Sr Project Manager - DHS

IO Datasphere, Inc.; Madison (WI); Remote; USD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) seeks a Senior Project Manager to lead cross-functional teams in large software implementations, coordinating stakeholders and vendors through complex rollout phases. The role emphasizes independent leadership, data-driven decisions, and delivering secure health IT solutions.

The Senior PM will manage integrated schedules, risks, and communications, ensuring alignment with public health objectives while reporting to the Project Delivery Unit

Qualifications

• 10+ years in software implementation and rollout management across deployment phases.
• Strong project controls: planning, dependencies, risks, and status reporting.
• Excellent stakeholder communication to leadership and affected groups.
• Cross-functional leadership to align internal teams and vendors.
• Experience with organizational change management and adoption readiness.
• Experience managing vendor-delivered software or large public-sector implementations.
• PMP certification or equivalent project management training.
• Bachelor’s degree in PM, business, IT, public administration, or related field; equivalent experience considered.

Responsibilities

• Manage software implementation, rollout, and transition to operations.
• Coordinate internal teams and vendors across multiple workstreams.
• Develop governance, delivery controls, and escalation paths.
• Prepare status reports and executive-level communications.
• Lead project workgroups to deliver components of large projects.
• Ensure compliance with data, privacy, security requirements.
• Monitor progress and align delivery with organizational objectives.
• Provide strategic guidance using data and systems thinking.

Skills

Software implementation & rollout mgmt

Project controls & scheduling

Stakeholder communication

Cross-functional leadership

Change management

Vendor management

PMP certification

Education

Bachelor’s degree in PM/Business/IT/Public Admin

Job description

Client Name Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS)

Requisition 167196

Location Madison, WI

Duration 1 year

Due Date 10/28/2026

C2C Possible Yes. Rate depends on experience

Interview Method Web-based with Camera On

NOTE: Current WI Residents only. NO RELOCATION Allowed. This position will be remote with some in state travel of 10-20%. Candidates should be prepared to report onsite for Day 1. We can accept H1b, H4, TN and other valid work visas for IT. However we cannot accept OPT or CPT visas at this time.

Description:

Our client is looking for a Senior Project Manager who will be reporting to the Project Delivery Unit Supervisor. This role will work cross functionally with other team members but will primarily be an independent contributor. This team needs a senior project manager who has led a large software implementation or rollout through the execution and deployment phases. They should be experienced coordinating internal teams and vendors, managing rollout readiness, and planning communications for stakeholders and people affected by the change. The project has several connected workstreams, so the person should be comfortable managing an integrated schedule, dependencies, risks, decisions, and issues while keeping leaders and delivery teams aligned.

The incumbent is expected to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and provide leadership on complex and evolving issues. The position requires the ability to manage multiple assignments and deadlines, respond effectively to changing priorities, shift attention across competing needs, identify when matters require escalation, and maintain progress in a dynamic, cross-functional environment.

This person leads large public-health technology projects, coordinates teams, manages schedules and budgets, helps implement software systems, and ensures that data and technology improvements are delivered successfully and safely. Light Travel within the state10%-20%.

Tasks

• Managing the complete project and product delivery life cycle, from evaluation and initiation through implementation, operational transition, and closure.
• Establishing and maintaining governance, delivery controls, escalation pathways, decision-making processes, and performance measures.
• Developing estimates and tracking scope, schedules, budgets, resources, deliverables, risks, dependencies, quality, and outcomes.
• Preparing and presenting clear status reports, recommendations, decision materials, implementation plans, and executive-level communications.
• Identifying opportunities to improve organizational processes, systems, data practices, reporting capabilities, and service delivery.
• Developing, implementing, evaluating, and continuously improving standards, policies, procedures, templates, tools, and practices.
• Coordinating internal staff, vendors, contractors, and external partners to ensure accountability and alignment with organizational objectives.
• Training, coaching, and mentoring staff to strengthen project management, product management, data management, business analysis, change management, and delivery capabilities.
• Supporting the safe, confidential, effective, and strategic collection and use of public health information.
• Manage complex projects, including timelines, and quality goals. Lead implementation of major initiatives. These projects will range from moderately to significantly complex programs.
• Work with leadership to develop project charters ensuring that the scope of projects is defined. Projects may be related to wide range of data-related topics, e.g., policies, gaps, communications, training, access use, release, security, and privacy.
• Lead and facilitate project workgroups and sub-groups to complete components of larger projects and complete required deliverables. Coordinate, schedule, and participate in discussions and meetings to help ensure success. Prepare and distribute project team meeting agendas and assure meeting notes include attendees, decisions made, and next steps.
• Develop and maintain effective and collaborative working relationships with partners, leadership, and other members throughout to develop and implement program initiatives.
• Lead discovery sessions and project management coordination activities. Monitor progress and report on the overall status of projects.
• Assist the leadership with strategic guidance using tools and data to support strategies presented. The Senior Project manager must deliver in a systems thinking approach to delivery and continuous improvement.
• Monitor annual action plans and provide progress and financial tracking status reports on active projects.
• Evaluate effectiveness and efficiency of project delivery related activities and recommend solutions to management for strategic direction.
• Be aware of complex federal and state regulations regarding data use, access, confidentiality, and other data related issues.
• Consider short term and long term plans to achieve project delivery goals.
• Coordinate with the Team member and other staff to plan, schedule, track, document, and communicate project status, risks and mitigation strategies.
• Ensure that project and product activities address public health, regulatory, security, accessibility, and operational requirements.
• Work with public health, healthcare, government, community, or other regulated-program stakeholders to understand business processes, reporting obligations, service-delivery needs, and desired outcomes.
• Coordinate with privacy, security, legal, procurement, data-governance, and compliance representatives as required.
• Ensure that required compliance reviews, approvals, documentation, and corrective actions are completed before implementation.
• Support projects involving multi-agency governance, grant requirements, public-sector procurement, external reporting, and formal approval processes.
• Manage vendor and consultant performance against contracts, statements of work, schedules, service levels, deliverables, and acceptance criteria.
• Lead software implementation, rollout, and transition-to-operations activities.
• Coordinate software delivery through requirements, design, configuration or development, integration, testing, deployment, stabilization, and operational transition.
• Develop an implementation strategy appropriate for pilot, phased, regional, program-level, or enterprise-wide deployment.
• Coordinate system integration, data conversion, data migration, environment readiness, testing, and deployment activities.

Skills Required

10+ years of experience in the following:

• Software implementation and rollout management, including deployment planning, readiness, testing, and transition to operations.
• Strong project controls, including integrated planning, dependency management, risk and issue resolution, and clear status reporting.
• Stakeholder communication and coordination, including communicating impacts, decisions, and progress to both leadership and affected groups.
• Cross-functional leadership, with the ability to align internal teams, vendors, and subject matter experts and move decisions forward.
• Experience with organizational change management, including communications planning, training coordination, and adoption readiness.
• Experience managing vendor-delivered software or large public-sector implementations.
• PMP certification or equivalent project management training.
• A bachelor's degree in project management, business, information technology, public administration, or a related field is preferred. Equivalent education and substantial experience leading complex software implementations can also be considered.