Strategic Project Manager

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Strategic Project Manager to lead a large-scale modernization initiative for the Colorado Judicial Branch. This individual will oversee the replacement of the legacy probation case management system used across Colorado's 23 judicial districts. The ideal candidate will bring extensive experience managing complex technology implementations, driving stakeholder engagement, leading organizational change, and delivering enterprise-wide system transformations.

This role requires collaboration with executive leadership, judicial stakeholders, probation departments, technology teams, vendors, and partner agencies to ensure the successful delivery of a statewide case management solution.

Key Responsibilities

Project Leadership

• Lead the full project lifecycle, including requirements gathering, procurement, solution design, development, testing, deployment, and system retirement.
• Develop and manage project schedules, budgets, scope, and benefits realization plans.
• Establish project governance frameworks and ensure successful execution of project objectives.
• Drive timely decision-making and issue resolution throughout the project lifecycle.

Stakeholder & Governance Management

• Partner with executive leadership, judges, court staff, probation officers, and partner agencies.
• Facilitate governance meetings, executive briefings, and stakeholder communications.
• Build consensus among diverse stakeholder groups and manage competing priorities.
• Support executive decision-making through clear reporting and recommendations.

Vendor & Procurement Management

• Support vendor solicitation, evaluation, and selection processes.
• Manage vendor performance, deliverables, timelines, and quality expectations.
• Coordinate efforts across multiple vendors and internal teams.

Compliance & Business Alignment

• Ensure system requirements align with relevant policies, regulations, and operational standards.
• Coordinate with legal, policy, and business stakeholders to support reporting and operational needs.
• Maintain alignment between business objectives and technology solutions.

Change Management & User Adoption

• Lead organizational change management activities.
• Develop and execute communication, training, and adoption strategies.
• Conduct stakeholder outreach, user workshops, and feedback sessions.
• Support statewide rollout activities and post-implementation adoption.

Risk & Quality Management

• Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks and issues.
• Develop cutover and transition plans to ensure continuity of operations.
• Monitor project performance and report status to leadership.
• Ensure successful delivery of quality outcomes and measurable business value.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Project Management, Information Systems, Business Administration, Public Administration, Criminal Justice, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive Project Management experience.
• 5+ years leading large-scale enterprise technology implementation projects.
• Experience managing multi-year programs involving multiple vendors and stakeholder groups.
• Strong experience with enterprise system replacement initiatives.
• Experience leading data migration efforts and organizational change management programs.
• Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, schedules, scope, risks, and project governance.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to successfully pass a criminal background check.

Preferred Qualifications

• PMP, PgMP, or equivalent Project Management certification.
• Agile and Change Management certifications.
• Experience with both Agile and Waterfall project delivery methodologies.
• Experience managing public sector, government, judicial, or criminal justice technology projects.
• Experience implementing case management, court management, probation, parole, or corrections systems.
• Experience with SaaS and COTS platform implementations.
• Experience supporting geographically distributed user communities.

Required Skills

• Strategic Project Management
• Program Management
• Enterprise Technology Implementations
• Stakeholder Management
• Executive Communication
• Governance & Reporting
• Vendor Management
• Data Migration
• Organizational Change Management
• Risk & Issue Management
• Agile & Waterfall Methodologies
• Business Process Analysis
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Microsoft Office Suite

Work Location & Travel

• Hybrid role based in Denver, Colorado.
• Candidates must be local to the Denver area.
• Expected onsite presence approximately once per week.
• Periodic travel within Colorado may be required to support training, implementation, and rollout activities.
• Occasional after-hours support may be required during critical project milestones and go-live events.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a senior-level Project Manager with a proven track record of leading enterprise-wide technology transformation initiatives. They will possess strong leadership, communication, governance, and stakeholder management skills, along with experience delivering complex system implementations involving multiple business units, vendors, and executive stakeholders.