Project manager

We are seeking a highly organized and collaborative Project Manager to lead the planning, coordination, and successful delivery of technology initiatives that support the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Children’s Bureau. In this role, you will drive projects focused on enhancing APD lifecycle management and strengthening engagement processes with State and Tribal partners. Serving as a key liaison between business and technical stakeholders, you will oversee project schedules, milestones, risks, and dependencies while coordinating closely with the ACF Tech PMO to ensure seamless execution. The ideal candidate is a proactive leader with strong stakeholder management skills who can facilitate collaboration, build consensus, and deliver innovative solutions that align with program priorities and advance mission-critical objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead planning, coordination, and delivery of technology initiatives that improve APD lifecycle management and State and Tribal engagement processes.
• Manage project schedules, milestones, risks, issues, dependencies, and status reporting to support successful delivery.
• Serve as the day-to-day coordination point with the ACF Tech PMO, including meeting cadence, environment and access requests, and action tracking across weekly technical check-ins.
• Facilitate stakeholder engagement activities, including requirements workshops, interviews, working sessions, and solution reviews with Children’s Bureau staff, contractors, and State and Tribal partners.
• Build consensus across business and technical stakeholders and ensure alignment on priorities and deliverables.
• Analyze business processes and define requirements for workflow automation, document management, tracking, reporting, and stakeholder relationship management solutions.
• Develop and maintain user stories, business requirements, process models, use cases, acceptance criteria, and traceability artifacts.
• Collaborate with technical teams throughout the system development lifecycle to ensure solutions align with business objectives, support operational efficiencies, and address stakeholder needs.
• Provide guidance on backlog priorities, solution options, and implementation approaches.
• Lead User Acceptance Testing activities, including test planning, test case development, test execution, defect management, and validation of business requirements.
• Ensure delivered capabilities meet user needs and support operational readiness and user adoption.
• Support Agile delivery and continuous improvement efforts by participating in sprint planning, backlog refinement, solution demonstrations, release planning, and implementation activities.
• Identify opportunities to streamline processes and enhance system performance and stakeholder experience.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Business, Public Administration, Project Management, or a related field.
• Eligibility to obtain and maintain a federal Public Trust clearance. Day-to-day work occurs within a federal (ACF) technology environment.
• 5+ years of experience managing or leading IT projects, business analysis activities, or system implementation initiatives.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting federal health and human services programs, particularly ACF, the Children’s Bureau, or related organizations.
• Knowledge of child welfare information systems, federal APD processes, CCWIS, or State and Tribal technology initiatives.
• Experience delivering custom applications in cloud environments (AWS preferred), including AI-assisted or human-in-the-loop review workflows and phased federal security authorization (ATO) processes.

Professional Skills

• Strong leadership, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to connect business objectives to technology solutions.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality results in a client-facing environment.
• Demonstrated experience gathering and managing business requirements, facilitating stakeholder discussions, and translating business needs into system solutions.
• Experience leading User Acceptance Testing and supporting software delivery using Agile methodologies.
• Experience developing project plans, managing risks and issues, and coordinating cross-functional teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting to senior stakeholders and facilitating decision-making discussions.

Bot and Third-Party Applications

Please note that this application must be submitted directly by the applicant for consideration. Failure to do so may result in the application being excluded for consideration. Applicants needing an accommodation for disability or religious purposes in connection with the application process should contact Candidateaccommodation@icf.com for assistance.

Working at ICF

ICF is a global advisory and technology services provider, but we’re not your typical consultants. We combine unmatched expertise with cutting-edge technology to help clients solve their most complex challenges, navigate change, and shape the future.

We can only solve the world's toughest challenges by building a workplace that allows everyone to thrive. We are an equal opportunity employer. Together, our employees are empowered to share their expertise and collaborate with others to achieve personal and professional goals. For more information, please read our EEO policy.

We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Reasonable Accommodations are available, including, but not limited to, for disabled veterans, individuals with disabilities, and individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs, in all phases of the application and employment process. To request an accommodation, please email Candidateaccommodation@icf.com and we will be happy to assist. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.

Read more about workplace discrimination rights or our benefit offerings which are included in the Transparency in (Benefits) Coverage Act.

Candidate AI Usage Policy

At ICF, we are committed to ensuring a fair interview process for all candidates based on their own skills and knowledge. As part of this commitment, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to generate or assist with responses during interviews (whether in-person or virtual) is not permitted. This policy is in place to maintain the integrity and authenticity of the interview process.

However, we understand that some candidates may require accommodation that involves the use of AI. If such an accommodation is needed, candidates are instructed to contact us in advance at candidateaccommodation@icf.com. We are dedicated to providing the necessary support to ensure that all candidates have an equal opportunity to succeed.