Director of IT Projects

What we need

TCDRS offers an innovative, strategic and collaborative culture that uses best-practice technologies to enable our strategic initiatives, services, security and business processes. We have been focused on delivering services in a more digital, efficient and secure environment. Over the past few years, we’ve worked to modernize our systems and processes — not just to keep up with technology, but to better meet the evolving needs of our members and employers.

One of our most significant shifts has been implementing automated workflows and straight-through processing when coded validations pass to improve security, efficiency, flexibility and empowerment. Read more about our digital transformation story.

TCDRS is now looking for an experienced Director of IT Projects to lead innovative technology initiatives that support more than 400,000 Texans who rely on us for retirement, disability and survivor benefits.

The Director of IT Projects provides leadership and oversight for a portfolio of technology projects that support organizational goals through the development, delivery and ongoing enhancement of technology products and digital capabilities. Working within a collaborative IT team of approximately 30 professionals and partnering with external consultants, this role ensures technology initiatives are delivered successfully through effective planning, governance, risk management, stakeholder engagement and resource allocation.

The role leads projects to achieve scope, schedule, quality and budget objectives while managing dependencies across systems, technologies, vendors and delivery teams. TCDRS offers an innovative and collaborative culture that leverages modern technologies to support organizational priorities, service excellence, cybersecurity and business operations.

What you’ll do

Technical Project and Portfolio Delivery

• Lead planning, governance and delivery of enterprise technology projects that support organizational priorities, strategic initiatives and business outcomes that apply Agile and hybrid delivery methodologies.

• Manage project risks, dependencies, obstacles and milestones to ensure successful and timely delivery.

• Deliver a portfolio of technology projects including digital transformation, customer service improvements, legacy system retirement, system upgrades, software selection and implementation, cybersecurity projects, backlog development, and process modernization.

• Facilitate application rationalization, software evaluation and modernization initiatives using digital-first principles and cost-benefit considerations.

Technology Implementation and Modernization

• Dive into work breakdown structure and enterprise multi-system parts list to ensure project plans appropriately address application features, integrations, data requirements, technical deliverables, testing activities and implementation dependencies.

• Support development and execution of enterprise technology roadmaps by translating strategic objectives into actionable project plans that balance innovation, value and risk while leading the end-to-end product lifecycle.

• Lead all phases of the project lifecycle, from requirements and planning through development, testing, deployment and implementation.

• Oversee product backlogs, release planning and feature prioritization.

Project Governance and Quality

• Establish and maintain right-sized delivery frameworks, governance processes and project delivery standards to support consistent execution, effective documentation and templates.

• Ensure compliance with applicable security, data quality and enterprise architecture requirements.

• Manage project methodology, documentation and governance models with continuous improvement of project artifacts, requirements documentation templates and test scripts.

• Oversee quality assurance, user acceptance testing, production readiness reviews and deployment activities.

Stakeholder Engagement and Communication

• Collaborate with business leaders, technology teams, vendors, consultants and external partners to ensure successful project outcomes.

• Communicate product strategy, risks, dependencies, progress and key decisions to stakeholders at all levels of the organization.

• Facilitate strategies based on organizational value and impact. Drive continuous improvement through user feedback, analytics and performance monitoring.

Leadership and Team Development

• Lead and mentor cross-functional project teams.

• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation and accountability.

• Support resource planning, workload prioritization and professional development to ensure effective project execution.

What you should have

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Business Administration or related field.

• 5+ years of experience in technology product management, project delivery or digital transformation.

• 3+ years of project management experience.

• Strong knowledge of Agile methodologies, governance practices and product management with a technical aptitude.

• Understand technical deliverables such as stored procedures, database design elements, data quality, integrations and APIs.

• Experience with enterprise technology platforms, managing vendor relationships, project management methodologies, standards and best practices.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Agile delivery frameworks, including Scrum, Kanban, SAFe and hybrid methodologies.

• Experience in financial services, pension administration or public sector is a plus.

What you’ll get

TCDRS offers a competitive salary, exceptional health benefits and a collaborative work environment in Austin, Texas, overlooking Zilker Park. Our hybrid schedule includes four days in the office and one remote day each week. At this time, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position.

As Director of IT Projects, you will have the opportunity to lead meaningful technology initiatives that directly improve how hundreds of thousands of Texans access and manage important retirement benefits while helping shape the future of a highly innovative technology organization.

At TCDRS, we help provide more than 400,000 Texans with retirement, disability and survivor benefits. TCDRS is one of the best-funded retirement systems in the nation. Although we provide retirement benefits or “pensions” to hard-working Texans, our unique features distinguish us from traditional pension plans and keep us financially strong.

Our culture is grounded in integrity, care and anticipation. We believe in doing the right thing, serving our members and employers with care, and looking ahead to create better solutions for the future.