Elections Project Manager (MS SoS Project Manager)

Position: Elections Project Manager & Consultant
Client: State of Mississippi – Secretary of State
Project: Statewide Elections Management System (SEMS)
Location: Onsite – Mississippi
Contract Start Date: January 1, 2027
Contract Duration: Annually renewable
Experience Required: 10+ Years
Education: Bachelor’s Degree or Higher
Work Schedule: Approximately 20 hours per week (1,040 hours annually)
Working Hours: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM CST (Election Days: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM CST, as required)
Travel: Rare, as needed
Overtime: No

Job Responsibilities
The selected consultant will work directly with the Elections Division of the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office and oversee project management, technical coordination, and county-level support for the Statewide Elections Management System (SEMS).

Key responsibilities include:

Manage software application development projects and oversee SEMS development activities, enhancements, timelines, and deliverables.
Coordinate and manage third-party software development vendors, ensuring project milestones and agency requirements are met.
Act as the primary liaison between the Secretary of State’s Office, county election officials, and the development vendor.
Document, track, communicate, and escalate technical issues, system defects, and enhancement requests through resolution.
Provide technical consultation and assistance to county election officials regarding SEMS functionality, system utilization, and troubleshooting.
Coordinate and deliver user training to county election officials on SEMS operations, system features, and approved election-related guidance.
Work with technical and nontechnical stakeholders to ensure effective communication, issue resolution, and project execution.
Support software development lifecycle activities, quality assurance, UAT, system integration, and change/release management as applicable.
Maintain detailed timesheets for project hours, funding documentation, and audit requirements.
Required Skills & Experience
Candidates must demonstrate relevant experience in the following areas:

10+ years of relevant professional experience.
Software application project management.
Third-party vendor management and coordination.
Elections systems and government operations.
Technical issue management, troubleshooting, documentation, and resolution.
Stakeholder communication and coordination with technical and nontechnical teams.
System consultation, end-user support, and training.
Familiarity with Mississippi election administration, Mississippi county election processes and procedures, and the Statewide Elections Management System (SEMS) is required.
Preferred / Additional Qualifications
The following experience would be an advantage:

Experience with election management systems or comparable enterprise applications.
Familiarity with application security, secure software development, vulnerability management, access controls, and data protection.
SDLC methodologies, QA, UAT, database management, and systems integration.
Software change and release management.
Previous experience working with state/local government agencies and county-level operations.
Experience coordinating technology projects and providing technical consultation and training to government personnel.
Important: The role requires familiarity with Mississippi election administration, county election processes, and SEMS. Candidates should also be comfortable with onsite work in Mississippi and the approximately 20-hour weekly schedule.