Senior HRIS Procurement & Implementation Project Manager / Consultant

We are seeking an experienced Senior HRIS Procurement & Implementation Project Manager / Consultant to support a public-sector organization in the procurement, evaluation, selection, and implementation of a Human Resources Information System (HRIS).

The consultant will work with procurement personnel, department subject matter experts, executives, and the selected HRIS vendor to gather business requirements, conduct market research, develop procurement documentation, support vendor evaluation and negotiations, and oversee implementation readiness and post-go-live stabilization.

The ideal candidate will have substantial project management experience, public-sector procurement consulting expertise, and a proven record of supporting the successful procurement of at least two similar information systems., 1. HRIS Procurement and Requirements Gathering

• Work with business stakeholders and procurement personnel to identify HRIS business, functional, and technical requirements.
• Conduct stakeholder interviews, workshops, and requirements-gathering sessions.
• Assess current HR processes and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Develop clear and comprehensive procurement specifications and solicitation documentation.
• Support responses to bidder questions and assist with procurement-related communications.

1. Market Research and Vendor Evaluation * Research HRIS vendors, available solutions, market options, and implementation approaches. * Analyze vendor capabilities, competition, risks, pricing, and cost considerations. * Support the development of vendor evaluation criteria and evaluation processes. * Assist with proposal reviews, vendor interviews, negotiations, and selection recommendations. * Demonstrate experience from at least two comparable information-system procurement projects.

2. Project Management and Governance * Develop and maintain project plans, schedules, milestones, deliverables, and dependencies. * Coordinate activities among the client, procurement team, HRIS vendor, and other stakeholders. * Prepare status reports covering completed work, upcoming activities, risks, issues, decisions, and corrective actions. * Maintain project risk, issue, and decision logs. * Monitor project progress and escalate delays, implementation risks, and unresolved issues.

3. HRIS Implementation Oversight * Coordinate implementation activities with the selected HRIS vendor and client stakeholders. * Support implementation planning, technical oversight, testing coordination, and quality assurance. * Coordinate data conversion and validation activities. * Facilitate test planning, defect tracking, remediation, and retesting. * Assess implementation readiness and provide recommendations before go-live. * Monitor cutover activities, payroll-related risks, data integrity, system availability, and operational readiness. * Oversee post-go-live stabilization and track outstanding defects through resolution. * Conduct post-implementation reviews and recommend process improvements.

4. Stakeholder Communication and Documentation * Facilitate project meetings and stakeholder workshops. * Prepare meeting minutes, project reports, procurement documents, implementation plans, and recommendations. * Communicate effectively with executive leadership, procurement officials, business users, and technical teams. * Maintain confidentiality and objectivity throughout the procurement and evaluation process., The engagement is based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Remote work may be possible, but the consultant must be available for the required onsite planning kickoff and accommodate additional onsite attendance if requested by the client.

The consultant must be available during the client’s normal business hours of 8:00 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday.

Travel-related expenses are subject to the client’s prior written approval and applicable reimbursement provisions.

• At least 10 years of project management experience.
• At least 5 years of public procurement consulting experience.
• Demonstrated experience supporting the successful procurement of at least two similar information systems.
• Direct experience through employment or professional engagements involving public utilities or other public entities.
• Experience working with procurement teams, business stakeholders, technical teams, and senior management.
• Strong written communication, documentation, facilitation, risk management, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to provide verifiable project histories, responsibilities, dates, and professional references., * Experience supporting HRIS or enterprise systems such as Workday, Oracle HCM, SAP SuccessFactors, UKG, or comparable platforms.
• Experience with public-sector or public-utility procurement procedures.
• Familiarity with formal RFP/RFQ development, vendor evaluation, cost analysis, and contract negotiations.
• Experience overseeing SaaS implementations, data migration, testing, payroll validation, and go-live readiness.
• PMP, PgMP, or other relevant project management certification is desirable., 2. A summary demonstrating at least 10 years of project management experience. 3. Details of at least 5 years of public procurement consulting experience. 4. Details of at least two successfully completed, similar information-system procurements, including:
• Public entity or organization
• System or platform procured
• Project duration
• Candidate’s role and responsibilities
• Procurement activities performed
• Project outcome 5. Examples of experience with public utilities or other public entities. 6. Professional references who can verify relevant project experience. 7. Current location, availability, willingness to attend onsite meetings in Arkansas, and U.S. work-authorization status.