Client Services & Production Control Manager

Washington Health Benef•Olympia, WA

51d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Client Services and Production Control Manager oversee end-to-end IT service coordination, client system engineering, and customer-facing support operations at the Exchange. This role leads the ITIL Service Transition functions, Change and Release Management, and disaster recovery coordination, while also managing the deployment, maintenance, and support of desktop, mobile, and telecommunications systems. Acting as the central point for system outages and technical communication, the manager facilitates collaboration across internal teams and with federal, state, and external IT partners. This position drives process improvement using Lean methodologies, supports requirement gathering, and manages procedure mapping. It also directs the Client Support team, ensuring effective triage, prioritization, and escalation of system issues. Regular reporting on system stability, change impacts, and partner performance is provided to leadership. Strong relationships with staff at all levels, vendors, agents, and government entities are essential to success in this role.

Requirements

Five years of progressive management experience overseeing high-performing IT teams responsible for client operations, production control, change/incident management, and help desk functions.
Expertise in Change and Release Management, with a focus on strengthening IT operations and driving continuous process improvement.
Demonstrated experience advancing IT Service Management frameworks and operational efficiency.
Strong skills in IT coordination, communication, and stakeholder engagement.

Nice To Haves

Experience applying Lean principles to ITSM workflow optimization and process improvement.
Experience collaborating with federal, state, and vendor partners on technical operations.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership in Technical Operations and Systems Engineering
Strategic Alignment & Standards: Guide system engineering to support business goals, approve technology standards, and prioritize initiatives like device management and endpoint security.
System Design & Deployment Oversight: Review and validate infrastructure deployments for scalability, compliance, and performance across client systems and cloud services.
Security & Service Administration: Collaborate with the Security team on endpoint protection, manage O365 tenant configurations, and ensure SharePoint and cloud services are properly maintained.
Performance Monitoring & Reporting: Track key metrics (uptime, patching, incident resolution), communication risks and progress to leadership, and conduct regular system health reviews.
Policy Compliance & Audit Readiness: Enforce IT policies, managing licensing and access controls, and support internal and external audits for compliance across systems and services.
Team Leadership & Staff Development
Supervise Client Support and Prod control teams, setting daily tasks and performance goals.
Mentor junior staff, conduct annual reviews, and coordinate schedules and leave approvals.
Collaborate with the associate Director of Infrastructure Services to align team objectives.
Client Support & Helpdesk Management
Monitor and triage IT helpdesk tickets, ensuring timely resolution and escalation.
Provide hands-on troubleshooting, installation, and configuration support for end-user devices.
Develop and maintain client system procedures, standards, and knowledge base content.
Deliver excellent customer service for IT incidents and requests.
Process Improvement & ITSM Development
Lead development and optimization of ITSM workflows and automation using Lean principles.
Coordinate cross-functional teams to define and improve business-critical procedures.
Educate stakeholders on process ownership and compliance.
Change & Release Management
Define and manage change control processes, including chairing CAB and ECAB meetings.
Authorize and track standard and high-risk changes, ensuring minimal disruption to services.
Prepare and deliver change tracking and outage reports to leadership.
Facilitate post-implementation reviews and continuous service improvement efforts.
IT Coordination & Communication
Serve as the central point for system outages and technical coordination across internal and external partners.
Communicate effectively with federal, state, and vendor stakeholders regarding system availability and impact.
Develop templates and procedures for outage notifications and root cause analysis.
Apply plain language and usability best practices in all communications.
Infrastructure Planning & Testing
Build and maintain a test lab environment for hardware and software validation.
Assess and manage IT equipment inventory and procurement needs.
Plan and execute client hardware deployments and AV setup for conference rooms.
Disaster Recovery & Special Project
Coordinate annual disaster recovery exercises and lead after-action improvement planning.
Lead cross-functional teams and support special projects as assigned.