IT Project Manager Senior (Austin Water)

City of Austin•Austin, TX

8d•$97,450 - $125,200•Hybrid

About The Position

JOIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN TEAM At the City of Austin, we are more than just an employer—we are a vibrant community dedicated to shaping one of the nation's most dynamic and innovative cities. As we strive to fulfill our commitment as public servants, it is important that we ground our efforts in a set of guiding principles – Empathy, Ethics, Excellence, Engagement, and Equity – anchors in delivering services that significantly impact the lives of Austinites. Joining the City of Austin means embarking on a purposeful career, contributing to the community, and being part of a forward-thinking organization that values every employee. What Makes the City of Austin Special? Make a Difference: Join a team driving meaningful change in one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation. Value and Innovation : Work in an environment where employees are valued and innovation thrives. Competitive Benefits: Enjoy a comprehensive compensation package that includes generous leave, work-life balance programs, and extensive benefits. Retirement Security: Plan for the future with the City of Austin Employees' Retirement System. Sustainable Transportation Options: Commute easily with access to public transit and bike-friendly infrastructure. Focus on Wellness: Stay healthy through wellness programs, on-site fitness centers, and mental health support. Career Growth: Advance your skills and expertise with professional development and leadership opportunities. Modern Workspaces: Work in innovative and sustainable environments that foster collaboration and inspiration. By joining us, you become part of a community that values its people and is committed to making Austin the most thriving and resilient city in the country. ABOUT AUSTIN WATER: For over 100 years, Austin Water has been committed to providing safe, reliable, high-quality, and affordable water services to our customers. Today, we serve over 1,000,000 people in the Austin metropolitan area, across more than 548 square miles. As one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, we’re not just keeping up—we’re leading the way with sustainable infrastructure, advanced treatment technology, and environmental innovation. Austin Water consistently ranks among the best in the country when it comes to water quality. We also treat, return, and recycle wastewater in ways that protect environmental resources. Austin Water exceeds federal and state requirements for clean water and environmental compliance at our water and wastewater treatment plants. Job Description: IT Project Manager Senior Purpose: Under minimal supervision, this position is responsible for successful completion of large, long-range, or multiple highly-complex information technology (IT) projects at the corporate level, through matrix management, to meet schedule, budget, and quality needs of the City. Position Overview: Under minimal supervision, the IT Project Manager Senior leads medium to large, long‑range, or multiple highly complex IT projects at the enterprise level through matrix management, ensuring delivery that meets or exceeds schedule, budget, and quality expectations. This role drives utility‑wide initiatives across a broad spectrum of disciplines, including applications, data services, infrastructure, networking, SaaS, and GIS. In addition to project leadership, the IT Project Manager Senior may oversee key tactical service responsibilities that enable effective project execution and organizational readiness. These include resource planning and coordination across teams, management of project-related systems, tools, and processes, and contributing to the development of training and skill-building programs for project managers, IT staff, and business stakeholders. The role also supports organizational change management efforts to drive adoption of new technologies and processes and leads knowledge management activities to ensure documentation, standards, and lessons learned are consistently maintained and leveraged across the organization. The ideal candidate brings a deep, hands‑on understanding of project management standards, best practices, tools, and techniques and plays a critical role in coaching and mentoring project managers, IT team members, and business partners to achieve successful project outcomes and continuous improvement.

Requirements

Knowledge of fiscal planning and budget preparation.
Knowledge of information technology project management principles, concepts, and practices.
Knowledge of system development lifecycle used for the development of new systems and enhancements to existing systems.
Knowledge of application programming, database, and system design.
Knowledge of XML and data interfaces.
Knowledge of internet and network architecture.
Knowledge of operating principles and information systems hardware and software.
Skill in using project management software.
Skill in developing process models and data flow diagrams.
Skill in selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new concepts.
Skill in facilitating meetings of diverse stakeholders.
Ability to develop written business requirements and models.
Ability to accurately identify and determine customer needs and take appropriate actions and/or steps to address identified needs.
Ability to recognize, value, and include different perspectives, experiences, approaches, and cultures in achieving organizational goals.
Ability to gain and maintain the trust and confidence of others and the organization through consistency and reliability.
Ability to give, receive, or share thoughts, ideas, perspective, and data to create shared understanding.
Ability to inspire, motivate, and influence others to achieve individual and collective goals.
Ability to make sound decisions in a timely manner that solve issues and stand the test of time.
Ability to recognize, plan, focus upon, and work toward what is most important or critical.
Ability to recognize strengths and areas for improvement in others and to provide opportunities, guidance, and encouragement to build skills and capacity.
Ability to recognize, manage, and resolve conflict efficiently and equitably.
Ability to see a broad view of an issue or challenge across typical organizational lines and beyond the present.
Ability to create, convey, and instill a unified vision and purpose.
Ability to see past the moment and adapt to a rapidly changing environment.
Ability to achieve organizational goals and objectives.
Ability to navigate relationships involving complex, emotional, and/or value-based issues in order to influence and achieve positive results.
Ability to define, analyze, and find solutions for difficult or complex problems.
Ability to view the big picture.
Ability to quickly become familiar with emerging technologies.
Ability to identify trends as well as isolated events.
Graduation with a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in a field related to the job, plus six (6) years of experience in a related field.
Experience may substitute for education for up to four (4) years.
Master's Degree in a related field may substitute for two (2) years of experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams of both IT staff and business staff to establish and meet project goals
Experience with stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution between business needs and technical capabilities, including requirements gathering, testing, and acceptance verification.
Experience using and developing a project management platform such as Wrike or ServiceNow SPM
Experience with development and maintenance of standard project management artifacts such as project charters, RAID logs and RACI diagrams.
Experience with knowledge management
Experience managing enterprise-wide technology projects spanning multiple customers and systems common to utilities such as GIS, asset management, systems integration, work order management, financial management, document management, etc.
Experience applying Agile, Waterfall, and Hybrid methodologies
Experience with MS Azure DevOps backlog and sprint management
Experience with vendor management
Current Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or the ability to obtain one within six (6) months of hire
Current Agile Certified Practitioner certification (PMI-ACP) or the ability to obtain one within six (6) months of hire
Ability to travel to more than one work location

Responsibilities

Directs and manages enterprise/corporate level IT project development from beginning to end, including highly complex or at-risk projects, submitting proposals and recommending subsequent budget, scope, and schedule changes and/or contingency plans where necessary.
Develops project scope, cost estimates, human resource requirements, work plans, time schedules, communication plans, and makes work assignments to meet complex project or program objectives.
Writes Request For Proposals (RFP) for external services and manages contracts and vendor performance, deliverables, and payments.
Develops full-scale complex project plans and associated communications documents; identifies and manages project dependencies and critical path; and tracks and reports on project milestones and deliverables.
Develops written business requirements and models.
Provides leadership in discussions of project management department goals and objectives with IT senior management.
Estimates the resources and participants needed to achieve project goals and, where required, negotiates with other department managers for the acquisition of required personnel from within the City of Austin.
Defines the project success criteria and disseminates them to involved parties throughout the project life cycle.
Effectively communicates project expectations to sponsor team members and stakeholders in a timely and clear fashion, and facilitates project management and project status review meetings.
Develops successful transition, training plans, and recognition for resources on the project team.
May provide leadership, work assignments, evaluation, training, and guidance to others.