Innovation Project Manager II

The Innovation Project Manager creates customer-focused pilots to deliver products and services that meet communities’ transportation needs. This position is responsible for developing and implementing innovative transportation solutions to meet local mobility needs and provide an exceptional end-to-end customer experience. The ideal candidate is customer-focused, innovative, highly organized, forward-looking, and be able to deliver multiple priorities on-time and budget.

1. Works with people in local communities to develop insights on travel needs. Develops and facilitates community engagement process to understand opportunities for new services.
2. Leverages insights to develop new service product ideas, and optimize the product throughout the product lifecycle.
3. Accountable for the new product development process and post-launch performance ensuring an exceptional customer experience.
4. Communicates information on strategies, policies, and risks related to product development to project teams and executive leadership boards.
5. Finds product market fit by understanding our customers, our brand, and the competitive landscape. Identifies customer personas and ensures products meet their needs.
6. Stays aware of new trends to help agency stay up-to-date on advancements.
7. Acts as a project manager to ensure product is delivering according to goals, scope, budget, and schedule.
8. Manages vendors during product development and post-launch, and oversees complete procurement process.

Minimum Qualifications

1. Five years of experience in product development, procurement and implementation of projects.
2. Five years of experience in project management.
3. Three years of experience delivering on key customer needs with a strong customer focus.
4. Three years of experience working in a matrixed organization to deliver results.
5. Proven ability to develop product and marketing strategies and effectively communicate recommendations to executive management.

Preferred

1. Knowledge and/or experience with wide range of alternative travel options and concepts.

Entry Requirements for: Knowledge and Skills

Qualification to enter this position requires knowledge of the following:

1. Program and project management skills that involve developing and implementing services to the public, including operational principles and outreach.
2. Project management, including budget development, risk identification, scope, schedule, communication plan, and budget.
3. Practices and processes for providing an exceptional customer experience including: customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
4. Identification of new market and partnership opportunities; partnership development and negotiation.
5. Survey design, analysis, and evaluation.
6. Problem solving, follow up, and continuous improvement.
7. Vendor management including contract development and review, performance management and financial management.
8. Common budgetary practices.
9. Contract administration.
10. Understanding of governmental workings, political savvy.

Qualification to enter this position requires skill in:

1. Developing and implementing short and mid-range projects, including detailed planning processes.
2. Project management and ability to integrate new technologies.
3. Procuring and managing vendors – preparing contract, scope of work and budget estimates for comprehensive vendor proposal requests.
4. Self-motivation, leadership, team work, management, planning, problem solving, negotiating and influencing.
5. Critical thinking to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternate solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

6. Maintaining objectivity.
7. Managing multiple tasks simultaneously and effectively.
8. Manage budgets and other financial matters.
9. Excellent writing and oral presentation skills.
10. Facilitating diverse groups of stakeholders and interests, and developing and attaining consensus. Includes various levels of local governments and the public.
11. Conflict management and resolution.
12. Create and deliver dynamic presentations through excellent verbal, written communication and presentation skills.
13. Computer operation and software utilization (MS Office) in support of programs and projects.
14. Developing and maintaining effective working relationships with teams/employees, supervisors, managers, Board members and the general public.
15. Communication, facilitation and interpersonal relations as applied to interaction with coworkers, supervisor, vendors, regional partners, the general public, etc., sufficient to exchange or convey information and to receive work direction.