Director, Project Management Unit

Official Title: Program Manager VI

Primary Location: United States-Massachusetts-Boston-100 Cambridge Street

Job: Management

Agency: Department of Housing & Community Development

Schedule: Full-time

Shift: Day

Job Posting: Jun 18, 2018, 4:11:34 PM

Number of Openings: 1

Salary: $41,017.08 - $92,000.00 Yearly

Bargaining Unit: M99-Managers (EXE)

Confidential: No

The Director of the Project Management Unit (PMU) is senior level manager within the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), Division of Public Housing, Bureau of Housing Development and Construction (BHDC). The Director manages and is responsible for the work of the Project Management Unit, serves as the primary DHCD contact and manager for the Regional Capital Assistant Team (RCAT) Program, and through this role is also responsible, along with the Director of BHDC, for the fiscal management of the capital spending program.

The Director oversees the work of the Project Management Unit (PMU), which includes 2 supervisors and 6 project managers (PMs) who provide support to local housing authorities (LHA) in the planning, design and construction of capital improvement projects funded in whole or in part by DHCD at state-supported public housing throughout the Commonwealth.  He/she ensures that PMs work with LHAs to keep each project within its scope, schedule and budget or follows approved schedule and budget modification protocols, including decisions to reprioritize projects.

DHCD has an expansive capital program disbursing between $90 and $105 million per year, funding up to 1,500 projects at some stage of the pipeline at ~234 Local Housing Authorities (LHAs) across the Commonwealth.  With an estimated deferred maintenance backlog of over $1 billion, needs far outweigh available resources.  The PMU director must ensure that the cap is spent in the most cost-effective manner to effectively maintain the state’s 45,000 public housing units serving low-income families and elderly tenants.

The Director also serves as the program manager for the Regional Capital Assistance Team (RCAT) program, which serves a project management and capital planning role for ~180 smaller LHAs.  The Director serves as DHCD’s primary point of contact for RCAT directors, provides technical assistance for special projects, recommends policy changes to the Bureau Director, and implements DHCD policies.

The preferred candidate has at least 8 years of progressive experience in the management of complex private and public development projects, agencies engaged in development activities, or a role in asset management and capital planning.  An undergraduate degree in planning, architecture, engineering, real estate development, business or public administration or a closely related field is preferred.  A Master's Degree in one of the above noted areas is also desirable.

The incumbent must have the ability to learn about a range of programs, background on the technical and financial aspects of the housing modernization process, and a strong aptitude for forecasting, data analysis, budget management, and long-term capital planning.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (these duties are a general summary and not all inclusive):

1. PMU Management: Oversees the work of PMU, through PM supervisors, for quality, and progress against spending and project completion benchmarks. Creates and oversees rules, guidelines, and trainings to ensure that PMs work with LHAs to assure that each project stays within its scope, schedule and budget or follows approved schedule and budget modification protocols, including decision to reprioritize projects. Provides quality control (spot-check) for PM decision making on project scope/budget changes, and reviews and approves or make recommendations on project scope/budget changes that require escalation to PM director or bureau director level. Overall responsibility for accuracy of database updates by PMs. Reviews PMU performance in approving LHA CIPs. Recommends and implements business changes to maximize staff capacity and ensure substantive review of projects.

2. Capital Management: Actively reviews spending forecasts, funding awards, and project timelines. Supports Bureau Director in setting overall guidelines for capital spending by LHAs in order to advance projects while staying within funding limits.  Supports Bureau Director in updating spending forecasts and makes recommendations on availability of funds to allocate to new projects. Sets guidelines for budget changes that can be approved for PMs, while approving larger budget changes subject to cap availability and providing recommendations on the most significant capital spending decisions to Bureau Director. Implements measures to spend to cap, including identifying priority project and advancing or slowing pace of spending as necessary. Approves or modifies submitted CIPs that violate the guidelines within which a PM can approve them. Works with Bureau Director to set overall parameters for capital planning.

