Senior Consultant

Potomac Haven Inc•Washington, DC

just now•Onsite

About The Position

Potomac Haven is a purpose-driven professional services firm dedicated to providing digital transformation and program support services for a range of diverse federal missions (national security, healthcare, financial services, logistics, and more). We are seeking an experienced Senior Consultant to serve as the principal high-level advisor for a one-year federal contract (with potential extension options) providing program management and analytical support services for the U.S. Coast Guard’s Personnel Service Center (PSC). The purpose of this contract is to support the USCG’s Business Operations Division and its associated business lines – including Business Operations, Pay and Personnel Center, Community Services Command, Enlisted Personnel Management, Officer Personnel Management, Personnel Support, Reserve Personnel Management, and Civilian Personnel Management. The scope of work encompasses a broad range of activities to facilitate PSC’s organizational objectives, including but not limited to change management, strategic communications, strategic planning, business transformation, initiative management, governance support, software maintenance, and analytical services (with potential support for database improvements and data migration efforts as required). This is a Key Personnel role, meaning you will be central to the project’s success and expected to remain in the role for the contract’s duration. Your key responsibilities are to keep the overall engagement focused on strategic objectives, mentor the consulting team on best practices, and act as a linchpin between the contractor’s work and PSC leadership’s vision. In this capacity, you will guide executive-level initiatives and provide overarching direction across all project tasks. This includes steering program-level strategic planning efforts and ensuring alignment with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Coast Guard leadership directives, advising on major change management and business transformation activities, and overseeing the integration of multiple task areas so that change initiatives, strategic plans, and process improvements all support the Coast Guard PSC’s mission and senior leadership priorities. You will lead the facilitation of senior-level strategy sessions and review high-level deliverables (such as updated strategic plans or performance reports) before they are presented to PSC leadership, providing quality assurance and an executive-level perspective. Additionally, the Senior Consultant offers executive coaching to PSC leaders and guidance to the project team – leveraging extensive experience in project management, business process improvement, and organizational change – to advise on decision-making and ensure that support services are delivered at the highest standard.

Requirements

Must have at minimum a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, or a related field, along with at least 7 years of relevant experience (or 5 years of experience if the candidate holds a Master’s or higher degree).
Relevant experience refers to experience providing direct support to the USCG or other government agencies with missions related to national security, homeland security, or law enforcement, particularly in program/project management, meeting facilitation, strategic communications, and organizational change management.
Must have an active Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or a DHS Level II (Mid-Level) Program/Project Management certification, or an equivalent credential, as evidence of advanced project management expertise33. (Examples of equivalent certifications include DAWIA/DAU Program Management (Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act certifications), Federal Acquisition Certification for Program/Project Managers (FAC-P/PM), or PRINCE2 Practitioner, among others.)
Proficient in Microsoft Windows and the full Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), as well as Microsoft Project and Microsoft Access.
Able to quickly learn and utilize USCG-specific program management tools (e.g., MS Access-based custom systems, SharePoint, Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, etc.).
Must have proficiency in Python, with the capability for advanced development and data analysis tasks as needed.
Demonstrated experience in business process re-engineering and managing high-level project integration efforts (ensuring multiple projects or task areas work together seamlessly toward enterprise objectives).
Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
Must be able to effectively interface with senior executives and diverse stakeholder groups.
Fluency in English is required (must be able to read, write, speak, and understand English proficiently).
This Key Personnel position requires stability and commitment. The Senior Consultant is expected to serve for the entire contract period (barring extraordinary circumstances).
Candidate must be readily available to the COR (Contracting Officer’s Representative) and USCG leadership during working hours, with the ability to respond to technical or programmatic inquiries within 4 hours during the workday.
Must be a U.S. citizen (required for CAC issuance) and capable of obtaining a favorable DHS Entry on Duty (EOD) / Suitability clearance as part of the onboarding process35.
This includes meeting all requirements for a preliminary fitness determination and background investigation to receive a USCG Common Access Card (CAC) for system access.
Candidates will be required to sign non-disclosure agreements and uphold all security and privacy requirements in handling sensitive information.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with process improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean Six Sigma principles) is a plus.
Experience providing executive coaching or mentorship at senior levels is highly desirable, as the role involves advising senior USCG PSC leadership and shaping high-impact initiatives34.

Responsibilities

Strategic Planning and Analysis: Provide enterprise-level guidance and oversight for PSC’s strategic planning efforts, ensuring all planning activities align with higher-level Coast Guard and DHS strategies and directives.
Steer the integration of performance management into strategic planning by ensuring that as PSC updates its strategic goals and objectives, corresponding performance metrics and monitoring tools are in place to track progress toward those goals.
Guide and coordinate the involvement of PSC’s various sub-commands in the strategic planning process so that their individual plans and initiatives support the overarching PSC strategy, yielding a cohesive enterprise plan.
Updating the PSC Strategic Plan: Direct the updating of the PSC Strategic Plan whenever significant new guidance or policy directives are issued by DHS or Coast Guard senior leadership, ensuring PSC’s strategy remains current.
Oversee or review environmental scans and analyses of alternatives to inform strategic choices, assessing how changes in the operating environment or policy landscape should be reflected in PSC’s strategic direction.
Ensure that revised PSC strategic objectives and initiatives maintain alignment with higher-level DHS and Coast Guard strategies (e.g., Commandant’s Direction, DHS Strategic Plan), so that PSC’s plan supports broader organizational goals.
Facilitating Senior-Level Strategy Sessions: Organize and lead senior leadership strategy sessions (e.g., off-site workshops, high-level planning meetings), preparing agendas, decision briefs, and after-action reports to guide discussions among PSC senior leaders.
Use these sessions to help leadership refine PSC’s mission, vision, goals, and objectives, ensuring clarity and consensus on the strategic direction and documenting any changes for inclusion in the strategic plan.
Capture outcomes of strategy sessions – including updated goals or new strategic initiatives – and integrate these decisions into the evolving strategic plan and communication materials for broader organizational awareness.
Strategic Planning Support: Ensure all elements of PSC’s strategic framework (mission, vision, goals, objectives, strategies) are cohesively developed and linked.
Provide high-level direction to maintain consistency and alignment among these elements in the Strategic Plan.
Advise on aligning PSC’s investments in personnel, technology, and resources with the strategic plan, so that budgeting and resource decisions support the achievement of strategic objectives.
Help articulate the strategic vision in concrete terms by defining corresponding business and performance measures which will be used to gauge progress toward the vision and goals over time.
Business and Project Management Support: Serve as a senior advisor ensuring that all contractor-provided support (e.g., communications, project management, strategic planning, change management initiatives) is closely aligned with Coast Guard senior leadership and DHS priorities31.
Oversee the design and initiation of internal PSC communications and program management activities that better align internal PSC efforts with each other and with broader Coast Guard missions – breaking down silos by promoting integrated approaches and information-sharing among PSC departments.
Support the development, measurement, and communication of PSC strategic plans (in coordination with other consultants) and ensure these plans are effectively rolled out across the organization.
Monitor the execution of strategic initiatives, using performance data to communicate progress and recommend adjustments as necessary.
Provide high-level project management support in all areas that are not inherently governmental functions – acting as a force multiplier for PSC leadership by handling advanced planning, analytical, and coordination tasks, while ensuring that actual decision-making and policy-setting remain with government officials (per federal guidelines on non-personal services32).