Public Sector Strategy Project Manager

Your Journey at Crowe Starts Here:

At Crowe, you can build a meaningful and rewarding career. With real flexibility to balance work with life moments, you’re trusted to deliver results and make an impact. We embrace you for who you are, care for your well-being, and nurture your career. Everyone has equitable access to opportunities for career growth and leadership. Over our 80-year history, delivering excellent service through innovation has been a core part of our DNA across our audit, tax, and consulting groups. That’s why we continuously invest in innovative ideas, such as AI-enabled insights and technology-powered solutions, to enhance our services. Join us at Crowe and embark on a career where you can help shape the future of our industry.

Job Description:

What It Means to Be a Consultant at Crowe
Consulting is a dynamic business focused on solving problems for our clients and serving our core markets through innovative solutions. As technology and AI continue to reshape the consulting landscape, we are looking for individuals who are curious, adaptable, and eager to learn. At Crowe, consultants are expected to build both technical and transferable skills, think critically, and use technology to solve real business problems. In this role, you will continuously learn, collaborate across teams, and explore how tools, including emerging AI capabilities, can improve efficiency, insights, and client outcomes.

In management at Crowe, you play a pivotal role in leading teams, guiding project execution, and deepening client relationships. You are expected to contribute to account planning, identify opportunities to add value, and ensure high-quality delivery. As your responsibilities expand, you take on broader account ownership, balancing project leadership with growing involvement in client strategy and solution development.

Success in this role comes from a growth mindset, strong communication skills, advanced critical thinking, and the ability to navigate new challenges with confidence

About the role

The California State Controller’s Office (SCO) is currently implementing a large and complex SaaS solution to support the California State Payroll System (CSPS) project. CSPS is a massive project, and the implementation includes both Personnel and Payroll functionality to support the needs of some 300,000 employees across 160 agencies and 21 bargaining units. With an estimated project budget exceeding $1 billion and staffing approaching 200 IT professionals, this highly complex effort is expected to continue for the next several years.   

Description

The Project Management Office (PMO) is responsible for execution, maintenance and enhancement of the CSPS Project Management Plans.

PMO responsibilities include:

• ensuring that formal PM processes are in place and followed across all project workstreams (leadership, functional, technical, and organizational change management)
• ensuring documentation is maintained in accordance with policy and procedure
• regular periodic reporting on project risks, issues, and overall health, including stakeholder presentations as needed
• assisting the CSPS Leadership Team in monitoring system integrator performance
• providing analysis and recommendations for improvements to project management processes

The CSPS PMO is currently staffed by four senior project managers who each work directly with a state and system integrator counterpart.

Contract Required Qualifications for the Senior Project Manager Role

Requires a minimum of seven (7) years of broad, extensive and increasingly responsible experience applying PM principles, methods, techniques, and tools. At least four (4) years of that experience must have been as a senior PM of one or more large or complex IT projects.

Possession of (a) a bachelor’s degree, and (b) a valid Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI)

• Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis. The PMP certification is required and may not be substituted with additional experience.

Additional Qualifications

The Senior PM role requires proven project management skills in a highly complex and large-scale IT implementation. The successful candidate will need to work well in a dynamic environment, providing exceptional client service with outstanding professionalism. The role requires direct interaction with client and system integrator staff, as well as:     

• Strong analytical, organizational and core project management skills
• Ability to help client personnel to leverage technology to solve business problems
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with a commitment to client service and professionalism
• Possess conceptual thinking skills, creativity and flexibility
• Work well both independently and in a team
• Must be self-sufficient and have the ability to self-manage
• Experienced and comfortable in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio)
• Ability to learn quickly and adapt with other technology applications in day-to-day work

Other

• Candidates will need to complete and pass a background check conducted by SCO prior to beginning work
• Remote work is allowed, but staff must be based in the continental United States. With advance notice, project staff will occasionally need to travel to Sacramento for project meetings.
• Normal working hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific time. All staff, regardless of location, are required to perform duties within those hours.

We expect the candidate to uphold Crowe’s values of Care, Trust, Courage, and Stewardship. These values define who we are. We expect all of our people to act ethically and with integrity at all times.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. Crowe is not sponsoring for work authorization at this time.

The wage range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled. At Crowe, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is $100,400.00 - $205,300.00 per year.

Our Benefits:
Your exceptional people experience starts here. At Crowe, we know that great people are what makes a great firm. We care about our people and offer employees a comprehensive total rewards package. Learn more about what working at Crowe can mean for you!

How You Can Grow:
We will nurture your talent in an inclusive culture that values diversity. You will have the chance to meet on a consistent basis with your Career Coach that will guide you in your career goals and aspirations. Learn more about where talent can prosper!

More about Crowe:
Crowe provides professional services through two separate entities: Crowe LLP delivers audit and attest services, and Crowe Advisory LLC provides tax, advisory, consulting, and other nonattest services.

The Crowe Global network consists of more than 300 independent accounting and advisory services firms in more than 150 countries around the globe, making it one of the largest accounting networks in the world*. As independent members of Crowe Global, Crowe LLP and Crowe Advisory LLC serve clients worldwide. (*As of July 2026)

Crowe LLP and Crowe Advisory LLC (and their respective subsidiary entities) provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetics, national origin, disability or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Crowe LLP and Crowe Advisory LLC (and their respective subsidiary entities) does not accept unsolicited candidates, referrals or resumes from any staffing agency, recruiting service, sourcing entity or any other third-party paid service at any time. Any referrals, resumes or candidates submitted to Crowe, or any employee or owner of Crowe without a pre-existing agreement signed by both parties covering the submission will be considered the property of Crowe, and free of charge.

Crowe will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the California Fair Chance Act.

Please visit our webpage to see notices of the various state and local Ban-the-Box laws and Fair Chance Ordinances, where applicable.

We are committed to a merit-based hiring process, evaluating all candidates consistently using objective, job-related criteria such as relevant experience, demonstrated skills, measurable impact, and alignment with the role’s responsibilities, and making employment decisions in a fair and inclusive manner free from discrimination.

If you are interested in applying for employment with Crowe and are in need of an accommodation or require special assistance to navigate our website or to complete your application, please visit our Applicant Assistance and Accommodations page for more information: https://careers.crowe.com/crowe-applicant-assistance-and-accommodation