Joint Staff CDAO Project Manager

Parsons•Arlington, TX

6h•Onsite

About The Position

Parsons is seeking a Project Manager to provide direction and management for a large-sized project, ensuring on-schedule completion within or below budget and in accordance with contractual obligations. The position requires onsite support at the Pentagon five days per week and includes oversight of the identification, evaluation, planning, and delivery of key project deliverables. The work supports significant mission growth and evolving customer requirements, requiring the ability to scale operations, coordinate across stakeholders, and manage emerging priorities. The Project Manager tracks estimate-to-completion metrics, finances and invoices, personnel matters, recruitment and retention, subcontractor performance, risks, schedules, and deliverables. The role serves as the primary point of contact for Joint Staff CDAO government leadership and supports business development, quick-turn proposals, and execution of new and expanding mission requirements. It also coordinates cross-functional technical teams and supports CDAO governance, strategic planning, reporting, and executive briefings for Joint Staff data and AI initiatives. This position is part of Parsons’ Federal Solutions team, which delivers resources to U.S. government customers in defense, security, intelligence, infrastructure, and environmental areas. An active Top Secret SCI security clearance is required. Successful completion of a Fit for Duty exam is required after offer acceptance and before continuing in the hiring and onboarding process.

Requirements

Active Top Secret security clearance with SCI eligibility at the time of hire; the posting also states an active Top Secret SCI clearance is required.
Bachelor’s degree, with additional years of experience accepted in lieu of a degree.
15 or more years of experience; additional education, training, and certifications may count toward total years of experience.
Demonstrated experience managing large or complex projects involving government customers, technical teams, and multiple stakeholders.
Experience serving as a primary liaison among customers, mission owners, and technical delivery teams.
Ability to gather, prioritize, and translate customer requirements into executable plans and deliverables.
Experience managing project scope, schedules, budgets, risks, resources, quality, and performance metrics.
Experience supporting personnel management, recruitment, retention, and team development.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.
Ability to brief program leadership on project status, milestones, risks, and challenges.
Strong writing, organizational, and stakeholder-management skills.
Ability to work onsite at the Pentagon five days per week.
Ability to manage competing priorities, respond to mission growth, and pivot across multiple projects as required.
Successful completion of a Fit for Duty exam after offer acceptance and before continuing in the hiring process and onboarding.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting the Department of War, Joint Staff, Combatant Commands, or other U.S. Government organizations.
Experience with Chief Data and AI Offices, enterprise data programs, or digital transformation initiatives.
Understanding of AI/ML product development, responsible AI, data governance, and model lifecycle management.
Experience managing a product portfolio and balancing competing priorities against mission and business value.
Familiarity with Joint Staff directorates, Joint operational processes, or DoD mission requirements.
PMP professional certification.
Advanced communication and stakeholder-management skills, including experience developing executive briefings and product strategies.
Previous experience executing on GSA/FEDSIM contracts.
Prior military service.
Completion of Defense Acquisition University courses.
Business development, capture management, or proposal development experience.

Responsibilities

Plan and define project goals, objectives, schedules, resources, and success criteria.
Develop and maintain project management plans to execute within scope, schedule, and budget.
Track estimate-to-completion metrics, finances and invoices, personnel management, recruitment and retention, subcontracts, risks, and deliverables.
Manage project risks and develop risk-management and mitigation processes.
Monitor and report project progress, milestones, cost and schedule performance, and conditions that may affect execution.
Coordinate with corporate support functions to support successful project execution.
Assist the Program Manager or Deputy Program Manager in capturing contract-level metrics, including accomplishments, schedule, financials, quality, staffing, security, deliverables, risks, and stakeholder communication.
Develop in-depth knowledge of Joint Staff CDAO mission objectives, contract requirements, subcontract terms, and relevant policies.
Work with project controls, technical teams, and discipline leads to develop ROMs, budgets, schedules, best-value analyses, and execution plans.
Ensure projects meet or exceed goals and objectives established in approved plans.
Serve as the primary point of contact for the Joint Staff CDAO government leadership team.
Manage stakeholder expectations, communicate progress proactively, and facilitate recurring management meetings.
Escalate blockers, risks, and dependencies that may affect delivery, and coordinate with leadership to resolve issues.
Maintain feedback loops among end users, mission owners, stakeholders, and technical teams to maximize adoption and mission value.
Coordinate cross-functional teams, including data scientists, engineers, analysts, cybersecurity professionals, and other technical personnel, to deliver capabilities on schedule and within scope.
Support CDAO governance, strategic planning, reporting, and executive briefings related to Joint Staff data and AI initiatives.
Help define new requirements, establish scalable processes, and align resources to emerging priorities as the mission grows.
Stay current on project management, product management, and AI/data delivery practices and identify opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement.
Contribute to business development and capture activities, quick-turn proposals, and the transition and execution of new work.