Senior Project Manager

As the world’s leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted and highly differentiated national security solutions and technologies that keep people safe and secure. Peraton serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies across the intelligence, space, cyber, defense, civilian, health, and state and local markets.

Our First Responder Solutions program is seeking a Sr Project Manager to enlarge our team responsible for supporting the California Dept of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The Sr. Project Manager serves as the primary point of contact between Peraton and CAL FIRE stakeholders, providing end-to-end oversight of the CAD Network Consulting Engagement. This individual is responsible for driving all five project phases to successful completion — on time, within scope, and within budget — while maintaining the operational integrity of a mission-critical public safety network.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead all phases of the engagement from Startup and Planning through Operations Support, ensuring phase gate criteria are met before progression.
• Develop, maintain, and execute the Project Management Plan (PMP), including integrated master schedules, risk registers, and communication plans.
• Serve as the primary liaison to CAL FIRE leadership, coordinating stakeholder alignment, status reporting, and executive briefings.
• Manage cross-functional teams including architects, analysts, and administrators; resolve resource conflicts and maintain team accountability.
• Oversee the Knowledge Transfer and Onboarding phase, ensuring Peraton personnel achieve full operational readiness prior to assuming network responsibility.
• Establish and monitor SLAs, KPIs, and operational metrics during the Operations Support phase; drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks and issues; escalate critical items to Peraton leadership and CAL FIRE as appropriate.
• Manage subcontractor and vendor relationships, including contract compliance and deliverable acceptance.
• Ensure all project activities comply with California state IT procurement standards, NIMS/ICS frameworks, and applicable federal regulations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in project management, Information Technology, Business Administration, or a related field and 8 years of experience.
• Minimum 8 years of IT project management experience, with at least 3 years managing network infrastructure or public safety technology programs.
• PMP (Project Management Professional) certification required.
• Must be a US Citizen.
• Demonstrated experience managing large-scale network transitions or technology refresh programs for government or public safety clients.
• Proficiency with project management tools (e.g., MS Project, Jira, Smartsheet) and formal methodologies (PMI, Agile/hybrid).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to present complex technical information to non-technical stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree
• ITIL v4 Foundation certification
• Strong understanding of CAD systems, public safety communications, or emergency dispatch environments preferred.
• Experience with California state government contracting and IT governance frameworks is a strong plus.