Job Specification

Purpose :

- To plan and lead a complete project or key project element for an enterprise-wide or Cluster-wide project, or to plan and lead several concurrent projects, working in partnership with the stakeholder and partner business areas and relevant external parties.
- To plan and coordinate the development and implementation of individual project management standards, procedures, tools, tracking, reporting, and project management support services.
- To manage project teams and provide guidance and expertise on the use of information technology in client business planning and business improvement initiatives.

Key Responsibilities :

1. Project Development
- Develops the assigned project charter and defines goals, deliverables and scope. Works with clients, internal I&IT specialists, business planners and other stakeholders to ensure terms of reference are clear and accurate.
- Designs project master plans for management approval Develops detailed and integrated project plans to schedule, prioritize, document, monitor and control projects from inception through technical planning to implementation. Establishes priorities, accountabilities and deliverables; schedules work; devises and implements project progress milestones and performance assessment criteria and metrics.
- Ensures fiscal control and accountability for project budgets and provides budget reporting, and identifies, costs and recommends financial, human, materials and time resources required.
2. Project Management
- Provides leadership to project teams, external service providers and contractors; plans, coordinates and assigns work, establishes priorities, monitors performance, provides technical expertise and skills enhancement.
- Anticipates and troubleshoots issues, provides ongoing expertise, resolves problems, and improves project effectiveness.
- Leads and coordinates project monitoring, tracking and assessment to ensure the effective use of human, technical and financial resources, adherence to technical standards, and compliance with corporate I&IT requirements and strategies.
- Provides change management by acting strategically to overcome resistance to change; exercises risk management by providing recommendations based on an evaluation of risk and an understanding of business implications of risk.
3. Advice and Expertise
- Provides specialized advice and expertise to client groups on the use and cost-benefits of information technology in business planning, and provides expertise for the development of business cases and MB20s.
- Participates in I&IT procurement to acquire and negotiate goods and services by providing expertise and/or administering contractual agreements.

Knowledge / Skill :

Knowledge of and skills in:
- Project planning and control methods, techniques, tools, standards, current software, best practices, project life cycle methodologies, standards and policies, to plan, lead, coordinate, control and integrate assigned projects.
- Project management, including planning, estimating, scheduling, measuring, monitoring, controlling and reporting, to manage assigned projects effectively.
- Financial and controllership management to develop and manage project budgets; change management in order to proactively and strategically manage the human factors associated with change.
- OPS, Ministry and Branch I&IT strategies, plans, standards and directives, to ensure project compliance.
- Project-relevant state of the art multi-platform I&IT technology; I&IT technology development, implementation, and operations management and security; and emerging technologies, in order to assess client needs, lead projects, and expertise.
- Corporate I&IT development operations and objectives, and related I&IT solutions to define effective project scope, approaches and establish deliverables and performance metrics.
- Problem-solving techniques, to provide technical and operational expertise and guidance to project staff.
- Diverse client operations, business functions, programs and processes and objectives, and related I&IT solutions (e.g. common networks), to define effective project scope and approaches, develop project plans, and assess amd advise on I&IT options.
- Operational planning and development to implement and monitor operational project management policies and procedures.
- Knowledge of OPS procurement and tendering policies and processes, to participate in acquiring, negotiating goods and services, and/or to administer contractual agreements.
- Written and oral communication techniques, to prepare and present project reports, including business cases and MB20 submissions, project plans, status reports and planning documents; and draft standardized project management processes.

Interpersonal / Influencing Skill :

- Communication, consultation, negotiation and mediation skills, to determine client requirements, make presentations, prepare proposals, business cases and tenders and write procedures, resolve conflicts, develop and sustain effective working relationships.
- Persuasion, advisory, and relationship management skills, to explain to project stakeholders, including project managers, planners, coordinators, committees and client groups, the risks and benefits of specific solutions, tools and approaches, and to recommend specific courses of action.
- Team building and leadership skills in order to engage the project team and ensure collaboration and focus on achieving project deliverables.

Analyzing / Problem Solving Skill :

- Analytical and problem-solving skills to:
- Identify optimal I&IT approaches and solutions to meet client needs and program requirements, and provide technical requirements for planning documents and submissions that will best facilitate senior level decision- making.
- Evaluate and define project management requirements, identify options, make recommendations, coordinate and implement processes for diverse projects and project components.
- Plan, coordinate and control all phases of assigned projects, including estimating priorities, scheduling, determining and selecting project resource requirements, assessing and mitigating risks, issues and constraints, recommending action plans and ensuring contingencies are in place.
- Identify I&IT technical, operational or other issues, conduct analyses, and determine most appropriate course of action to resolve them.
- Provide expertise and advice to clients on the use of information technology in business planning.

Decision Making / Responsibility :

Responsible for:
- Leading, coordinating, controlling and monitoring all phases and technical aspects of assigned projects (e.g. priorities and schedules; resource requirements; risks, constraints and contingencies; performance metrics).
- Preparing and managing project budgets, determining allocation and use of resources, recommending assignment of resources, and ensuring optimal use of resources.
- Coordinating and evaluating progress for assigned projects.
- Identifying and assessing technical and operational issues and risks, identifying options, and recommending the optimal most appropriate solution.
- Ensuring compliance with OPS and I&IT management direction and strategies, client needs and business requirements, technology standards.
- Providing technical direction and supervision of assigned project team members, including prioritizing, scheduling, assigning, and monitoring work.
Has latitude to make recommendations on the development of new processes, personnel training and educational tools.
Decisions are guided by OPS, Cluster and Ministry guidelines governing I&IT technology architecture; project management best practices, templates and standards; and corporate and Ministry procedures governing the preparation of planning documents and other submissions.

Contacts / Stakeholder :

- Project stakeholders, Ministry client managers and Cluster staff, to provide advice and guidance on projects.
- Cluster managers and staff, project managers, partners, program leads, client managers and staff, to resolve issues and negotiate changes, provide project status information, technical guidance, assistance and advice, and manage expectations concerning general and specific project management issues.
- I&IT professionals, to keep abreast of related trends and developments in the field.
- I&IT vendors to exchange information, and manage their performance against contractual expectations.
- Peers, committee and sub-committee members to discuss/define project deliverables.

Guidance / Supervision :

- Provides expertise, guidance and leadership on technical matters, processes, standards and problem resolution to project leaders, staff and partners.
- Provides consultative guidance and assistance to client program managers on the use of technology in client business planning.
- Coordinates the work of project staff including field testing, coordinating deliverables, resolves issues across groups.

Demands / Pressures :

Work Demands :

- Frequent unexpected work demands and tight time pressures, and control over pace of work.
- Occasional changes to deadlines on short notice.

Mental / Sensory :

- Frequent periods of concentrated listening during information sessions/meetings with stakeholders..
- Frequent periods of concentrated reading to analyze, document and map diverse business processes.

Conditions / Environment :

Work is performed in a typical office environment.