IT PMO Consultant, Sacramento, CA,

IT Strategy & Project Management Office Transformation Consultant
SCOPE OF WORK

SMUD is seeking a leased employee Information Technology (IT) Project Management Office (PMO) Consultant to manage projects as assigned (30-50% of time) and lead effort to transform PMO into an AI enabled, Shared Services model designed to support PM's and customers at scale.

• Lead all PMP-aligned project management processes including initiation (project readiness), detailed planning, resource coordination, risk management, communications, execution monitoring, and project closing activities per SMUD’s phase gates and controls.
• Develop and maintain key project artifacts required by SMUD such as Business Cases, Stakeholder Lists, Communication Plans, Project Charters, Risk Registers, Project Schedules with defined milestones, Benefit Realization Plans, and Status Reports.
• Facilitate formal phase gate reviews and authorizations (Initiation → Planning → Execution → Closing), ensuring all project deliverables meet SMUD's specified inputs, outputs, and approval requirements per each phase in the Enterprise Project Process.
• Work closely with Business Unit Planning Coordinators (BUPC), Business Planning Analysts (BPA), Project Sponsors, Execution Sponsors, and other key stakeholders to confirm funding, resource availability, and alignment with enterprise priorities.
• Monitor and control project scope, schedule, cost, and risks, initiating Change Requests as necessary in accordance with SMUD approval thresholds.
• Provide regular and ad hoc status updates using SMUD’s systems of record (Service Now PPM, SAP BPC, and Power
  
  BI dashboards) to ensure enterprise-wide visibility and facilitate governance.
• Lead project closeout activities including lessons learned documentation and benefits realization follow-up in coordination with SMUD’s Closing and Benefits Realization processes.
• Ensure adherence to SMUD ethical standards, delegated approval authorities, and reporting requirements throughout project life cycles.
• Optimize the PMO operating model (scope, roles, RACI, services catalog).
• Optimize Project Intake & Onboarding function (triage, prioritization, gating, templates, playbooks).
• Assess and optimize / transform standard delivery frameworks (predictable stage gates, controls, reporting cadence).
• Assess and optimize / transform portfolio prioritization & value management (OKRs, business case templates, benefits realization).
• Launch AI-augmented PMO workflows (status automation, risk sensing, resource forecasting).
• Optimize BRM operating rhythm to front-load demand shaping with PMO.
• Co-create joint cadence (quarterly planning, intake councils, opportunity assessments).
• Define shared KPIs (idea-to-approval SLA, demand conversion rate, strategic alignment).

• Partner with EA Consultant to define EA mandate, processes, and artifacts (principles, standards, roadmaps).
• Integrate EA checkpoints in intake, solution reviews, and stage gates.
• Create architecture governance (Design Authority, tech standards lifecycle).
• Map capability-based planning to portfolio prioritization and BRM engagements.

• Embed a Finance & Budget Analyst role for Cap Ex/OpEx tracking, forecast vs. actuals, and benefits tracking.
• Operationalize AI tooling (Copilot for M365, Power Automate, Power BI) for automated reporting, risk identification, and document generation.
• Value Analytics:
  Enable intelligent resource optimization for unbiased decision-making, efficient resource allocation, and financial planning that cuts waste and maximizes ROI across your project portfolio. Include variance analysis, forecast models; link portfolio financials to business outcomes.

• Develop and execute a change plan including leadership alignment, communications, and enablement.
• Deliver training curriculum for PMs, BRMs, and stakeholders (processes, tools, AI usage).

• Transform PMO from all PMs to a scalable value-focused model that offloads repeatable and mundane tasks from PMs to shared services resources and automation within the PMO
  • o Project Intake, Onboarding & Process…