasing).
• Support Statement of Work development and review (milestones, deliverables, acceptance criteria, fee structures) and support the client in contract and fee negotiations.
• Oversee integrator delivery through build, testing, 2–3 mock cutovers, go-live and stabilization, against the end-of-2029 HCM go-live requirement.
• Produce staffing and business process recommendations. If the client authorizes them, lead the assessment and business case for later phases (additional modules, improvement of legacy ERP applications).

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Demonstrated success managing and delivering complex ERP projects, including project management and governance.
• Proven methodologies for governance, risk management and benefits realization on ERP implementations.
• Experience with the ERP selection process: RFP development, vendor demonstrations, scoring and vendor analysis.
• Public sector ERP experience (weighted highest in the client's evaluation) and a record of go-live and stabilization success on past ERP projects.
• Vendor-agnostic advisory capability across multiple ERP vendor ecosystems. Must be U.S.-based and willing to travel. Minimum years of experience: TBD (the client sets none).

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS / CERTIFICATIONS

• Experience delivering comparable engagements in the past 5–7 years, covering both single integrated ERP and best-of-breed approaches.
• Experience with North Carolina local governments, ideally a large client.
• Certifications: TBD (the client names no individual certifications). ERP vendor, cloud provider, security standards, ISO and CMMI credentials are a plus.

INDEPENDENCE REQUIREMENT (MUST-HAVE):

The candidate must be independent of ERP software vendors and system integrators. Candidates must disclose any vendor reseller or investment relationships, or system integrator partnerships, that could influence recommendations.

DURATION:

The contract term is an initial 3 years plus two optional 1-year renewals (up to 5 years); the tentative HCM program runs through stabilization (target June 2030). Proposal stage; depends on contract award.