Sr. Applications Services Manager

S R International•Phoenix, AZ

5d•$65 - $70•Onsite

About The Position

The City of Phoenix Water Services Department (WSD) Technology Services Division is seeking a senior-level Applications Services Manager to provide strategic oversight and operational leadership for the enterprise application portfolio supporting municipal water and wastewater services. This role is responsible for guiding application lifecycle strategy, modernization planning, vendor engagement, and portfolio optimization, ensuring applications align with organizational priorities and deliver measurable business outcomes. The Applications Services Manager serves as a strategic portfolio leader with deep technical fluency, capable of aligning technology investments with business objectives, managing risk, and ensuring the long-term sustainability, security, and reliability of business-critical applications. While not a hands-on developer, the role requires sufficient technical depth to effectively oversee engineering teams, assess architectural and lifecycle decisions, and guide complex technical initiatives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Systems, or a closely related field.
Six years of experience developing, evaluating, using, and maintaining technical systems, hardware, and software, including oversight or coordination of enterprise applications, vendor-supported systems, and operational environments.

Nice To Haves

Six years of advanced experience managing or overseeing enterprise application environments within a large, complex organization.
At least 10 years of advanced experience overseeing application upgrades, development, integration, testing, deployment, and sustainment activities.
Four years of advanced experience in application portfolio rationalization, modernization planning, or lifecycle governance.
At least 10 years of experience managing application-related operational budgets and Capital Improvement Projects (CIP).
Four years of advanced experience supporting audits, disaster recovery planning, and continuity of operations for enterprise applications.
Four years of advanced experience developing dashboards and analytics using Power BI or comparable tools.
Six years of advanced experience support modern and legacy programming or scripting technologies (e.g., PowerShell, SQL, and similar platforms ).
Six years of experience demonstrating the ability to align application technologies with business objectives and translate strategic initiatives into operational execution.

Responsibilities

Manage and oversee an enterprise application portfolio supporting critical business and operational functions.
Establish and maintain governance for application lifecycle, including classification, health assessment, and risk evaluation.
Lead application portfolio rationalization efforts, including consolidation, modernization, replacement, or retirement of applications.
Ensure applications are vendor-supported, compliant with City standards, and aligned with security and architecture requirements.
Develop and maintain strategic lifecycle plans and roadmaps addressing sustainment, upgrades, modernization, and end-of-life activities.
Evaluate technical debt, obsolescence risk, operational impact, and cost to support informed investment decisions.
Coordinate lifecycle planning across application teams, vendors, and business stakeholders.
Align application strategies with business objectives and desired outcomes.
Engage stakeholders to understand their business goals, priorities, and desired outcomes; assess system capabilities and limitations; and develop actionable initiatives to address their needs and deliver measurable results.
Provide oversight into development, configuration, integration, testing, deployment, and production support.
Review technical designs, upgrade strategies, and implementation approaches to ensure stability, scalability, and maintainability.
Guide technical staff and vendors during complex incidents, upgrades, and high-risk changes.
Ensure consistent practices across development, change management, and production releases.
Establish formal mechanisms to track staff and vendor work, project plans, and operational tasks.
Monitor progress to ensure alignment with departmental priorities, timelines, and service commitments.
Develop and deliver weekly executive-level reports summarizing application health, risks, milestones, and resource utilization.
Utilize dashboards and reporting tools (e.g., Power BI) to provide visibility into work progress and portfolio status.
Identify risks, issues, and resource constraints and implement corrective actions as needed.
Oversee vendor relationships supporting enterprise applications.
Lead contract renewals, pricing reviews, and scope management for applications.
Develop and manage operational budgets and Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) related to application modernization or expansion.
Coordinate with finance and procurement teams on funding strategies, budget adjustments, and long-term cost planning.
Serve as liaison for disaster recovery, business continuity, and audit activities related to the application portfolio.
Ensure applications meet continuity of operations requirements and recovery objectives.
Coordinate audit documentation, responses, and remediation activities.
Ensure compliance with organizational policies, security standards, and regulatory requirements.
Participate in procurement and evaluation of application solutions and services.
Review business requirements and evaluate proposed solutions for technical feasibility, lifecycle impact, and alignment with business objectives.
Support implementation planning for new or replacement application systems.
Provide oversight for application services staff, technical resources, and vendors.
Coordinate activities across IT teams, business units, finance, procurement, and external partners.
Ensure staff work is planned, tracked, and executed in a cohesive manner to support departmental goals and operational priorities.
Represent departmental interests and provide input to support decision-making and prioritization of initiatives within a steering committee.
Collaborate with stakeholders and report back action items, ensuring alignment, accountability, and timely implementation of agreed-upon initiatives.
Serve as a subject matter expert representing the department in committees, steering groups, and cross-functional discussions, providing informed input to support decision-making and prioritization of initiatives.