Sr. QA & Project Management Specialist

City of New York; All (MO); On-site; USD 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Senior QAPM Specialist to enhance their Human Capital operations. This role involves leading project management and quality assurance initiatives, ensuring efficient processes within the Bureau of Examinations. You will collaborate with various stakeholders to identify improvement opportunities, manage project timelines, and implement innovative solutions. The ideal candidate will possess strong analytical skills, project management expertise, and a commitment to excellence. Join a dynamic team dedicated to making impactful contributions to city governance and enhancing the quality of services for all citizens.

Benefits

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Training and Development Opportunities

Health Benefits

Retirement Plans

Flexible Work Hours

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and two years of relevant experience required.
• Experience in managing large-scale projects and IT-related tasks.

Responsibilities

• Lead project management and quality assurance activities for the Bureau of Examinations.
• Conduct analyses and develop project plans to ensure timely delivery.

Skills

Project Management

Change Management

Analytical Skills

Quality Assurance

Communication Skills

Organizational Skills

Data Analysis

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Cloud-based Systems

Mainframe Systems

Job description

DCAS's mission is to make city government work for all New Yorkers. From managing New York City’s most iconic courthouses and municipal buildings, to purchasing over $1 billion annually in goods and services for more than 80 City agencies what we do ensures that all agencies can deliver on their mission. Our reach touches every facet of city government and is instrumental to the successful day-to-day operations of the City of New York.

Our commitment to equity, effectiveness, and sustainability guides our work providing City agencies with the critical resources and support needed to succeed, including:
- Recruiting, hiring, and training City employees.
- Managing 55 public buildings.
- Acquiring, selling, and leasing City property.
- Purchasing over $1 billion in goods and services for City agencies.
- Overseeing the greenest municipal vehicle fleet in the country.
- Leading the City's efforts to reduce carbon emissions from government operations.

When you work at DCAS, you're not just working for one agency, but in service of them all. It's an opportunity to provide impactful support, quality customer service, and help protect the future of New York City for generations to come. Visit our website at nyc.gov/dcas to learn more about the work we do.

DCAS Human Capital (HC) has a newly created Quality Assurance and Project Management (QAPM) unit, designed to serve as a proactive unit that identifies and addresses opportunities for improvement in HC’s broader work, processes, and programs to ensure efficient and exceptional customer service. QAPM utilizes tools and methodologies to perform its work including SWOT analyses, RACI Charts, and Change Management with an emphasis on project management standards to ensure deadlines are met timely.

The DCAS Human Capital QAPM Unit seeks to hire one (1) Senior QAPM Specialist who will primarily lead capacity building efforts for DCAS HC’s Bureau of Examinations and provide supplementary support to the QAPM team. DCAS HC’s Bureau of Examinations performs responsible work in the establishment of qualifications for civil service positions, as well as in the development, validation, rating and administration, and certification of lists of eligible applicants for competitive civil service examinations. The Bureau of Examinations is currently comprised of four major functional areas: the Exam Development Group, the Administration, Customer & Exam Support (ACES) Unit, the Scoring Unit, and the Investigations Unit.

The Exam Development Group, within the Bureau of Examinations, is responsible for collaborating with City Agencies in the development of civil service exams for competitive class titles by working with City Agencies’ Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to conduct in depth job analyses. These job analyses are used to develop rating guides and questions which may appear on civil service examinations and are used to determine candidate eligibility on distinct lists for the respective civil service title.

The Administration, Customer & Exam Support (ACES) Unit within the Bureau of Examinations is comprised of the Application Processing & Test Administration Unit, five Computer-based Testing & Applications Centers (CTACs) located in each of the five boroughs of New York City, and the Long Island City testing facility where Sanitation Worker and Firefighter candidates take their in-person exams. The ACES Unit is responsible for uploading and maintaining the annual exam schedule within the Online Application System (OASys) including test parts, test dates, and locations for testing. The Unit works with the other units of the Bureau of Examinations and DCAS IT to review general content and format of tests to determine best method for administration of the tests, and to set parameters for and help determine scheduling/rescheduling availability for test sessions.

The Scoring Unit, within the Bureau of Examinations scores, reviews, and verifies all test parts for civil service examinations, and uses this information to establish eligible lists and inform candidates of their exam results.

