Senior Project Manager – FHWA Research Communications

Description The Senior Project Manager will lead a complex, high-visibility research communications, publications, web content, and stakeholder outreach program supporting FHWA’s Office of Research, Development, and Technology and the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center. This role is responsible for managing a portfolio of communications, publication, marketing, digital, web, and outreach projects in a busy research communications environment.

The Senior Project Manager will provide strategic planning, resource allocation, schedule management, quality oversight, risk management, and direct coordination with Government Contracting Officers, CORs, Task Managers, researchers, editors, designers, web specialists, and communications staff. The successful candidate will ensure that all deliverables are completed on schedule, within budget, and in accordance with FHWA, TFHRC, Section 508, branding, and publishing standards.

Key Responsibilities

Manage the overall execution of research communications, publications, web content, and outreach support activities. Serve as the primary project management interface with Government stakeholders, including the CO, COR, Task Managers, and FHWA researchers. Oversee complex portfolios of technical publications, marketing materials, Public Roads magazine support, web content, digital campaigns, newsletters, event materials, and multimedia products.

Develop and maintain project schedules, milestone trackers, production timelines, staffing plans, risk registers, and performance metrics. Ensure staff consistently update the RD&T product submission and project tracking system so customers can monitor project status. Coordinate multidisciplinary teams including writers, editors, web specialists, designers, publication specialists, outreach specialists, and multimedia staff.

Monitor deliverables for timeliness, quality, accuracy, compliance, and customer satisfaction. Conduct or support recurring project status meetings and provide meeting notes, action items, and follow-up tracking. Prepare monthly progress reports, project status summaries, project highlights, ad hoc reports, and executive-level updates.

Ensure implementation of the Quality Control Plan and continuous improvement of workflow, review, and production processes. Support transition planning, knowledge transfer, and orderly handoff of active publications, magazine issues, web products, and marketing materials if required.

Requirements

Master’s degree or bachelor’s degree with relevant experience in Business, Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Public Affairs, or a related technical discipline. Minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience. Experience leading multidisciplinary communications, publications, marketing, editorial, web, or outreach teams.

Experience managing publication of technical information from concept through final product. Experience overseeing products such as technical reports, one-page flyers, presentations, videos, online tours, social media content, web content, and other communications collateral. Strong project management, scheduling, risk management, and stakeholder coordination skills.

Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience supporting FHWA, USDOT, TFHRC, or another federal research, transportation, science, engineering, or technical communications program. Experience in highway, surface transportation, infrastructure, safety, operations, research, or technology deployment communications. PMP, CAPM, Agile, or similar project management certification preferred.

Experience with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, SharePoint, project tracking systems, and publication workflow tools.