Utilities PMO Director
Location: Detroit, MI
Job Type: contract
Company: The Select Group
Job Description Apply Now
PMO DIRECTOR-UTILITIES (onsite- Detroit MI)
The Select Group is seeking a Utilities PMO Director who will serve as TSG’s senior executive leader and single point of accountability for our PMO managed services engagement. This role directs governance, execution oversight, and stakeholder coordination across all active program pillars functioning as the operational and strategic center of gravity for TSG’s entire delivery footprint.
This is a high-visibility, operationally intensive role requiring executive presence, utility industry credibility, and hands-on program leadership. The Utilities PMO Director will have direct accountability for program governance, portfolio visibility, delivery performance, and sustained client satisfaction throughout the engagement.
Core Responsibilities
- Serve as TSG’s primary executive Utilities interface and single point of accountability to program leadership and steering committee for all PMO governance, delivery performance, and strategic alignment
- Establish and oversee governance structure, decision-making authority, escalation protocols, and formal governance forums across all active program pillars
- Lead steering committee briefings and executive reporting—presenting program status, risks, escalations, and critical decisions requiring leadership action
- Conduct Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) with stakeholders; deliver presentations in advance and capture action items for incorporation before the next review cycle
- Host monthly leadership meetings covering resource status, team performance, improvement plans, and upcoming portfolio pipeline
- Maintain portfolio baseline and ongoing tracking across all program pillars—initiative inventory, scope boundaries, milestone schedules, capital and operating spend, and cross-pillar dependency mapping
- Drive execution acceleration; work with pillar leads to identify critical path accelerators, parallel workstreams, and near-term schedule opportunities to maintain program momentum
- Establish decision-readiness protocols ensuring steering committee receives complete analysis, options, trade-offs, and TSG recommendations to enable rapid decision-making without delay loops
- Manage all scope modifications through formal change control—evaluate change impact against program objectives, document clearly, implement with full transparency, and track implications across schedule, budget, and resources
- Lead daily risk and issue management; maintain centralized risk/issue log, escalate top risks to steering committee with recommended mitigations, identify systemic patterns and recommend preventive actions
- Forecast resource needs before gaps occur; scale TSG team composition up or down based on validated portfolio findings and evolving program scope without disrupting delivery
- Direct TSG’s on-site delivery team (Project Managers, Cost Engineers, Schedulers) and coordinate remote SME resources aligned to program scope and complexity
- Manage key personnel continuity; provide DTE with advanced notice and obtain approval before any changes to key team members
- Coordinate with DTE finance and pillar stakeholders on capital tracking, spend forecasting, and budget management aligned to initiative execution
- Actively measure delivery performance, solicit stakeholder feedback, and drive continuous improvement through regular business reviews throughout the engagement lifecycle
- 20+ years of program and project management experience in complex, regulated environments (utilities, energy, infrastructure, or similar), including operational leadership experience
- 15+ years of PMO leadership experience, including standing up PMOs from scratch, establishing governance frameworks, and managing multi-pillar/multi-initiative portfolios
- Demonstrated experience managing $500M+ capital program portfolios with complex stakeholder coordination, regulatory compliance requirements, and multi-year project lifecycles
- Proven ability to work directly with C-suite executives, steering committees, and board-level decision-makers in high-stakes operational environments
- Experience with rapid PMO activation and emergency/post-event recovery program management
- Strong portfolio management discipline including initiative prioritization, dependency mapping, risk/issue management, and governance enforcement
- Experience with portfolio management tools (Smartsheet, Maximo, Hyperion, or similar) and enterprise reporting systems
- Expertise in capital program delivery, project controls, schedule management, and cost/budget forecasting
- Understanding of utility industry operations, regulatory frameworks (NERC, state public utility commissions), and infrastructure asset management
- Project Management Professional (PMP) or Program Management Professional (PgMP) certification preferred
- Executive presence and credibility with C-suite and board-level stakeholders
- Operational discipline and governance enforcement without bureaucratic overhead
- Complex stakeholder management across engineering, operations, finance, and executive teams
- Strategic thinking with focus on execution and results delivery
- Rapid decision-making and problem-solving under compressed timelines
- Strong communication and presentation skills for executive-level reporting
- Team leadership and ability to scale teams based on actual demand
- Risk management and escalation protocol discipline
- Change management and organizational effectiveness in crisis/post-event environments
TSG is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.
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