Project Manager, Online Platform

Responsible to:           President

Term and Type:            This is a 10-month, full-time contract position

Expected Start Date:   March 5, 2012

Compensation:            $75,000 to $90,000

Application Deadline: February 17, 2012

 

FITT is developing an eLearning and certification platform that addresses, on a national basis, the human resource and skills development needs of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) involved in or planning to be involved in international trade.

 

 

The Project Manager will be responsible for planning, managing, coordinating and administering the project activities, as detailed below.

 

1.     Develop and update Project Work Plan (as required)

·       Maintain project schedule and budget plan for duration of project, incorporating input for selected vendor and stakeholders

·       Develop formal communications plan for government stakeholders and submit for review and approval

 

2.     Manage the selected vendors for both aspects of this project, which will involve:

·       Monitoring and Controlling all project work, including monitoring known risks

·       Running status meetings, and providing performance reports with regard to scope, schedule, cost and quality of the vendor’s deliverables

·       Ensuring schedule milestones are on track, and met as per project plan

·       Ensuring cost milestones are on track, and met as per project plan (including ensuring that all vendor invoicing is submitted according to project plan)

·       Monitoring quality control of all vendor deliverables, ensuring they comply with relevant quality standards

·       Risk identification, analysis and mitigation

·       Integrated change control (if necessary, make changes to project scope and overall plan, ensuring the changes are reviewed and approved by all project stakeholders)

 

3.     Management of Resources and Stakeholders:

·       Effectively communicate project updates to the team members and stakeholders in a timely and clear fashion

·       Continually manage project expectations with team members and other stakeholders

·       Coach, mentor, and supervise project team members and contractors, and influence them to take positive action and accountability for their assigned work

·       Determine and assess the need for additional staff and/or consultants and assist in the appropriate recruitments, if necessary

 

4.     Management of Customer Engagements:

·       Manage the planning and implementation of customer engagements for beta and final versions of the project deliverables, including:

o   Assist in the selection of pilot participants from industry, government, and the educational sector

o   Develop formal engagement plans for all identified pilot participants, including schedule and identification of necessary resources

o   Ensure appropriate metrics are gather during pilot sessions to positively impact end project deliverables, and future customer engagements

o   Analyse all pilot results and implications, communicating them to stakeholders and issuing change requests with vendor as appropriate

 

5.     Formal Implementation:

·       Manage formal roll-out of project deliverables according to schedule

·       Close Project, including contract closure procedures

 

6.     Fulfilment of Reporting Requirements:

·       Provide regular progress reports and financial reports

·       Provide a final assessment report outlining the project activities and

 

The three specific project objectives are detailed below, along with a list of tasks that have been completed to date, and required duties expected of the Project Manager specific to those objectives.

 

FITT is committed to developing and implementing a content management and distribution platform for FITT’s Body of Knowledge (BoK) in International Trade. This platform will allow FITT to not only improve its operational processes, but also improve our ability to meet the demands of new publishing models. At FITT, we are referring to this initiative as the “J3 platform”.

The proposed J3 platform will allow for:

•                Content management/authoring – providing an integrated authoring platform for systematic updates, or new additions, to our existing Body of Knowledge (BoK) in International Trade

•                Content delivery – ability to search, retrieve and publish information in multiple formats, thus providing not only training, but also professional development and performance support, to our customer segments

•                Product generation – ability to dynamically generate new products on-demand, in a far more cost-effective manner than our current process allows

 

·       Development of full Business Case for formal development and implementation

·       Selection of vendor for development of platform through a formal RFP process

·       Initial requirements definition, including development of “user scenarios” (what the user expects to see, or do, with respect to the various requirements)

·       Development of an initial project plan, including communications plan with chosen vendor

·       Development of detailed budget

 

·       Hire courseware architects to assist in the mark-up of existing FITT learning content to the developed data schema

·       Manage a “J3 Task Force”, which is a volunteer committee which will provide feedback on key project objectives and deliverables. Duties will include:

o   Assist in identification and securing of Task Force members

o   Manage in-person or teleconference meetings on a regular basis, ensuring all feedback provided by the Task Force is reflected in project status updates

 

FITT is committed to:

·       developing and implementing a full and separate online examination for the CITP designation in both official languages (thus allowing our existing examination item bank to be used with the new online learning platform)

·       reviewing and improving FITT’s existing test item bank for the assessments related to the FITTskills program (a series of eight courses related to all aspects of International Trade)

 

·       Development of full Business Case for formal development and implementation

·       Development of an initial project plan

·       Development of detailed budget

 

·       Develop RFP to solicit proposals from appropriate vendors

·       Assist in the review of vendor proposals, soliciting input from selected members of review committee

·       Communicating results of review selection process, including the development of the contract with the selected vendor

 

FITT is committed to assembling and maintaining a Content Advisory Committee of industry Subject Matter Experts for systematic updates to FITT learning and certification content (ensuring stakeholder input to ensure the continued accuracy and relevance of FITT content). Positions on the advisory panel will be strictly volunteer, with up to three face-to-face meetings over the course of the project to implement proper processes.

·       Development of CAP process document

·       Development of an initial list of potential candidates to serve as members on the CAP

·       Development of detailed budget

1.     Manage the CAP, which involves:

·       Assist in identification and securing of CAP members, which consist of two participants for each FITTskills topic area (16 individuals in total), broadly representative of stakeholders in industry

·       Review CAP process document, and update as necessary

·       Manage up to 3 in-person meetings and a minimum of 2 teleconference meetings

·       Managing on-going correspondence and communications with members of the CAP

 

·       At least five years of project management experience, preferably in the development of eLearning or software applications

·       Reliable record of success in managing customer engagements

·       Experience with the Request for Proposal process

·       Thorough understanding of learning technologies, as well as familiarity with the full spectrum of methods and alternatives for delivering learning solutions

·       Excellent written and oral presentational skills

·       Experience of budget setting and financial management

·       Experience of hiring and managing external contractors (e.g., subject matter experts, editors, designers, printers, etc.)

·       Result oriented self-starter able to work independently and with minimum supervision

·       Proven ability to establish and maintain strong professional relationships with stakeholders

·       Effective computer skills