Innovation & Collaboration SharePoint and Search Service Manager

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Laurel, MD

About The Position

Are you passionate about delivering reliable, high-value collaboration and search platforms that help customers find information, work efficiently, and achieve their mission? Do you enjoy leading technical teams, improving services, and taking ownership of complex enterprise systems throughout their lifecycle - from planning and design through production operations and continuous improvement? If so, we're looking for someone like you to join our team at APL. We are ranked as one of Computerworld’s Top Places to Work in IT 8 years running, and we are seeking an Innovation & Collaboration Service Manager who will serve as a technical and operational owner for enterprise collaboration and search services including SharePoint and Enterprise Search. In this role, you will focus on customer service excellence, platform reliability, and continuous improvement while partnering closely with technical teams and stakeholders across the organization. Success requires strong technical judgment, operational ownership, and the ability to quickly learn and lead complex platforms in a dynamic enterprise environment. As an Innovation & Collaboration Service Manager you will… Design and execute enterprise search architecture and strategy across SharePoint, legacy systems, and modern platforms Translate platform strategy and architecture into clear technical direction and implementation guidance across full SDLC Own day-to-day operations for SharePoint and enterprise search services, including service roadmap planning, operational excellence, and continuous improvement Lead and prioritize work for IT staff supporting SharePoint and search platforms, balancing operational needs with strategic initiatives Serve as the primary escalation point for service-area issues, including Tier 3 support and production-impacting incidents Plan and lead version upgrades, migrations, architectural changes, and scheduled service interruptions Monitor and act on platform health, usage, performance, relevance, and reliability metrics Establish and evolve governance for SharePoint and search platforms, including permissions, retention, and compliance configurations Manage vendor relationships and partner with procurement to evaluate vendors, manage licensing, and navigate evolving vendor product models and cost structures Engage stakeholders to understand needs, communicate tradeoffs, and guide solutions that balance usability, reliability, and long-term sustainability

Requirements

Possess a Bachelor’s degree in a technical field (information systems, engineering, computer science, or related) or equivalent professional experience.
Have 8+ years of experience in a technical IT role, including service management or project leadership.
Have 5+ years of project or people leadership experience.
Have a strong IT background with experience across the full SDLC, including planning, requirements definition, design, testing, deployment, and ongoing support of production enterprise platforms in complex environments.
Experience with either SharePoint or enterprise search platforms.
Demonstrate strong analytical, multitasking, and communication skills.
Exhibit excellent customer service, follow-through, and stakeholder engagement skills.
Have demonstrated success with conflict resolution and people leadership.
Are able to obtain a Secret level security clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

Nice To Haves

Hold a Master’s degree in a technical field.
Have additional experience in service management, operational support, or project management.
Have experience leading or working within Agile/SCRUM delivery models.
Have led major upgrades or new implementations of enterprise applications.
Have experience with vendor procurement and managing contractors.
Have experience with Microsoft Power Platform (Power Automate, Power Apps, Power BI).
Have familiarity with Microsoft Search, hybrid search architectures, or non-Microsoft search platforms and stay up to date on the latest advancements in search technologies.
Possess a strong understanding of SharePoint and enterprise search best practices, including indexing, relevance, metadata, and governance.
Have exposure to ServiceNow, Azure DevOps, or Webtrends.
Have experience including web-based development, relational databases, and query technologies (e.g., SQL).
Have experience working in complex, regulated, or research-driven enterprise environments.
Hold an active Secret clearance.

Responsibilities

Design and execute enterprise search architecture and strategy across SharePoint, legacy systems, and modern platforms
Translate platform strategy and architecture into clear technical direction and implementation guidance across full SDLC
Own day-to-day operations for SharePoint and enterprise search services, including service roadmap planning, operational excellence, and continuous improvement
Lead and prioritize work for IT staff supporting SharePoint and search platforms, balancing operational needs with strategic initiatives
Serve as the primary escalation point for service-area issues, including Tier 3 support and production-impacting incidents
Plan and lead version upgrades, migrations, architectural changes, and scheduled service interruptions
Monitor and act on platform health, usage, performance, relevance, and reliability metrics
Establish and evolve governance for SharePoint and search platforms, including permissions, retention, and compliance configurations
Manage vendor relationships and partner with procurement to evaluate vendors, manage licensing, and navigate evolving vendor product models and cost structures
Engage stakeholders to understand needs, communicate tradeoffs, and guide solutions that balance usability, reliability, and long-term sustainability