IT Operations Project Manager

Agile Defense•Alexandria, VA

About The Position

We are seeking a highly capable Project Manager to direct IT operating model delivery execution, operational governance, project management, customer engagement, and continuous improvement for a U.S. Air Force Technical Directorate IT Services environment. This role serves as an operational leader responsible for driving performance across multiple teams, ensuring contract and delivery excellence, maintaining visibility into risks and trends, and partnering with customer and contractor stakeholders to improve outcomes. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable with leading execution, improving systems, coordinating cross-functional teams, supporting program governance, and translating operational data into action. This person should be able to stabilize, optimize, and scale delivery in a fast-moving environment while building trust with both internal teams and the customer. Experience in the Department of the Air Force (or other Department of War component) is a significantly valuable differentiator. Why This Role Exists This role is critical to ensuring day-to-day program delivery remains coordinated, measurable, repeatable, responsive, and aligned to customer expectations. The position supports an IT services environment where operational consistency, delivery visibility, service quality, and proactive problem solving are essential to success.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, management, information systems, or related field, or equivalent experience
4+ years of experience in project management, program operations, service delivery, or federal IT environments
Demonstrated experience managing operational performance, delivery oversight, and stakeholder communications
Professional experience working with Agile, Scrum, Kanban, or hybrid program delivery models
Experience using reporting and visualization tools to communicate trends, status, risks, and performance
Ability to work across technical and non-technical teams to align priorities and drive outcomes
Strong written and verbal communication skills with ability to brief both leadership and customers
Experience supporting compliance, documentation, process discipline, or audit-readiness efforts
Ability to identify breakdowns in systems or workflows and implement pragmatic solutions
Required Clearance: Secret
Required Certifications: Security+, ITIL v4 Foundations, Scrum Master, Agile Coach, or Scrum@Scale-related certification

Nice To Haves

Experience in Department of Defense or Air Force environments
Experience supporting ITSM, service delivery, infrastructure, end-user support, or enterprise IT operations
Experience with tools such as ServiceNow, Jira, Power BI, Tableau, Smartsheet, or Microsoft ecosystem tools
Experience managing portfolios, service operations, or multi-team delivery structures
Familiarity with CMMI, quality frameworks, or structured delivery/governance models
Leadership presence without ego
-Operational rigor without bureaucracy bloat
-A systems mindset, not just task tracking
Strong customer instincts and contractor professionalism
-The ability to coach teams while still holding the line on standards
Highly organized and detail-oriented, yet comfortable with managing change.
Comfort moving between strategy, reporting, facilitation, and execution

Responsibilities

Drive day-to-day delivery coordination across technical, service, and operational workstreams
Manage IT Operations projects from ideation to completion by requirements analysis, planning, monitoring, risk management, stakeholder management, and status reporting.
Support the Program Manager in monitoring program health, delivery trends, risks, dependencies, and performance metrics, escalating issues when needed
Partner with customer stakeholders, IT team leads, and internal leadership to align priorities and improve execution
Maintain strong visibility into service performance, delivery quality, SLA attainment, and customer satisfaction
Develop, improve, and manage dashboards, reporting cadences, and executive-level operational insights
Help establish and reinforce effective ways of working across teams, including Agile, Scrum, Kanban, and hybrid delivery models
Support audit readiness, compliance requirements, process documentation, and operational governance activities
Lead continuous improvement efforts that reduce waste, improve cycle times, and strengthen delivery predictability
Facilitate meetings, reviews, retrospectives, planning sessions, and stakeholder engagements that drive clarity and accountability