Planned Systems International, a seasoned Government Contractor, is seeking a unique, self-motivated, and qualified Sr. Project Scheduling Specialist with significant/advanced Microsoft Project experience and excellent communication and customer service skills for our existing, complex Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) PMO (Program Management Office).

The successful candidate will be responsible for supporting the scheduling of multiple projects and incorporating them into the overall Integrated Master Schedule (IMS). This work supports a variety of independent testing and evaluation projects for systems on our existing and complex FEMA OCIO contract. Responsibilities and specific functions will include taking ownership for the following, and potentially more, responsibilities and duties:

• Providing advanced level Microsoft Project planning, scheduling, and oversight support for a variety of testing projects and activities for the FEMA OCIO contract.
• Providing Project Online 2016 or Project Web App (PWA) Administration Support for multiple sub-schedules including an IMS.
• Building relationships within a team of co-workers to ensure cooperation and overall adherence to our scheduled commitments.
• Providing support to the overall program by monitoring and creating quarterly activities to capture the work against the ongoing operation.
• Conducting project planning meetings where input from stakeholders (internal and FEMA) is solicited to identify tasks, milestones, activity durations, and resources to be included and updated in the schedule/IMS.
• Baselining initial schedules in Microsoft Project and then maintaining schedules by monitoring, controlling, and updating progress and approved schedule changes throughout the lifecycle of the projects.
• Providing scheduling support to technical subject matter experts in testing efforts; ensuring schedules, requirements, and quality deliverables are met; and assisting with resource management, task management, etc.
• Designing and executing Microsoft Project reports (basic or complex) to stakeholders, as requested.
• Contributing to or taking the lead in recommending, analyzing, and documenting project planning, process improvement, and best practices requiring idea generation and discussions, forward thinking, and thorough, clear, and concise technical writing with the goal of improving the stakeholders’ access to critical information in the scheduling system.
• Providing excellent customer service involving attention to detail, and prompt communication with all contract resources (project resources, Scheduling team members, direct supervisor, and the FEMA client).
• Leading and/or participating in planning the daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly tasks for the scheduling team.
• As a senior member of the team:
  • Leading and mentoring junior team members in the Microsoft Project platform and providing initial training of new employees on specifics of our testing and scheduling lifecycle.
  • Providing occasional support for staffing the team, performing risk management if needed, and backing up fellow team members.

• Bachelor’s Degree with an overall 10+ years’ experience in a project scheduling/planning role or experience in a variety of project scheduling roles (e.g., scheduler, analyst, lead, planner, etc.). An equivalent combination of education, certifications, and relevant experience may be considered.
• Experience must include 10+ years of advanced experience using Microsoft Project Online and Project Web App administration experience, to build and maintain schedules and PWA for multiple project managers and their projects.
• Proficiency in conducting project planning meetings while using the scheduling features of Microsoft Project to conduct analysis and provide recommendations to stakeholders.
• Must have experience and a full understanding of task relationships, critical path identification, and how to conduct what/if scenarios, which include forward and backward scheduling to analyze how changes could potentially impact the project schedule and its dates during project planning.
• Demonstrated understanding of the triple constraint, planned values vs actuals, and analysis and forecasting.
• Demonstrated proven experience working with cross-functional teams in a matrixed environment.
• Knowledge and experience in the use of Microsoft Office and SharePoint
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, as well as good interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Demonstrated sense of urgency, strategic thinking, creativity, and ability to solve problems.
• Confidence, ability, and desire to share and talk through issues, concerns, or recommendations in the best interests of the program and participants.
• Pleasant demeanor and ability to stay optimistic, supportive of management, and rally the troops in a sometimes-stressful environment as the mission is of utmost importance.
• U.S. Citizenship is required. Selected candidate must be able to successfully pass a thorough Government background screening process requiring the completion of detailed forms and fingerprinting.

• Experience at a federal agency such as the DHS, FEMA or DoD, and significant knowledge of its lifecycle management (project creation, planning, scheduling, resource assignments, resource leveling, baselines, reports, and timesheets).

PSI offers full-time, benefits eligible employees a competitive total compensation package that includes paid leave, and options for employer sponsored group medical, dental, vision, short-term and long-term disability, life insurance, AD&D coverage, legal services, identity theft, and accident insurance. Flexible spending account and health saving account options offer pre-tax savings for qualified medical, dental, and vision expenses. The company sponsored 401(k) retirement plan has an employer contribution match that is immediately vested. We invest in the professional growth of our employees through professional courses, certifications, and tuition reimbursement programs.

It is company policy to promote equal employment opportunities. All personnel decisions, including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, training, promotion, compensation, benefits, and termination, are made without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, citizenship status, veteran status, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities will be provided. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact Human Resources by emailing HRDepartment@plan-sys.com, or by dialing 703-575-8400.