Project Coordinator - Public Service Coordinator I

STATE OF MAINE PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICE

Opening Date: September 20, 2024

Closing Date:  October 4, 2024

Job Class Code: CA28
Grade: 28
Salary: $66,206.40 - $94,057.60/Annually
Position Number: 015104848

Hybrid Work Opportunity – This position is a hybrid remote/onsite position. The onsite location is in Augusta, Maine and the remote location must be within the state of Maine.

OVERVIEW:

The State of Maine Project Management Office is seeking a talented individual to join our growing, dynamic, and collaborative team. Are you detail oriented, great at building relationships and interested in working in a supportive environment at the forefront of Government Innovation? If so, we would love to talk to you.

We recognize that quality project initiation is critical to the success of projects and initiatives. We are seeking a candidate with a strong Project Coordination background, strong facilitation and communications skills to support and improve our project initiation process and frameworks.

You’ll also have opportunities to manage an array of smaller projects to completion and collaborate with our transformation and portfolio teams.

The Maine PMO has a supportive culture of innovation, creativity and exploration and we are excited about growing our team.

ABOUT THE JOB DETAILS: 

The primary purpose of this position will be to proactively drive, manage and maintain cooperative, productive partnerships on current project/deliverables and the coordination of policy initiatives. This position executes specific actions to be taken to achieve policy and program goals. Responsibilities will include managing  and coordinating resources of both contracted and state employees, executing tasks to facilitate change and act as a catalyst for change within the organization, as well as adapts to changes imposed by others, coordinate and organize the activities of the project team, prioritize tasks to meet deliverables and commitments on time, ensure that project member’s time and experience is well utilized, recommend alternatives/options to minimize any schedule delay, collaborate with others using their project experience/knowledge and works with others to help build project management, collaborate with State of Maine agencies to execute and coordinate plans-based policies, proposals, frameworks and methods.

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Project Coordination:

• Plan and direct resources on assigned projects and ensure clarity of project roles and responsibilities.
• Manage assigned projects and ensure that documentation is complete and current, and results are delivered within established timeframes and quality measures.
• Develop and implement communication and report mechanisms to manage issues, risks and timely delivery of initiative results.
• Oversee business requirements to meet expected business solutions and trace delivery of requirements through testing and final implementation.
• Consult with Business Leaders to translate a project idea into a defined project with goals, objectives and scope.
• Manage project quality by conducting reviews, obtaining approvals, and taking corrective action when necessary.
• Ensure business needs and objectives are effectively captured, documented, evaluated and approved to meet expected business solutions.

Leadership:

This position will be responsible for several small to mid-sized concurrent projects spanning multiple Agencies, Offices, and teams, from impact assessment through to implementation, using defined project methodologies such as Agile, and requires the use of professional judgement, initiative, and discretion. Project Coordinators are empowered to make decisions involving escalation of issues, identification of risks, executing mitigation strategies, and appropriate communications at all levels of State Government.

Perferred Skills:

• Knowledge and experience creating functional execution models to further strategic policies and plans involving multiple stakeholders
• Knowledge/understanding of the PM methodology and the ability to understand/operate standard SDLC methodologies
• Having an understanding of government organization is preferred
• Ability to work effectively in a business and technical environment
• Effective use of technical project management tools
• Initiative and ability to set stretch goals
• Ability to negotiate effectively with project team members on business requirements and timeframes on small to mid-size initiatives
• Ability to rally support among peers and work effectively within challenging situations
• Analytical and problem-solving skills and the ability to balance the need to gather detail with the need to solve the problem
• General management skills including:
  • Conflict resolution and negotiation skills
  • Facilitation and elicitation skills
  • Consultative advisory skills
  • Ability to effectively articulate difficult ideas and concepts through clear and concise verbal and/or written communication
  • Ability to identify and apply different communication mediums based on a content and audience at all levels (both internal and external to Maine gov) to achieve intended goal
  • Proficiency in MS Office 365, knowledge.  Proficiency in project management software such as: MS Project is preferred.

Our team's Project Coordinator supports a broad portfolio of Maine’s strategic initiatives, supporting all sixteen agencies under the Executive Branch. As a member of the Project Management Team, you will have the opportunity to work with a dynamic group of internal/external business and IT partners and be accountable for leading project teams to achieve their deliverable goals on time with a high level of quality.

This position will be responsible for several concurrent projects spanning multiple agencies, offices, and teams, from impact assessment to implementation, using defined project methodologies such as Agile, and requires the use of independent judgement, initiative, and discretion.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• A minimum of 2-5 years combination of related post-secondary education, and project coordination work experience. Project coordination experience within a technology-related field preferred, but not required. Related training, internship experience etc. may be credited as related experience on a month-per-month basis. 

Benefits of working for the State of Maine:

No matter where you work across Maine state government, you find employees who embody our state motto—"Dirigo" or "I lead"—as they provide essential services to Mainers every day. We believe in supporting our workforce's health and wellbeing with a valuable total compensation package, including:

• Work-Life Fit – Rest is essential. Take time for yourself using 13 paid holidays, 12 days of sick leave, and 3+ weeks of vacation leave annually. Vacation leave accrual increases with years of service, and overtime-exempt employees receive personal leave.
• Health Insurance Coverage – The State of Maine pays 85%-95% of employee-only premiums ($11,196.96 - $12,514.32 annual value), depending on salary. Use this chart to find the premium costs for you and your family, including the percentage of dependent coverage paid by the State. 
• Dental Insurance – The State of Maine pays 100% of employee-only dental premiums ($387.92 annual value).
• Retirement Plan – The State contributes the equivalent of 18.09% of the employee's pay towards the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS). 

State employees are eligible for an extensive and highly competitive benefits package, covering many aspects of wellness. Learn about additional wellness benefits for State employees from the Office of Employee Health and Wellness.

Note: Benefits may vary somewhat according to specific collective bargaining agreements and are prorated for anything less than full-time.

There's a job and then there's purposeful, transformative work. Our aim is to create a workplace where you can learn, grow, and continuously refine your skills. Applicants demonstrate job requirements in differing ways, and we appreciate that many skills and backgrounds can make people successful in this role. 

As an Equal Opportunity employer, Maine State Government embraces a culture of respect and awareness. We are committed to creating a strong sense of belonging for all team members, and our process ensures an inclusive environment to applicants of all backgrounds including diverse race, color, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, familial status or genetics. 

If you’re looking for a great next step, and want to feel good about what you do, we’d love to hear from you. Please note reasonable accommodations are provided to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.

Thinking about applying?

Research shows that people from historically excluded communities tend to apply to jobs only when they check every box in the posting. If you’re currently reading this and hesitating to apply for that reason, we encourage you to go for it! Let us know how your lived experience and passion set you apart.