Sr. HR Specialist - Program Manager

Title: Program Manager - Human Resources

Location: Remote

Company Overview

At APV, we’re more than a technology company — we’re a mission-driven powerhouse transforming organizations through advanced technology and human ingenuity. Our expertise spans AI/ML, data architecture, low-code/no-code development, Agile DevSecOps, and cloud services, delivering scalable and meaningful solutions.

In our Emerging Technology Lab, innovation drives progress. Our teams create intelligent chatbots, AI-powered assistants, robotic process automation (RPA), essay graders, and data analytics platforms. If you’re passionate about solving complex challenges and shaping the future, APV is the place for you. Since 2007, we’ve partnered with federal and state agencies to deliver IT, training, and consulting solutions that achieve mission-critical outcomes. Built on accountability, integrity, and quality, we go beyond expectations. With 70+ prime contracts and a proven record of client success, APV continues to grow — and we’re looking for exceptional talent to grow with us.

At APV, we Always Provide Value

Summary

APV is seeking a Senior HR Program Management to lead program management of human capital initiatives in support of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) and component HR offices. The Senior HR Program Manager owns assigned HR program portfolios end-to-end — including program planning, schedule and milestone management, financial management, risk and issue management, governance, CDRL delivery, and stakeholder engagement — across human capital functional areas such as recruitment and placement, classification and position management, employee relations, benefits, workforce planning, performance management, and HR operations.

This role applies disciplined PMBOK-based and Agile program management practices to federal HR initiatives, with the federal HR fluency required to make program decisions reflect federal HR realities. The Senior HR Program Manager prepares project plans, monthly status reports, budget reports, and risk mitigation strategies; conducts regular meetings with the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and key client stakeholders; and serves as a senior point of contact for OCHCO leadership, component CHROs, OGC, and APV leadership.

Duties

Program Planning, Schedule & Milestone Management

• Prepare project plans with the requisite schedule, milestones, dependencies, and critical path for completing all tasks described in the Statement of Work (SOW) and Performance Work Statement (PWS), as appropriate.
• Develop and maintain program management artifacts, including the Project Management Plan, Schedule Management Plan, Risk Management Plan, Communications Plan, Quality Management Plan, and Configuration Management Plan.
• Lead release planning, sprint coordination, gate reviews, and milestone-based decision points across assigned HR programs.
• Coordinate cross-workstream dependencies with parallel HR initiatives, OCIO partners, integration teams, and component HR partners.
Manage CDRL deliverable submissions and acceptance, including monthly status reports, technical reports, and program management artifacts.

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Financial Management & Reporting

• Provide monthly status reports including financial data associated with budget, schedule status, risk and issue summaries, and key program metrics.
• Monitor, track, and update budget reports monthly, including labor burn rates, ODC and travel utilization, contract ceiling tracking, and forecast-to-complete analysis.
• Maintain accurate records of contract modifications, task order assignments, and surge support requests.
• Support program reviews, in-progress reviews (IPRs), and stakeholder briefings with accurate and timely financial and schedule data.
Identify cost variances, schedule variances, and scope risks; recommend corrective actions to APV leadership and the COR.

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Team Performance, Stakeholder Engagement & Quality

• Ensure team members meet clients’ expectations on quality, timeliness, and responsiveness.
• Proactively manage team members' performance and take timely and appropriate actions when performance issues arise.
• Conduct regular meetings with the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and key client stakeholders, including OCHCO leadership and component HR partners.
• Coordinate internal and external meetings with the client as required, including governance forums, working groups, and executive briefings.
Lead workforce planning across assigned program portfolios, including recruitment coordination with APV leadership, onboarding, role assignments, and offboarding for assigned staff.

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Risk Management, Issue Resolution & Decision Support

• Identify risks and develop risk mitigation strategies as needed across program, schedule, financial, technical, security, privacy, and stakeholder dimensions.
• Maintain the pro gram risk register, issue log, and decision log; drive risk and issue resolution through closure with assigned owners.
• Lead escalation management, including timely escalation to OCHCO leadership, the COR, and APV leadership when warranted.
• Coordinate change control activities, including change requests, impact analysis, and change advisory board (CAB) coordination.
Provide decision support analysis, including options analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and tradeoff analysis for OCHCO leadership.

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Federal HR Fluency & Program Context

• Apply federal HR operations and human capital management experience to ensure program decisions reflect federal HR realities, including the OPM Guide to Processing Personnel Actions (GPPA), the OPM Guide to Personnel Recordkeeping, Title 5 authorities (Chapters 53, 55, 61, 63, 75, 83, 84, 87, 89), 5 CFR governing regulations, and DHS-specific HR policy.
• Coordinate program activities affecting multiple human capital functional areas, including recruitment and placement, classification and position management, employee relations, benefits, performance management, workforce planning, and HR operations.
• Apply OCM and union notification considerations under 5 USC Chapter 71 in coordination with labor relations partners for changes affecting bargaining unit conditions of employment.
• Coordinate program activities with the DHS Privacy Office on PII, SPII, and SORN considerations affecting HR systems of records.
Mentor journeyman HR Program Managers; review their program artifacts for analytical rigor, methodological discipline, and policy compliance.

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Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Public Administration, Business Administration, Organizational Development, Information Management, or a related field.
• MA/MS degree in Human Resources Management, Public Administration, Business Administration, or equivalent preferred.
Equivalent experience may be considered based on contract requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Active DHS Public Trust or favorably adjudicated investigation; ability to obtain and maintain required suitability/access throughout the period of performance.
• Minimum 8-10 years of progressive federal experience in human capital management or federal HR operations, including significant program/project management experience leading complex federal HR initiatives.
• Demonstrated mastery of program management discipline, including project planning, schedule management, financial management, risk management, CDRL delivery, and executive stakeholder management.
• Working knowledge of federal HR authorities across multiple specialties, including Title 5, 5 CFR, OPM guidance, the GPPA, and DHS-specific policy.
• Ability to lead and provide effective communication to team and key stakeholders, including the COR, OCHCO leadership, and component HR partners.
• Knowledge of problem-solving processes; adaptable and flexible to client and Company needs.
• Ability to motivate and manage team and project to ensure top-quality results and on-time delivery.
• Excellent writing skills with specific attention to detail, customer service, and approach to delivering work.
• Good organization and time management skills.
• Ability to multi-task effectively and prioritize and re-prioritize as needed in a fast-paced, quickly changing environment.
Skilled in Microsoft Outlook applications; proficiency with Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Jira, Azure DevOps, and SharePoint required.

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Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience supporting OCHCO, OPM, or other federal Human Capital programs.
• Prior experience supporting DHS or DHS component HR programs (CBP, ICE, FEMA, TSA, USCIS, CISA, USCG, USSS, or other DHS organizations).
• Project Management Professional (PMP), Program Management Professional (PgMP), PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), or SAFe Program Consultant (SPC) credential.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
• ITIL v4 Foundation or higher.
• SHRM-SCP, IPMA-SCP, SPHR, or comparable senior HR certification.
• Experience supporting CDRL delivery and federal contract program management.
Experience supporting HR system implementations, modernization programs, or HR shared services transitions.

ABOUT APV

APV is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or marital status.