Program/Project Manager III

Job Title: Program/Project Manager III (Contract Role)

Location: Irvine, CA/Pomona, CA (Hybrid – 2 days/week onsite)

Pay Range: $45–$50 per hour (W2)

Work Hours: 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Monday–Friday)

Contract Type: W2 Contract for 6 months

About the Role:

We are seeking experienced Program/Project Managers to oversee the full lifecycle of assigned projects within the New Business Planning & Management (NBPM) team. This position is highly cross-functional, customer-facing, and involves managing multiple utility-related projects simultaneously—from initiation through closure.

The ideal candidate has strong project management experience within utilities, engineering, construction, or electrical service planning, and can drive schedules, manage risks, communicate effectively, and ensure successful project delivery.

Key Responsibilities:

Project Ownership & Lifecycle Management

• Serve as the primary owner for assigned projects from initiation to closure.
• Act as the main contact for internal teams, customers, and other stakeholders.
• Manage all phases of the project lifecycle in alignment with IPSEC (8 Gates).
• Define project scope, timelines, deliverables, and work order requirements.
• Review and approve customer-submitted documents.
• Monitor project performance, ensuring designs, updates, and deliverables align with the project schedule.
• Identify, escalate, and remove roadblocks to maintain schedule integrity.

Scheduling & Coordination

• Develop feasible project schedules and maintain ongoing forecast updates.
• Coordinate inspections, site meetings, kickoff meetings, and construction scheduling with internal teams.
• Proactively communicate workload forecasts to internal and external partners.

Financial Management

• Track financial performance for all assigned projects.
• Provide cost performance forecasts to project controls.
• Forecast annual and lifecycle project spend.
• Reconcile work orders with finance and customers, and document overspend/underspend variances.

Compliance & Technical Oversight

• Ensure all projects align with company policies, regulatory standards, and risk management protocols.
• Analyze technical data and translate insights for non-technical audiences.
• Apply knowledge of electrical service planning and design in day-to-day decisions.

Reporting & Stakeholder Management

• Deliver regular project status updates, health reports, and completion dates.
• Maintain professional and timely communication (within 24 hours) with all stakeholders.
• Provide updates to internal leadership and external customers as required.

Leadership & Team Support

• Mentor, train, and support team members as needed.
• Serve as a subject matter resource for project processes and issue resolution.

Required Qualifications:

• High School Diploma or equivalent (bachelor’s degree in business, STEM, or related field preferred).
• Minimum 7 years combined experience, including:
• At least 5 years in project management, and
• At least 2 years in electrical utility service planning or design.
• Strong understanding of utility operations, service planning, engineering, or construction.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, with at least 2 years of:
• Data manipulation
• Excel formulas
• Power BI or other data visualization/analytical tools
• Demonstrated ability to interpret technical plans and explain them to non-technical audiences.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills; ability to manage 1–200 projects depending on complexity.
• Strong customer-facing communication skills, both written and verbal.

Additional Information

• Travel to customer sites may be required; mileage may be reimbursed when traveling outside the assigned office.
• Candidates will use their personal cell phone; monthly reimbursement is provided.
• Hybrid role: Onsite 2 days per week as required by the team.

Benefits that Russell Tobin offers:

Russell Tobin offers eligible employee’s comprehensive healthcare coverage (medical, dental, and vision plans), supplemental coverage (accident insurance, critical illness insurance and hospital indemnity), a 401(k)-retirement savings, life & disability insurance, an employee assistance program, identity theft protection, legal support, auto and home insurance, pet insurance, and employee discounts with some preferred vendors.