Smartsheet & Automation Solutions Consultant

MSG specializes in delivering innovative solutions in program management, training and technical assistance, research and evaluation, marketing and communications, and IT and digital services to a range of federal clients, including extensive experience with the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Education.

The Smartsheet & Automation Solutions Consultant will provide specialized consulting services to design, develop, integrate, and support Smartsheet-based solutions for a large, complex project with multiple functional teams.

This is a contractual consulting engagement, not an employment position. The Consultant will serve as a technical and strategic advisor for Smartsheet and related workflow automation needs, partnering with project leadership and functional teams to assess current processes, develop practical solutions, establish governance standards, create reusable documentation, and support long-term adoption.

The engagement is expected to be more intensive at the beginning of the contract to support discovery, design, buildout, implementation, and knowledge transfer. After the initial implementation period, work is expected to shift to periodic updates, troubleshooting, user support, solution refinement, and training on an as-needed basis.

• Discovery summary outlining current Smartsheet assets, workflows, gaps, risks, and recommended improvements.
• Solution design plan, including proposed architecture, dependencies, permissions, dashboards, reports, forms, automations, and integration points.
• Configured Smartsheet solutions, including sheets, reports, dashboards, forms, automated workflows, and related tools approved for implementation.
• Governance documentation, including naming conventions, ownership model, permission standards, change management guidance, and archival practices.
• Technical documentation, process maps, data dictionaries, job aids, and user guides to support long-term maintenance and knowledge transfer.
• Training materials and training sessions for project leadership, solution owners, and end users.
• Support log or status summary documenting requests, updates, issues, resolutions, and recommendations during the contract period.
• Year-end transition or continuation summary identifying completed work, remaining needs, lessons learned, and recommended next steps for the following contract period.

Compensation will be based on an hourly consulting rate of $____ per hour, subject to confirmation by Contracts. Consultant will invoice for actual hours worked in accordance with the approved contract terms, scope of work, and any applicable invoicing requirements. Any work outside the approved scope, estimated hours, or contract period must be approved in advance by the designated point of contact.

• Design, build, maintain, and enhance Smartsheet sheets, reports, forms, dashboards, workspaces, and automated workflows.
• Evaluate existing Smartsheet solutions across multiple project teams and identify opportunities to streamline, standardize, or connect processes.
• Develop cross-sheet and cross-team solutions that reduce duplicate data entry and create reliable sources of project information.
• Build executive and operational dashboards that provide clear, timely visibility into project activities, status, workload, risks, deliverables, and performance metrics.
• Develop scalable solutions to accommodate changing project requirements, increasing volume, and new workstreams.
• Establish consistent design standards, naming conventions, documentation practices, and development methodologies for Smartsheet solutions.

• Design and maintain integrations between Smartsheet and other project systems using Microsoft Power Automate, Python, and other available integration tools.
• Develop automated workflows to reduce manual data entry, repetitive administrative work, and opportunities for human error.
• Develop scripts and processes to extract, transform, validate, reconcile, and load data when appropriate.
• Connect information across multiple Smartsheet solutions so project teams can maintain individual workflows while contributing to project-wide reporting and analysis.
• Evaluate business processes and recommend opportunities for automation or improved system integration.
• Monitor automated processes and integrations, troubleshoot failures, and implement corrective solutions.
• Develop appropriate testing and validation processes before new solutions or significant changes are deployed.

• Support administration of the project's Smartsheet environment, including users, permissions, workspaces, groups, sharing, and access.
• Maintain an inventory of project Smartsheet assets, including sheets, reports, dashboards, forms, automations, integrations, owners, and dependencies.
• Establish and maintain governance standards for solution development, ownership, permissions, data integrity, change management, and archival.
• Review user access regularly and assist leadership with managing licenses and appropriate levels of access.
• Help ensure that sensitive or restricted information is accessible only to appropriate users.
• Identify obsolete, duplicative, or inefficient solutions and recommend consolidation or redesign.
• Coordinate changes to connected solutions to minimize unintended impacts across project teams.

