Executive Project Director

A best-in-class city that attracts best-in-class talent, Philadelphia is an incredible place to build a career. From our thriving arts scene and rich history to our culture of passion and grit, there are countless reasons to love living and working here. With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia offers boundless opportunities to make an impact.

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What we offer

• Impact - The work you do here matters to millions. 
• Growth - Philadelphia is growing, why not grow with it? 
• Diversity & Inclusion - Find a career in a place where everyone belongs.
• Benefits - We care about your well-being.

Agency Description

The Department of Revenue collects over $6 billion dollars from hundreds of thousands of taxpayers to support the School District of Philadelphia and City services and provides over $100 million in tax relief to a quarter million households.  The Department of Revenue’s Water Revenue Bureau (WRB) provides all billing and collection functions for water and sewer charges, collecting almost $800 million dollars annually. The collection efforts ensure that the Philadelphia Water Department has the financial resources needed to provide reliable, high-quality water to Philadelphia residents, businesses, and communities. WRB has begun the project to replace its existing legacy billing solution, several smaller ancillary systems, and data warehouses. WRB is seeking an Executive Project Director to oversee the customer information system (CIS) modernization effort. This effort will be a large-scale, multi-year, complex project, which will require substantial business process redesign and change management to be successful.  

The Executive Project Director will work collaboratively with the steering committee, subject matter experts, vendor(s), and other stakeholders to facilitate the replacement of the legacy water billing solution with a modernized CIS. This system will integrate with other City systems, improve operational efficiency, expand and improve the self-service options available to water customers.  

Position Summary

This position will be the lead role on the project team, overseeing the Senior Project Manager, Change Manager, Training Manager, and Vendor Project Team, as well as part of the Revenue’s governance team directing the modernization project.  

The Executive Project Director is responsible for overall management of the project. This position, under the direction of the Revenue Commissioner and Deputy Revenue Commissioner for Water, will lead a project team of 15-25 internal staff and interface with vendor staff responsible for the implementation and continuing support of the new system, consisting of multiple phases of Design and Configuration Development, System Testing, User Acceptance Testing, Training/Cutover, and Production Support. 

Essential Functions

Project Management 

• Responsibility for leading all aspects of the project over the entire life cycle (initiate, plan, execute, control, close) in multiple phases 
• Ensures the project is delivered on time, within scope, within budget, and realizes defined project goals 
• Ensures adherence to quality standards and assures deliverables match designs 
• Ensure compatibility and consistency with existing architectural and enterprise standards, working closely with the Office of Innovation and Technology (OIT) 

Leadership Skills 

• Analyzes complex business processes and leads process changes to implement best practices, realize operational efficiencies, and optimize system capabilities 
• Works with Revenue management to determine interim and final operational models 
• Perform cost/benefit analysis of actions and initiatives 
• Utilize appropriate tools, track project milestones and deliverables, and estimate the resources and participants needed to achieve project goals  
• Prepares timely and concise status reports and/or dashboards for presentation to mid and senior level management  
• Provides strategic guidance to help resolve issues and meet project goals 
• Make timely decisions regarding the project within the defined and approved scope, timeline, and resource constraints approved by the Revenue Commissioner and Steering Committee 
• Facilitates decision-making and issue resolution in partnership with the Steering Committee and Revenue Commissioner, particularly those related to scope, budget, and required resources 

Communication 

• Proactively communicates to Steering Committee, project team members and participants, and internal and external stakeholders 
• Builds and maintains positive, collaborative relationships across organizations within Revenue and with other external stakeholders 
• Consults with clients, staff, and stakeholders to resolve issues; organize, facilitate, and participate in meetings of stakeholder groups to identify needs and build consensus and collaboration; assist in clarifying expected outcomes and managing expectations; provide direction and support to project team 
• Leads Organization Change Management (OCM) effort including planned communications and interactions with bargaining units, other City Departments, and external stakeholders 
• Ensure effective communication between technical and non-technical functions 

Vendor Management 

• Leads contract negotiation with potential vendors 
• Oversee vendor activities and contract(s) including, holding vendor accountable for meeting timelines, milestones, and quality 
• Administrative management 
• Provides oversight of stakeholder tasks to ensure readiness for implementation 
• Manages Revenue project team and resources 
• Approves project milestones and invoices 
• Prepares and gives presentations 

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strategic mindset 
• Strong leadership expertise 
• Technical knowledge of modern utility collection practices and systems 
• Effective organizational and interpersonal skills 
• Demonstrated customer focus – evaluates decisions through the eyes of the customer  
• Excellent team player – collaborates well with others to solve problems and actively incorporates input from various sources 
• Deep operational experience with state or large municipal utilities 
• Strong technical knowledge of modern COTS Integrated Billing Systems 
• Understanding of broad-based technology in multiple business applications and environments 
• Knowledge and understanding with expertise in one or more of the following modules: customer data, billing, customer care, payment processing, and data transfer 
• Understanding of, and ability to navigate in, large and complex organizations and work effectively across organizational boundaries 
• Ability to translate complex technical and specialized business concepts between audiences of different knowledge levels 

• Master’s degree in Accounting, Business or Public Administration, Cybersecurity, Management Information Systems, Computer Science or Information Technology or related field preferred, or Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business or Public Administration, Cybersecurity, Computer Science or Information Technology, Management Information Systems or related field 
• A minimum of 5 years of experience as a divisional manager or IT systems consultant in a lead role for a large organization or division involved in the collection of revenues 
• Project Management Professional (PMP)® or master’s Certificate in Project Management, highly desirable 
• Certified Public Utility Manager (CPUM) or Certified Water Professional (CWP), highly desirable 
• Previous full life-cycle management of large and complex municipal or government IT projects including one or more Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) Integrated System implementation projects in a state or large municipal utility 
• Experience with managing large-scale organizational change 
• Strong preference for experience in state or local government 
• Experience managing staff and contractors 
• Any equivalent combination of education and experience will be determined acceptable by the Department of Revenue  

TO APPLY: Interested candidates must submit a resume.

Salary: $147,349

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• Transportation: City employees get unlimited FREE public transportation all year long through SEPTA’s Key Advantage program. Employees can ride on SEPTA buses, subways, trolleys, and regional rail for their daily commute and more.
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• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
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Join the City of Philadelphia team today and seize these incredible benefits designed to enhance your financial well-being and personal growth!

*The successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire

Effective May 22, 2023, vaccinations are no longer required for new employees that work in non-medical, non-emergency or patient facing positions with the City of Philadelphia. As a result, only employees in positions providing services that  are patient-facing medical care (ex: Nurses, doctors, emergency medical personnel), must be fully vaccinated.

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to [email protected].

For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx