Project Manager in Virginia Beach, Virginia at Commence

Commence, headquartered in Virginia Beach, VA, is a mission-led, technology-driven company built to solve the hardest problems in federal health care and drive measurable outcomes. Its work spans program integrity and compliance, quality improvement and measurement science, health informatics, interoperability, and AI, delivered across the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Defense Health Agency (DHA), and state health agencies. At its center is a data-centric philosophy grounded in a simple conviction: that better data, made accessible, connected, and usable, is the raw material of better decisions, better care, and better efficiency.

The Project Manager runs the day-to-day execution of client programs, driving scope, schedule, cost, and quality from kickoff through closeout. This is a hands-on role for someone who takes a project and runs it: tracking deliverables to completion, keeping cost and schedule in view, and giving leadership a clear read on where each program stands. You will manage multiple projects at once.

This is a role for a doer, not just a delegator. You will move projects forward yourself, not only assign the work, and you will run several at once, shifting context across programs as priorities change. We are looking for someone who works well with light oversight and can be trusted to run their projects without being managed task by task.

Project Execution

• Plan, execute, and monitor assigned projects end to end using established project management methodologies, driving deliverables through completion, not just to hand-off
• Manage scope, schedule, budget, quality, risks, issues, and stakeholders across the full project lifecycle
• Partner with Technical Delivery Managers to plan and deliver client work, keeping project execution and technical execution aligned
• Keep an accurate, current view of project status and surface issues to leadership and the client early
• Identify and resolve issues early; implement corrective and preventive actions before they reach the client

Cost & Schedule Management

• Manage project cost and schedule performance to plan; understand and explain variances as they arise
• Provide project inputs for invoicing and financial reporting on a regular, predefined cadence
• Partner with finance and contracts on funding, modifications, and burn; flag cost or schedule exposure while there is still time to act on it
• Apply the right discipline for the contract type across CPFF, T&M, and Firm-Fixed-Price work

Reporting & Stakeholder Management

• Prepare and present project status reports, dashboards, and deliverables to internal and external stakeholders
• Serve as a reliable point of contact for assigned clients, holding the account posture rather than catching up to it
• Coordinate across technical, operations, and growth teams to keep cross-functional work aligned

Continuous Improvement

• Drive process and quality improvements that raise performance and client value
• Support business development as needed, including pricing input, proposal contributions, and client presentations

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, operations management, finance, or a related field, or equivalent experience
• 3-5 years of project management experience, preferably in federal, state and local government, healthcare, or commercial sectors
• Self-directed and hands-on; able to run several projects at once with light oversight, doing the work and shifting context across programs as priorities change
• Demonstrated command of project cost and schedule; able to read a project financially, not just track tasks
• Experience supporting CPFF, T&M, and Fixed-Price contracts
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to make data-driven decisions
• Clear, professional written and verbal communication
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365 (Excel, Teams, SharePoint, Outlook) and project or ticketing tools such as Jira

Preferred

• PMP certification
• Experience with healthcare data management, analytics, governance, quality, or data integration programs
• Familiarity with federal or state health programs and agencies
• Experience with agile or hybrid delivery frameworks

Work Environment/Physical Demands

The work environment and physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This is an in-office position. While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works in a climate-controlled environment. Candidates must be able to sit, read, work on a computer, and watch a computer screen for extended periods of time. Occasionally required to stand, walk, use hands and fingers, kneel or crouch.

Commence is an equal employment opportunity employer. All personnel processes are merit-based and applied without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, disability, national or ethnic origin, military and veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Commence is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants, including individuals with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process due to a disability, please contact Human Resources at (757) 306-4920 or hr@commence.ai. Please note that unless you are requesting an accommodation, all applications must be submitted through our online application system.