Position Summary
The Department of Revenue is seeking an Executive Project Director to provide strategic leadership for the management, stability and efficient functioning of a multimillion-dollar PRISM Tax system and its external facing portal, the Philadelphia Tax Center. The position will have responsibility for long-range planning and continuous improvement initiatives that ensure the Department’s operational processes remain both efficient, effective and align with organizational goals.
The Executive Project Director will coordinate and champion ongoing enhancements of the Department’s business operations. This includes leading the Production Support, Security Administration and System Training Support teams, which include directing the production support activities and maintenance support workflow. The position will also guide a dedicated team focused on driving continuous improvement across all areas of the Department.
Reporting directly to the Revenue Commissioner, the Executive Project Director will collaborate with operational deputies, Information Technology partners, tax system vendors and external stakeholders to ensure business continuity, process optimization, long-term system sustainability and ensure the tax system functionality supports the Department’s mission.
Essential Functions
The Executive Project Director provides strategic oversight of the following areas:
PRISM Production Support
Staffed by an Operations Manager and Business Analysts:
- Ensure business processes are fully defined, developed and tested through the service request process to support seamless integration into the PRISM Tax System.
- Evaluate the validity, feasibility and impact of requested system changes and enhancements.
- Analyze operational processes and recommend improvements to optimize resources, streamline workflows, and enhance service and product delivery while ensuring effective communication between technical and non-technical teams to support successful implementation of changes.
- Ensure adequate quality assurance and testing of all system elements.
- Identify, manage, and escalate risk factors, contingency plans, and potential solutions to appropriate stakeholders
- Collaborate with business units and external end-users to investigate, identify, and confirm customer-reported or product issues.
- Oversee vendor activities and ensure all deliverables conform to contractual and functional requirements.
- Work with operational teams to recommend, prioritize and implement system changes that enhance performance and user experience.
PRISM Compliance and Security
Staffed by Security Administrator and Security Compliance Analysts:
- Manage security administration for approximately 900 user accounts across multiple environments within the Department of Revenue’s integrated tax system, ensuring consistent application of security standards and governance policies.
- Design, document, and improve security processes and procedures.
- Drive organizational change by collaborating with department stakeholders to refine workflows, strengthen interdepartmental coordination, and streamline user access and security maintenance processes.
- Investigate reports of compromised accounts and suspicious user activity by collecting, analyzing and interpreting user activity data.
- Ensure full compliance with internal and external audit requests from Central and Auditing Agencies, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
- Implement updated protocols and process enhancements in response to audit findings, security recommendations and best practices.
- Provide oversight of user authentication and log-in issues, resolving PRISM-related security concerns and coordinating with Information Technology support on broader network incidents that impact Revenue’s systems.
Continuous Improvement- Systems & Process Improvement /Project Management
Staffed by CI and Project Team:
- Drive process optimization and oversee the planning, coordination, and delivery of departmental projects using structured methodologies such as Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen, and Root Cause Analysis, PMP and other recognized frameworks.
- Leverage core platforms (PRISM, Basis2, Univerge Blue, and the Philadelphia Tax Center) to optimize workflows, automate functions, and redesign processes to reduce redundancies, strengthen compliance, and improve taxpayer experience.
- Embed quality management practices, including quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC), to standardize how issues are identified, measured, and resolved.
- Use quality insights as a foundation for broader CI initiatives Ensure CI initiatives deliver measurable improvements in efficiency, compliance, and customer service.
- Facilitate collaboration between CI/PMO teams, operational divisions, and external city departments to ensure seamless integration of improvement and system updates.
- Direct the development of departmental dashboards, KPIs, and benchmarking protocols to monitor performance and CI/PMO impact.
- Lead the PMO and serve as executive sponsor for projects working in coordination with Production Support Operations. Include the approval of project charters and roadmaps; validate scope, schedule, budget, resources, and success metrics; ensure rigorous risks, issue, and change control.
- Set standards for project methodologies (PMP/Lean), documentation, and stakeholder communication.
- Track project milestones and deliverables using appropriate project management tools and methodologies.
Customer Experience & Service Excellence
Staffed by Project Team:
- Design, analyze and implement initiatives that improve interactions across phone, in-person, and electronic channels.
- Establish and monitor Service Level Agreements (SLAs); and use customer satisfaction surveys/Net Promoter Score (NPS) to drive service improvements. Ensuring these standards are measurable and tied to departmental KPIs.
- Monitor and improve customer service experience, using insights to drive CI initiatives that enhance responsiveness and reduce waiting times.
- Lead projects and initiatives that enhance customer experience by implementing electronic and automation solutions aligned with tax system service excellence priorities.
Essential Functions
- Lead the analysis of complex business processes and drive process redesign initiatives that drive best practices, enhance operations and optimize system capabilities.
- Work collaboratively with Revenue management to determine, evaluate and implement interim and long-term operational models that support departmental and citywide objectives.
- Collaborate with City departments that rely on tax revenue collection data, including Finance, Auditing, Property Assessment to ensure accurate, timely and integrated information sharing.
- Lead Organizational Change Management (OCM) efforts, including communication planning, stakeholder engagement, and coordination with City department, and external partners.
- Conduct cost/benefit analysis for proposed initiatives, operational changes and strategic investments.
- Prepare timely status reports, dashboards, and executive-level summaries to show ongoing results of project initiatives.
- Provide strategic guidance to resolve operational and project-related issues, ensuring alignment with goals and timelines.
- Make informed and timely decisions within approved scope, timelines, and resource constraints.
- Communicate proactively with leadership, vendors, project teams, internal and external stakeholders to ensure alignment and shared understanding of projects and initiatives.
- Consult with vendors, staff, and stakeholders to troubleshoot issues, identify solutions and maintain operational continuity.
- Organize, facilitate, and participate in stakeholder meetings to identify needs, gather input, build consensus and collaboration.
- Clarify expected outcomes, management stakeholder expectations, and provide direction and support to project teams.
Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Demonstrate strong strategic mindset with ability to anticipate organizational needs and guide long-term planning
- Strong leadership capabilities with an ability to motivate teams and drive performance.
- Technical knowledge of tax billing and collections (preferred)
- Knowledge of PRISM/GenTax or similar integrated tax systems
- Ability to analyze and clearly respond to government audit requests related to tax systems.
- Build and maintain strong, consultative relationships with system developers, Revenue business units and Information Technology staff to support coordinated system operations and improvements
- Strong organizational, interpersonal and oral and written communication skills
- Understanding of tax revenue operations and the role in delivering high-quality customer service to Philadelphia residents
- Knowledge of Revenue data and processes and their role in the City’s broader financial operations, including budgeting, banking, and financial management, with the ability to ensure operat