Manager, Project Management Office

Southwest Power Pool (SPP) is about more than power. We're about the power of relationships. Our employees have the opportunity to work together to ensure electricity is delivered reliably and affordably to the millions of people living in our service territory. We have been voted one of Arkansas' Best Places to work by Arkansas Business and we are looking for a member of our team who is passionate about our mission to keep the lights on

We have a core ideology here at SPP that we stand by: Do the right thing, for the right reason, in the right way.

We believe in supporting our employees through a fantastic benefits package:

• Competitive pay with bonus opportunities
• Excellent insurance package including three great medical plans to choose from, employer-paid short term disability, long term disability, and life insurance
• Relocation assistance
• Flexible working environment for positions that are eligible where employees have the flexibility to work from home and come in where collaborative in person work is needed.
• Fantastic contributions to your retirement through a 401(k) savings plan with employer-match benefits and a defined benefit plan fully funded by SPP

PLEASE NOTE: SPP is not able to sponsor employment visas or student-work authorizations (STEM OPT) for this position. Please ensure you are eligible to work in the U.S. without sponsorship prior to applying.

COMPENSATION INFORMATIONThe salary range(s) represents our good faith estimate for the role at this time. While we strive to provide competitive and transparent compensation, there may be circumstances where an offer is above or outside of the listed range. We are open to discussing salary expectations with qualified candidates considering factors such as the candidate's qualifications, skills, competencies, experience and geographic location will all be considered during the hiring process.

Manager, Project Management Office | Pay Range: $128,950.00 - $167,640.00
Lead the projects that power reliability, innovation, and impact

At Southwest Power Pool (SPP), we don't just manage projects-we deliver initiatives that shape the future of the electric grid and drive economic impact across our member regions. We're seeking a Manager of Project Management Office (PMO) to lead a high-performing team responsible for executing complex, cross-functional, enterprise-wide initiatives critical to SPP's operational excellence and strategic success.

This is a highly visible leadership role for a strategic thinker who thrives at the intersection of governance, delivery, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
What You'll Do

As the Manager of PMO, you will:

• Provide strategic leadership by defining, maturing, and governing PMO methodologies, standards, and SOPs across Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid delivery models-ensuring alignment with corporate objectives and regulatory expectations.
• Lead and develop a high-performing PMO team, overseeing hiring, staffing, coaching, performance management, and career development to build long-term organizational capability.
• Oversee enterprise-wide project delivery, ensuring initiatives are delivered on time, within scope and budget, and aligned with strategic priorities, quality standards, and stakeholder expectations.
• Drive rigorous project oversight, including planning, resourcing, budgeting, forecasting, risk and issue management, change control, and governance reviews.
• Serve as a trusted strategic partner, collaborating with business leaders, IT teams, engineering partners, vendors, and executive leadership to enable informed decision-making and successful execution.
• Represent the PMO at the enterprise level, providing executive reporting, insights, and recommendations while supporting portfolio prioritization through the Project Review and Prioritization Committee (PRPC).
• Champion continuous improvement, leveraging lessons learned, stakeholder feedback, and industry best practices to enhance PMO maturity and delivery outcomes.
• Ensure compliance and audit readiness, maintaining alignment with PMO policies, SSO procedures, and SSAE 18 (SOC 1) controls.
• Build organizational capability, developing training programs, assessing skill gaps, and fostering a culture of accountability, learning, and high performance.
• Lead strategic and special initiatives, acting as a thought leader who advances innovation and strengthens enterprise delivery capabilities.

If you're a confident PMO leader who enjoys solving complex problems, guiding teams through change, and delivering results that matter-this is your opportunity to lead at SPP. Apply today and help power the future.
To be successful as the Manager of Project Management Office, you should have a:

Education Requirements:

• Bachelor degree, preferably in Business or related field

Experience Requirements:

• Minimum of ten (10) years of experience in project management role or closely related discipline, with five (5) of those years having spent leading/supervising PMs.
• Evidence of increasingly higher levels of contribution and management
• Proven, hands-on experience leading and managing a Project Management Office (PMO), including oversight of project delivery, governance, methodologies, vendor contracts, vendor management, staffing, and cross-functional execution
• Specific knowledge of existing SPP Technology and SPP business and operating procedures
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain an excellent working relationship with all parties to ensure accomplishment of the SPP mission
• Demonstrated effective written and oral communication skills required to work with all levels of management and stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to recognize technical and policy organizational problems and determine immediate short-term corrections
• Demonstrated ability to develop long-term solutions, and promote efficiency
• Demonstrated ability to efficiently organize and balance their own and others' workloads
• Demonstrated ability to exercise the judgment necessary to set personal and staff priorities in instances of insufficient resources
• Demonstrated ability to function with constantly changing and multiple priorities

Preferred Qualifications:

• Engineering degree in Electric Power and Energy Systems, Power Systems, Energy, Mechanical engineering or Computer Science strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in deploying business and information technology projects
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, or other project management-related certification recognized by the Project Management Institute
• Track record as Agile Project Manager and Scrum Master. Preferred 4+ years
• PMP, PgMP, PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), PMI DASM (Disciplined Agile Scrum Master), SAFe.
• Proficiency in project management tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence, MS Project, Clarity, Primavera P6, Smartsheet)

Work Environment:

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment.

Physical Demands:

The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job successfully.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to make decisions, interpret data, and problem solve.
• The employee frequently is required to stand or sit for extended periods; use hands to operate a computer keyboard and standard office equipment.
• The employee must occasionally lift and move up to 10 pounds.
• Requires the ability to work and collaborate with managers and employees at all levels to exchange ideas, information, and opinions to facilitate the task.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus.
• Understanding of compliance with and enforcement of SPP Policies and Procedures

Position Type, Location, and Expected Hours of Work:

This is a full-time, onsite hybrid position based in Little Rock, Arkansas. The standard workweek is Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with extended hours may be required. Job requires managing staff working rotating shift schedules with long hours.

Travel Requirement:

This position requires minimal travel (approximately 15%).

SPP is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer of individuals with disabilities and protected veterans and is committed to excellence. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us at HR@spp.org and let us know the nature of your request. We will only respond to messages left that involve a request for a reasonable accommodation in the application process. We will accommodate the needs of any qualified candidate who requests a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

At SPP we believe in a culture of belonging. Learn more here: Culture of Belonging - Southwest Power Pool.

Full job descriptions will be made available to those selected for an interview.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.

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