Job Description

Technical Dept Project Manager

North Dakota Health and Human Services

What Is Technical Debt?

Technical debt (or tech debt) refers to the reworks required for a software product, caused by prioritizing fast delivery or using inefficient code. Tech debt can be intentional or unintentional, based on the software team's goals.

Why is this a need right now?

North Dakota Health and Human Services (NDHHS or HHS) has received funding for the removal of twenty-seven applications from their portfolio that are currently using technology that is no longer supported and/or running on the State of ND's Mainframe system. The State is working towards sunsetting the Mainframe altogether and HHS has a need for a Project Manager (PM) or otherwise known as the "HHS Technical Debt PM", to coordinate the sunset of these twenty-seven (27) applications. The work involves coordination between IT and Business Stakeholders to incorporate existing solutions, develop new solutions, change IT processes and reduce technical debt and remove all data and from Mainframe IBM Z-Series storage like COBOL, DB2 and ADABAS. The HHS Technical Debt PM would manage all aspects of the work including management of vendors, costs, and assigned (temporary) staff.

Job Responsibilities:

The HHS Technical Debt PM will work closely with the large IT Project Manager (PM) and Large Project Oversight Project Manager (LPO PM) because a successful project requires more than oversight; it requires operational expertise, real-time leadership, and a focus on compliance, team performance, and quality assurance.

Previous experience in retirement of Mainframe Technologies as a Project Manager is essential. The coordination of the work to ensure processes, data and application software are NA% removed from the respective Mainframes is the core assignment. The success of the project is measured by the reduction of the Mainframe dependency. A total of twenty-seven (27) applications will need to be removed at all different levels of dependency. Two (2) major project initiatives for full system replacements (Child Welfare and Child Support applications) are excluded from this scope.

The HHS Technical Debt PM will:

1. Provide Operational Execution and Daily Leadership
   The HHS Technical Debt PM oversees daily operations to keep the project on track. Without this operational leadership, even well-validated strategies can falter in execution.
2. Provide Subject Matter Expertise and Compliance
   While the PM and LPO PM ensures adherence to contractual and strategic obligations, the HHS Technical Debt PM brings subject matter expertise and deep knowledge of regulatory, safety, and quality standards. This expertise ensures that project deliverables meet compliance requirements and industry benchmarks, minimizing risks of non-compliance or rework. The HHS Technical Debt PM should understand the technical decisions that are being made/proposed
3. Provide Proactive Risk and Issue Management
   The HHS Technical Debt PM identifies and mitigates risks at the operational level, where they often emerge first. This proactive approach addresses potential delays, resource shortfalls, or budget overruns before they escalate. The PM and LPO PM validate updates and provide guidance, but the HHS Technical Debt PM ensures those updates reflect actionable, ground-level realities.
4. Provide Weekly Status Report of the Project from a Business Perspective

While the PM and LPO PM will provide general project status reports, the HHS Technical Debt PM will provide a weekly business report on the overall project. This report will cover status, risk, issues, milestones upcoming, and deliverable completions, etc. This will ensure the STATE has both an overall business view and an internal NDIT PM and LPO PM view.

1. Provide Resource and Budget Optimization
   Managing resources effectively requires a hands-on approach. The BPM balances personnel, budget, and materials daily to ensure objectives are met within constraints.

The HHS Technical Debt PM will provide the following deliverables during the tenure of the engagement.

1. Project Charter
2. Project Schedule
3. Communication Plan
4. Quality Assurance Plan
5. Training/Support Plan
6. Implementation Plan
7. Post-Implementation Report
8. Closeout Meeting
9. Final Acceptance
10. Other Project Management duties and responsibilities as assigned by the NDHHS Project Sponsor.

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