Program Support Services Team Manager

Role and Responsibilities

This role is ideal for a leader who excels at building strong relationships, understanding customer needs, and ensuring IT services and capabilities align with the scientific and operational priorities of STScI. You will oversee a team of mission liaisons, program support specialists, and DevOps engineers who bridge the gap between IT Services Division (ITSD), mission partners, and internal stakeholders. While the role includes oversight of DevOps tools and practices, the emphasis is on customer success, stakeholder engagement, and effective coordination of IT services.

• Manage staff ensuring ITSD understands and anticipates customer needs
• Build strong, trust-based relationships across STScI, promoting transparency, responsiveness, and a customer-centric culture
• Facilitate clear communication of mission requirements, timelines, risks, and dependencies between ITSD and mission teams
• Represent ITSD in mission planning sessions, technical reviews, and cross-organizational working groups

Technical Leadership & Service Alignment

• Oversee a team of mission liaisons, program support specialists, and DevOps engineers
• Ensure IT services and capabilities align with mission needs, requirements and organizational priorities
• Support the adoption and continuous improvement of ITSM and ITIL-aligned service management practices
• Collaborate with Service Desk, system administrators, cloud engineers, and other technical teams to ensure seamless service delivery
• Support for program and portfolio management processes, governance, and adoption
• Provide leadership and direction for DevOps engineers responsible for tools such as GitLab, GitHub, CI/CD pipelines, and automation frameworks

Operational & Team Leadership

• Contribute to ITSD strategic planning, service development, and operational excellence as part of the management team
• Manage staffing, workload balance, and resource allocation across the branch
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and drive accountability for achieving objectives
• Foster a culture of mentoring, professional development, and continuous learning

Experience, Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in information systems, computer science, business, or a related field; 10+ years of progressive technical or leadership experience (or equivalent combination of education and experience)
• Experience in customer success, account management, stakeholder engagement, or similar customer-facing leadership roles
• Experience with project, program, and portfolio management
• Familiarity with DevOps tools and practices (GitLab, GitHub, CI/CD, automation) and their role in supporting software engineering teams
• Strong understanding of ITSM and ITIL practices; certifications preferred
• Demonstrated ability to build effective working relationships across diverse technical and mission-focused teams
• Strong communication, negotiation, and conflict-resolution skills
• Able to identify risks, communicate proactively, and drive mitigation strategies
• Experience managing teams, balancing workloads, and supporting professional growth