Technical Project Consultant

at  Educational Testing Service ETS

JOB DESCRIPTION:

About ETS:
For more than 75 years, we have amplified products and services based rigorous research and our belief in the power of learning. Driven by our mission to advance quality and equity in education, ETS provides learning solutions, pioneering research and trusted assessments that help guide learners around the world on their path to new possibilities.
Our portfolio of trusted measures include TOEFL®, TOEIC®, GRE® and Praxis®. Along with research, development and innovation that explores new frontiers in learning and measurement our educational measurement solutions and research contribute to the development of new methods and tools, inform important dialogue with education policymakers, and shed light on critical issues and potential solutions - all with the aim of creating a world where all learners can improve their lives through education.
With new senior leadership at the helm, ETS aims to continue changing the lives of all learners as we expand our organization’s global footprint. Our goal is to remain at the forefront of assessment and measurement efficacy within the education and ed tech space as it continues to grow and evolve.

POSITION SUMMARY:

Under minimal direction from the Program/Product Relationship Manager (PRM), Manager, Director or Executive Director, the Technical Project Consultant (TPC) is responsible for set up, planning, scheduling and controlling of project/initiative activities to achieve deliverables, performance, cost and time objectives and business benefits for a given scope of work, while using resources efficiently and effectively. The TPC assists their respective management in monitoring the quality of deliverables and staff productivity. This is a hands-on role that is deeply involved in the daily operations, goals, and troubleshooting activities of the department. This role is committed to successful and timely delivery across the organization. The TPC may oversee and coordinate multiple projects and services, manage large-scale, multi-functional projects to completion. The TPC may also be responsible for managing day-to-day operational activities for any system.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

• Excellent project management and organizational skills.Comprehensive knowledge of - and extensive experience in
• 
  
• project management and SDLC methodologies.

• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Access, PowerPoint, Project and Excel) is essential.
• Knowledge of ETS policies and procedures is desired along with the ability to interpret, apply and\or explain policies and procedures.
• Ability to plan, initiates actions, establish and meet deadlines in an individual or team environment to complete projects.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and attention to detail are essential.

EDUCATION, CERTIFICATIONS, OR SPECIAL LICENSES:

Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge and abilities can be acquired is necessary.

RELEVANT YEARS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

This position requires minimum 10+ years of project management, software development management or IT management of progressively responsible technology experience.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

Functional/Technical Acumen:

• Understand relevant technologies and IT-related processes and be able to influence the work being done in the IT organization (e.g. team, group, vendor).
• Keep up with current technology trend and best practices and be able to introduce innovations.
• Know enough about technology to be able to challenge the work being done in the project.
• Understand technology solutions and the teams’ work. Effective management of the work and budget as appropriate for the role.
• Lead, motivate, and set a vision for the project teams.
• Proactively manage the project and the people as it relates to the project so that it meets the desired outcome.
• Demonstrate domain expertise.
• Demonstrates expertise in Project Management principles and/or Agile/Waterfall SDLC methodologies.
• Negotiate cross-team and stakeholder resolutions made in their teams.

Results Orientation:

• Makes things happen. Able to identify and appropriately remove obstacles to meet commitments
• Be creative in applying technology to solve problems.
• Be on-time and on-budget for approved scope, effectively communicating risks and issues, particularly around change management.
• Effectively manage scope, risk and quality.
• Adheres to and adopts project change management principles and processes.
• Ensures there is adherence to SDLC processes.

Relationship Mastery/People Skills:

• Works well across teams and with their peers.
• Able to communicate across IT and ETS as needed for the team’s contributions to the work.
• Reading the room and acting accordingly.
• Able to influence where you have no authority.
• Effectively manages ‘down, out and up’ throughout the organization to achieve desired results.
• Negotiates with clients or partners whether ETS internal or external in a way that maintains a positive relationship.
• Demonstrates effective communication and facilitation skills.

End to end Understanding:

• Understand the end to end business processes and how specific applications fit into the whole.
• Understands the impacts of their decisions and actions on the greater organization and takes into account the benefits and risks to more than just their team but to the larger organization.
• Understand how technologies and IT processes enables, improves &/or influences ETS processes, products and services.

Learning Agility:

• Brings new solutions to problems.
• Be able to learn continuously about new technologies and processes and how they might apply to ETS
• Willing and open to take on new things or challenges
• Embraces changes and learns on the fly and good at connecting dots.
• Learning from experience and be able to apply
• Embraces ambiguity and is able to translate into actionable tasks or path forward.
• Looks for opportunities to improve process, quality and productivity.

Market Insight and Service Orientation:

• Understands and communicates downstream impacts of your work.
• Delivers a work output of quality and take accountability for that output and for the end result.
• Bring industry ideas and best practices for your role to solve business problems and improve ETS competitiveness.

ETS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER COMPRISED OF PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES, STRENGTHS, AND BACKGROUNDS WHO SHARE A PASSION FOR ADVANCING QUALITY AND EQUITY IN EDUCATION. WE ARE DEDICATED TO BUILDING TEAMS THAT REFLECT THE VARIOUS BACKGROUNDS, EXPERIENCES, AND IDENTITIES OF THOSE WE SERVE. THE TALENT ACQUISITION TEAM STRIVES TO ENSURE CANDIDATES ENJOY A FAIR AND EQUITABLE HIRING PROCESS. WE BELIEVE OUR DIFFERENCES EMPOWER US TO BE A BETTER TEAM, MAKING BETTER DECISIONS AND DELIVERING BETTER RESULTS.

From: Educational Testing Servic

• Implement IT strategy consistent with individual business unit goals and IT team direction.
• Participate in the creation of technical project teams.
• Provide learning and development opportunities by sharing Subject Matter Expertise.
• Anticipate, assess, and mitigate issues, coordinating across teams as a single point of contact as necessary and escalate when necessary.
• Define, organize, guide, coordinate, monitor and execute the work effort to deliver new products, services and methods to business customers within defined constraints for time, cost, quality/scope
• Accurately forecast time, resource needs and work estimates for required work.
• Effectively collaborate across IT teams and Domains to mitigate risks and solve problems in order to meet business commitments.
• Regularly update leadership on progress and status of assigned projects and ensure production goals are successfully met.
• Oversee and manage the assignment and completion of staff projects, task, and duties.
• Apply project management skills to perform ongoing review of program status; identify risks along with mitigation plans.
• Document project progress including implementation, timelines, issues, risks, and successes to maintain program course.
• Communicate effectively in writing and through verbal communications, face to face and through collaborative communication tools.
• Be able to communicate effectively to a wide range of people (including presentations/meetings), including effective and timely escalation when necessary.
• Identify and flag changes that need to be addressed. Changes may be internal to IT or broader outside of IT. Identify appropriate change owner/group and effectively communicate the change to the responsible individual or group.
• Monitor customer satisfaction and project fulfillment while maintaining budget.
• Close the project, evaluate project success, document lessons learned and release project resources.
• Support UAT and OT.
• Adhere to ethical standards and comply with the laws and regulations applicable to your job function.