• Meet with project leaders, managers, and staff to understand operational challenges, reporting requirements, and desired outcomes.
• Translate business requirements into technical specifications and practical Smartsheet solutions.
• Map current processes and recommend improvements before automating inefficient workflows.
• Identify opportunities to improve data quality, consistency, usability, and accessibility across teams.
• Analyze existing workflows and recommend whether needs are best addressed through Smartsheet, Power Automate, Python, another available system, or a combination of tools.
• Balance team-specific requirements with the need for project-wide consistency and integration.

• Develop reporting structures that consolidate information from multiple functional teams.
• Create dashboards and reports for project leadership that provide meaningful operational and performance information.
• Conduct data validation and reconciliation to ensure reporting accuracy.
• Assist teams in defining data fields, metrics, calculations, and reporting requirements.
• Support ad hoc analysis and reporting needs using Smartsheet, Python, Excel, Power BI, or other available tools, as appropriate.

• Serve as a primary resource for troubleshooting complex Smartsheet and workflow automation issues.
• Provide guidance and technical support to Smartsheet owners and users across project teams.
• Develop user guides, job aids, technical documentation, data dictionaries, and system diagrams.
• Provide individual and group training on Smartsheet functionality, project standards, and newly developed solutions.
• Build capacity among designated team members to manage routine updates while maintaining centralized oversight of complex or interconnected solutions.
• Communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Demonstrated experience designing and developing complex Smartsheet solutions, including sheets, reports, forms, dashboards, formulas, cross-sheet references, and automated workflows.
• Experience administering Smartsheet users, permissions, workspaces, sharing, and solution ownership.
• Experience developing workflow automations and system integrations using Microsoft Power Automate.
• Proficiency with Python for automation, data manipulation, system integration, or reporting.
• Experience working with APIs and integrating data between systems.
• Strong understanding of relational data concepts, data quality, validation, and structured reporting.
• Experience gathering business requirements and translating them into technical solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex workflows and identify root causes of system or data issues.
• Strong documentation, communication, and organizational skills.

• Advanced experience developing Smartsheet solutions in a large-scale, multi-team, program management, PMO, or enterprise environment.
• Experience with Smartsheet premium or advanced capabilities such as Control Center, Data Shuttle, DataMesh, Dynamic View, Bridge, DataTable, or similar tools.
• Experience with Smartsheet API development.
• Experience with Microsoft Power BI or other data visualization and business intelligence tools.
• Microsoft Power Platform experience beyond Power Automate, including Power Apps or Power BI.
• Smartsheet certification or advanced Smartsheet training.
• Experience supporting federal programs, government contracting, or other highly structured or regulated environments.
• Experience developing technical governance, change-control, or system documentation standards.

• Systems and process thinking
• Technical problem solving
• Workflow and process automation
• Data analysis and visualization
• Attention to detail and data integrity
• Customer service and user support
• Documentation and knowledge management
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Continuous improvement
• Ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences

• Consulting services are expected to be provided remotely within the United States.
• The Consultant should be available for scheduled meetings, milestone check-ins, training sessions, and support needs across U.S. time zones.
• The Consultant will operate as an independent contractor and will not be considered an employee, agent, joint employee, or representative of MSG for purposes of wages, benefits, taxes, leave, workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, or any other employment-related rights or obligations.

This consulting opportunity is for an independent contractor engagement and does not create an employment relationship with Manhattan Strategy Group (MSG). Selection of a consultant will be based on qualifications, relevant experience, technical capability, availability, proposed approach, and alignment with project needs. Nothing in this description should be interpreted as an offer of employment or entitlement to employee benefits.

EEO Statement: Manhattan Strategy Group (MSG) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Our hiring decisions are based solely on merit and qualifications, ensuring a fair and competitive selection process.