SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER - DCS CENTRAL OFFICE SPECIAL PROJECTS - DAVIDSON COUNTY - 82464

State of Tennessee; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 118,000; Full time

Job summary

State of Tennessee's Department of Children's Services Central Office Special Projects in Nashville seeks a Senior Project Manager to lead complex, high-priority initiatives, including the Taylor Initiative, a statewide, multidisciplinary plan addressing human trafficking and exploitation. You will guide projects from concept to completion with strategic planning, coordination, and governance.

The role requires collaboration with executive leadership, partners, and stakeholders to ensure timely

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree and 4 years of relevant project management experience including 1 year leading teams or managing complex projects.
• OR PMP Certification with 1 year of experience leading teams or managing complex projects.
• Substitution of Experience for Education: related project management experience may substitute for the required education on a year-for-year basis.

Responsibilities

• Develops and maintains comprehensive project plans with scope, schedule, budget, communication, and risk management components.
• Leads the Taylor Initiative by coordinating development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of a statewide multidisciplinary strategic plan.
• Researches best practices and analyzes data to identify gaps, risks, and opportunities; recommends strategies to improve outcomes.
• Plans, facilitates, and directs project meetings to align goals, timelines, and deliverables across teams.
• Develops and maintains collaborative relationships with internal leadership, external vendors, and community partners for input, monitoring progress, and accountability.
• Prepares and delivers executive-level presentations, reports, and talking points for agency leadership; communicates complex project information.
• Leads multiple workgroups and mentors project staff.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree

PMP Certification

Job description

Executive Service

Background Check

This position requires a criminal background check. Therefore, you may be required to provide information about your criminal history in order to be considered for this position.

SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER - DCS CENTRAL OFFICE SPECIAL PROJECTS - DAVIDSON COUNTY

Department of Children's Services Central Office Special Projects Nashville, TN

Annual Salary: $90,396.00 - $117,528.00

Closing Date: 11/09/2026

Background Check

This position requires a criminal background check. Therefore, you may be required to provide information about your criminal history in order to be considered for this position.

Job Overview

Under general direction, an employee in this class is responsible for leading and managing the agency¿s most complex, high-priority, or cross-functional projects and initiatives that advance strategic agency goals. This position will oversee a grant-funded special project known as the Taylor Initiative, which is responsible for creating and implementing a statewide, multidisciplinary strategic plan addressing human trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children.Work includes overseeing projects from concept to completion through strategic planning, coordination, execution, monitoring, and evaluation. The incumbent collaborates with executive and senior leadership, external partners, and community stakeholders to ensure initiatives are delivered on time, within scope, within budget, and in compliance with agency objectives and regulatory requirements. The classification differs from Project Manager in that incumbents of the latter are responsible for projects of moderate scope and complexity and may serve in a support role for larger projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Manages cross-functional or agency-wide initiatives by developing, maintaining, and distributing comprehensive project plans encompassing scope, schedule, budget, communication, and risk management components; monitors and adjusts resource allocation as necessary to ensure alignment with agency priorities.
• Leads the Taylor Initiative by coordinating the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of a statewide, multidisciplinary strategic plan; supports collaboration among agency partners, community stakeholders, and other participating organizations.
• Research best practices and analyzes data to identify gaps, risks, and opportunities; recommends strategies and solutions to improve project outcomes and organizational performance.
• Plans, facilitates, and directs project meetings to ensure alignment of project goals, timelines, and deliverables across multiple teams or stakeholder groups.
• Develops and maintains collaborative relationships with internal leadership, external vendors, and community partners to gather input, monitor progress, and ensure transparency and accountability throughout the project.
• Prepares and delivers executive-level presentations, reports, and talking points for agency leadership; communicates complex project information effectively to a wide range of audiences.
• Leads multiple workgroups and serves as a mentor or resource to other project staff.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience: Bachelor's degree from an accredited university and 4 years of relevant project management experience including 1 year of experience leading teams or managing complex projects.

OR PMP (Project Management Professional) Certification and 1 year of experience leading teams or managing complex projects.

Substitution of Experience for Education: Related project management experience may substitute for the required education on a year-for-year basis.

Pursuant to the State of Tennessee's Workplace Discrimination and Harassment policy, the State is firmly committed to the principle of fair and equal employment opportunities for its citizens and strives to protect the rights and opportunities of all people to seek, obtain, and hold employment without being subjected to illegal discrimination and harassment in the workplace. It is the State's policy to provide an environment free of discrimination and harassment of an individual because of that person's race, color, national origin, age (40 and over), sex, pregnancy, religion, creed, di sability, veteran's status or any other category protected by state and/or federal civil rights laws.