3. RCAT Program Management: Assists LHA and RCATs in using Bureau Programs to access resources and create and implement capital projects quickly and efficiently. Interfaces with RCATs on program guidelines and project management issues, while recommending and implementing program improvements. Provides overall oversight for managing RCAT and RCAT performance. Primary point of contact with RCAT’s for any questions regarding technical assistance or their interactions with DHCD policies and staff. Works with RCAT to implement broader policy objectives, including shared services and procurement reform.  

4. Internal Coordination with BHDC Units: Works with Construction Management Unit (CMU), Architecture/Engineers/Sustainability Unit (AESU), Fiscal Team, and Bureau Director to address problems and policy issues that affect ability of PMU to keep projects on schedule, on scope, and on-budget, the ability of the Bureau to utilize cap, and the ability of LHAs to meet spending benchmarks. Recommends and oversees business process change and attendant report development and workflow planning. Participates in development and implementation of systems supporting workflow, including rollout over next 2 years of a new web-based project management system.

5. Policy Development: Provides expert advice to Director of BHDC and Associate Director for Public Housing and assists in developing and implementing new award programs, administering special awards, regulations, guidelines, and division business processes.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Expertise in the areas of asset management and capital planning.

2. Excellent analytic, forecasting, and data management skills.

3. Ability to supervise and motivate staff to ensure maximum creativity and productivity.

4. Ability to develop staff capacity through participatory management, personnel evaluation and performance review.

5. Knowledge of management principles and practices, including planning, organizing, directing, staffing, change management, controlling and budgeting.

6. Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.

7. Knowledge of the process and procedure for modernizing existing public units, including budgeting, planning, and design.

8. Skill in complex problem analysis and proactive problem resolution.

9. Ability to work collaboratively with Unit Managers and other agency personnel in order to solve problems.

10. Ability to establish priorities within the Unit and within individual development and modernization projects.

11. Ability to make decisions fairly and consistently and exercise sound judgment.

12. Ability to relate to and be sensitive to the special needs of owners, managers and tenants of all forms of public housing.

13. Negotiation skills.

14. Broad understanding of the technical and legal aspects of development, design and construction.

15. Knowledge of procedures related to public contracting.

16. A minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in the management of complex private and public development projects, agencies engaged in development activities, or a role in asset management and capital planning.  An undergraduate degree in planning, architecture, engineering, real estate development, business or public administration or a closely related field is preferred.  A Master's Degree in one of the above noted areas is also desirable.

MISSION STATEMENT:

Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is within Housing and Economic Development Secretariat and its work touches the lives of all Massachusetts residents.  DHCD's mission is to strengthen cities, towns and neighborhoods to enhance the quality of life of Massachusetts residents by providing leadership, professional assistance and financial resources to promote safe, decent affordable housing opportunities, economic vitality of communities and sound municipal management.

COMMENTS:

Please upload cover letter and resume when applying for this position.

Salary placement is determined by years of experience and education directly related to the position and the Human Resources Division’s Recruiting Guidelines.

Education, licensure and certifications will be verified in accordance with the Human Resources Division’s Hiring Guidelines.  Education and license/certification information provided by the selected candidate(s) is subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law and may be published on the Commonwealth’s website.

SALARY RANGE: $41,017.08 to $92,000.00

PRE-OFFER PROCESS:

A background check will be completed on the recommended candidate as required by the regulations set forth by the Human Resources Division prior to the candidate being hired.

QUALIFICATIONS

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Applicants must have at least (A) five (5) years of full-time or, equivalent part-time, professional, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in business administration, business management, public administration, public management, clinical administration or clinical management of which (B) at least one (1) year must have been in a project management, supervisory or managerial capacity or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and substitutions below.

Substitutions:

I. A certificate in a relevant or related field may be substituted for one (1) year of the required (A) experience.

II. A Bachelor’s degree in a related field may be substituted for two (2) years of the required (A) experience.

III. A Graduate degree in a related field may be substituted for three (3) years of the required (A) experience.

IV. A Doctorate degree in a related field may be substituted for four (4) years of the required (A) experience.

If you have Diversity, Affirmative Action or Equal Employment Opportunity questions or need a Reasonable Accommodation, please contact Diversity Officer / ADA Coordinator: Nancy DePaul - 617-573-1100

An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer.  Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.