The Investigations Unit is responsible for conducting background investigations of candidates for City employment to ensure they are of good moral character and meet their respective minimum qualification requirements. Fingerprints are processed digitally to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the results are then reviewed by the Investigations Unit. Candidates with the most serious criminal convictions and derogatory employment information are investigated directly by DCAS for appointment, including investigations before appointment.

The selected candidate for the Senior QAPM Specialist will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following tasks:
- Serve as the primary lead for all project management and quality assurance activities for the Bureau of Examinations
- Gain in-depth knowledge of current processes and business practices through shadowing, interviewing key participants, and documenting such processes for future analyses.
- Steer end-to-end implementation planning including project management, risk management, communication, and change management, including the preparation of written resources and presentations.
- Lead and/or participate in multiple projects, including IT-related projects, by completing and updating project documentation and ensuring efficient and on-time delivery of project tasks and milestones.
- Create and maintain project schedules by developing project plans and specifications, estimating time and resources, monitoring milestone completion, tracking all phases of the project lifecycle, providing timely reporting of issues that impact project progress, coordinating actions, escalating potential risks while providing recommended actions, and resolving conflicts.
- Utilizing technology to automate and manage project management, organizational development, and quality assurance deliverables and task owners.
- Provide and support the implementation of business solutions by building relationships and partnerships with key stakeholders; identify business needs; determine and carrying out necessary processes and practices; monitoring progress and results; recognize and capitalize on improvement opportunities; and adapt to competing demands, organizational changes, and new responsibilities.
- Perform User Acceptance Testing (UAT) prior to the rollout of software and/or application upgrades to validate that the system is performing according to the required real-life scenarios.
- Identify best practices and suggest improvements in the defined project management processes.
- Manage customer and stakeholder relationships and expectations by developing a communication process to keep others up to date on project results.
- Regularly assess organizational needs for process improvements and training to prioritize the optimization of exam administration and application processing workflows, while supplementing support for other QAPM efforts.
- Develop and implement training sessions or materials for staff on new systems, tools, or process updates, ensuring smooth transitions and consistent application of best practices.
- Compile and analyze data on project outcomes and process efficiencies, creating reports or dashboards to support data-driven decision-making.
- Establish clear standard operating procedures (SOPs) for project-related tasks to ensure consistency and compliance across the team.
- Lead initiatives focused on continuous improvement, fostering an environment of innovation and a proactive approach to optimizing workflows and systems.
- Providing supplementary support to the QAPM unit, including backup support to the Director of Quality and Operational Efficiency in their absence.
- Perform related duties, as assigned.

Please go to www.nyc.gov/jobs, or www.nyc.gov/ess for current NYC employees, and search for Job ID # 712682. No phone calls, faxes or personal inquiries permitted. Only those candidates under consideration will be contacted.

CONFIDENTIAL STRATEGY PLANNER - 54739

Minimum Qualifications

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two years of satisfactory, full- time experience related to the projects and policies to be studied in the particular position.

Preferred Skills

- Demonstrated experience in managing large-scale projects, including IT-related projects, while effectively addressing daily operational requests from the business.- Exceptional project management, change management, organizational, analytical, quality assurance, quantitative, and qualitative skills.- Proven experience analyzing and utilizing data to set and achieve specific outcomes.- Proficient in creating and utilizing business requirements documents, standard operating procedures, work breakdown structures, and process flows.- Proficient in facilitating workshops, meetings, and training sessions, with a demonstrated ability to actively engage diverse participants and communicate information clearly and effectively.- Experience mentoring and leading others, developing individual’s skills, while encouraging collaboration and cohesive teamwork.- Experience working on projects or with systems that are on mainframe or cloud-based systems.- Innovative and strategic thinker with proven leadership abilities.- Adaptable to a fast-paced and dynamic environment, managing multiple tasks simultaneously.- Outstanding attention to detail.- Strong commitment to meeting deadlines.- Proficient in verbal and written communication, including the ability to understand and be understood in English.- Capable of representing DCAS in both internal and external contexts.- Proficient in computer applications, including the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), mainframe systems, and cloud-based systems.- Experience working in New York City government is a plus.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.