Technical Lead (Senior Engineering Project Manager)

Description:

Potomac Haven is committed to empowering the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Head Start (OHS) on its trajectory to modernize the technical infrastructure, systems, and applications required to successfully manage, monitor, and provide oversight of OHS grant recipient organizations and program operations. We are seeking a highly experienced and civic-minded Project Director to lead a dynamic technical team as it optimizes OHS's Aligned Monitoring System 2.0 Digital Services (IT-AMS) platform, a data management system designed to help OHS program staff to monitor performance, compliance, and effective use of federal funds for grants at the local, state, regional, and national levels.

Requirements:

The IT Project Director is the heart of our OHS technical group, pumping specialized skills and support to our dynamic development team and keeping pulse of its progress. The IT Project Director is accountable for all lines of our technical delivery, including the authorization-to-operate (ATO) process, and works closely with the Project Director and other team leads to guarantee successful solution design and project delivery.

IT Project Management:

As the senior technical lead, the IT Project Manager brings extensive engineering experience and management practice. The IT Project Manager serves as a product manager and the primary point person for the entire product development software development lifecycle (SDLC). The IT Project Manager is the senior engineer on the team, providing overall product management in cross-functional agile product teams. The IT Project Manager brings expertise in user research and design, content design, engineering team, and DevSecOps -- these skills enable our staff to develop and deliver on innovative approaches that facilitate and streamline the Program's work. Responsibilities include:

• Lead across the major project task areas (e.g., integrated systems operations, maintenance and enhancement; technology support for monitoring and review scheduling; technology support for monitoring report development and quality control; national support for review team management and deployment; technology support for data and management analytics; technology support for monitoring tool integration; technology support for Classroom Assessment Scoring system; and innovation and special projects).
• Cultivate Agile principles and help build and maintain a positive, trusting, and cooperative working relationships with the Government.
• Coordinate with OHS stakeholders to ensure alignment of project work with user needs and business goals.
• Develop, maintain, and update the product roadmap, product backlog, and prioritization of product features and capabilities.
• Adhere to modern product development and design best practices.
• Manage resourcing and burn-down chart(s) to maintain overall project delivery.
• Manage project schedule, performance, risks, compliance, and reporting.
  
  

Product Management, Development And Technical Oversight:

• Facilitate technological integration and the development and implementation of technological systems that enhance the quality of data collection and reporting.
• Lead and manage OHS's Aligned Monitoring System 2.0 Digital Services (IT-AMS) platform design, development, testing, and operations project team, ensuring timely and efficient delivery of all project components.
• Ensure the successful integration and operations of IT-AMS with other OHS systems, such as the Office of Head Start Enterprise System (HSES), TA Hub, and regional monitoring systems.
• Oversee the production of on-demand data analytics, including monitoring reports, data trends analysis, reviewer competency, training statistics, risk analysis, user issues, and system failures.
• Represent user needs and align work with overall product vision and end user goals.
• Manage accessibility and usability aspects of product development in relation to the creation of epics and users stories to guide the work to meet user needs.
• Maintain accountability for technical aspects of navigating the ATO process, including preparing the Security Assessment and Authorization (SA&A) packages.
• Conduct and assist in the assessment of the security controls and updated the Security Assessment Plan Report (SAP/SAR) at least annually; update the Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M); and help mitigate the risks in the POA&M.
• Facilitate regular and open communication between OHS and the project team, involving users in the design of all solutions.
• Deliver customer value iteratively and pivot quickly based on a continuous learning environment.
• Be comfortable and able to use prototypes and working software as tools to test hypothesis and validate assumptions.
• Manage the maintenance of existing applications while iteratively improving the software using user-centered research and design principles and methodologies.
• Maintain an end-to-end change management service for the IT-AMS and related processes.
  
  

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, or a related field; Master's degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in product management and change management with a focus on IT systems design, development and maintenance.
• Proven experience in product management, back-end engineering, front end engineering, data analytics, security and operations (DevSecOps) engineering, user research, content design, visual/user interface design, user support and training.
• Demonstrated experience in using best practices of modern software development especially in Java ecosystem, React, XML, Postgres, Azure Ingress and Egress, RESTful APIs, Azure cloud, SQL, MongoBD, Apache web/Tomcat, Tableau, UI/UX design and development, Sendgrid, and SSL Gateway.
• Demonstrated experience in managing the ATO process and mitigating the risks in the POA&M is critical. A good understanding of information security categorization is important.
• Proven ability to supervise a project team, collaborate with staff to get a job done, and cultivate team spirit and synergy.
• Strong understanding of Agile methodologies and user-centered design principles.
• Experience with the Digital Services Playbook (https://playbook.usds.gov/).
• Experience in Generative AI a plus.
• Good technical understanding of web hosting and re-hosting, infrastructure support, communication, network interfaces, and data backup and recovery.
• Ability to manage risks, resolve issues, and ensure project success.
• Familiarity with federal regulations and compliance requirements related to IT systems and data management.
• Must be able to demonstrate ability to communicate risks, obstacles or issues as early as possible.
• Must be able to demonstrate experience of coordination and collaboration with stakeholders to ensure alignment of product work with user needs and business goals of the organization.
• Preference given to candidates with experience working within the federal sector, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Administration for Children and Families.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a public trust clearance.
• Preferred Spanish language skills.
  
  

Work Schedule:

• 8-hour shift between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm, Monday - Friday
  
  

Work Location:

• McLean, VA
  
  

Our Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Simple IRA and corporate match
• Paid leave (three weeks)
  
  

More About Potomac Haven:

Potomac Haven is dedicated to enhancing government efficiency and promoting economic growth at the grassroots -- one community at a time. We offer a comprehensive suite of information technology services to support various missions including national security and defense, economic stability, and innovation. We are committed to supporting agencies to align with key national priorities, delivering excellence, and supporting our nation’s goals.