Strategic Project Manager — Government Contracts

Emmes Group; Rockville (MD); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Emmes Group seeks a Project Manager to independently manage smaller government-funded projects, ensuring delivery on time and within contract scope. You will own timelines, coordinate cross-functional teams, and communicate with stakeholders through program leadership.

You’ll develop project plans, track progress, monitor budgets, and escalate risks. The role fits someone with 4–6 years in PM roles, PMP certification, and experience with regulatory environments, Smartsheet or MS Project.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a scientific field or equivalent experience.
• 4-6 years of project management experience relevant to government contracts or regulated environments.
• 4-6 years independently managing smaller projects with timelines and deliverables.
• 4-6 years managing project budgets, spend tracking, and forecasting.
• 4-6 years cross-functional experience with accountability for outcomes.
• PMP certification or plan to obtain within 12 months.
• Experience in clinical research/government contracts preferred.
• Strong PM skills and ability to manage multiple priorities.

Responsibilities

• Project execution and delivery from initiation through completion.
• Develops and maintains project plans, timelines, and trackers to ensure delivery of project objectives.
• Monitors progress against plan, identifies deviations, and takes action to keep project work on track.
• Drives follow-up with team members to ensure timely completion of deliverables and milestones.
• May support execution of larger programs by managing defined workstreams under senior leadership.
• Leads coordination across cross-functional teams to ensure alignment on project priorities, timelines, and responsibilities.
• Facilitates project meetings and ensures clear outcomes, decisions, and next steps.
• Communicates project status, risks, and updates to internal stakeholders and supports communication to clients through program leadership.
• Manages project budgets for assigned projects, including tracking spend, maintaining forecasts, and identifying variances.
• Works with project control and leadership to address financial risks and ensure alignment with project expectations.
• Identifies financial variances or risks and works with leadership to address them.
• Ensures project execution aligns with financial and operational expectations.
• Identifies and manages project risks, issues, and gaps in execution.
• Develops and drives mitigation actions and ensures follow-through to resolution.
• Escalates complex or high-impact risks with context and recommended actions.
• Develops and maintains project tracking tools, timelines, and reporting structures.
• Ensures accuracy and consistency of project data across tracking and reporting.
• Applies and reinforces standard processes and tools across project work.
• Ensures project execution aligns with contract scope, deliverables, and reporting requirements.
• Tracks contractual deliverables and ensures timely completion and submission.
• Participates in PMO initiatives and contributes to process improvements.
• Shares lessons learned and supports consistency across projects.
• Performs other duties as assigned
• Complies with all policies and standards

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional coordination

Communication

Budget management

Risk management

Leadership

Documentation & reporting

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Scientific discipline or equivalent experience

PMP certification or obtained within 12 months of hire

Tools

Smartsheet

Microsoft Project

Job description

Emmes Group seeks a Project Manager to independently manage smaller government-funded projects, ensuring delivery on time and within contract scope. You will own timelines, coordinate cross-functional teams, and communicate with stakeholders through program leadership.

You’ll develop project plans, track progress, monitor budgets, and escalate risks. The role fits someone with 4–6 years in PM roles, PMP certification, and experience with regulatory environments, Smartsheet or MS Project.