IT Product/Program Manager

Full Job Description

This opportunity is open to all current King County employees and the general public.

NOTE: This recruitment aims to fill a Term-Limited Temporary (TLT) position with an anticipated end date of up to three (3) years. If the position is filled by a King County employee who has successfully completed their initial probation, they will be offered the role as a Special Duty Assignment.

KCIT is hiring an IT Program/Product Manager to help modernize and support network infrastructure projects for the Metro Transit Department (MTD).

In this role, you’ll partner with project managers, technology leaders, agency partners, and senior executives.

You’ll also work closely with the Project Management Office (PMO) to shape program management strategy, define future-state processes, identify risks and opportunities, and support business transformation across the organization.

We’re looking for someone with proven experience leading complex, cross-organizational IT initiatives.

You should be able to balance strategic and tactical priorities, remove barriers for your teams, and deliver customer-focused solutions—often in collaboration with hardware, software, and service vendors.

Strong leadership, relationship-building, problem-solving, and communication skills are essential, along with a passion for planning and executing high-impact technology projects.

KCIT uses the power of technology to digitally transform King County. Building vibrant communities through digital equity and social justice, KCIT offers innovative solutions that engage, empower, and serve our residents, businesses, communities and interested stakeholders. As the first-place recipient of the 15th annual National Association of Counties (NACo) Digital Counties Survey, KCIT is recognized for its vision, strategy, innovation, and collaboration. KCIT has a focus of delivering smart technology solutions that support customers, building stronger communities through innovation.

KCIT is providing the building blocks for many of the region's most critical services. As the business solutions partner, we collaborate with the 18 County departments to develop products and services that better serve the needs of our customers and our community. To learn more about KCIT, please visit: http://kingcounty.gov/depts/it.aspx

Requirements

• Establish program objectives and oversee planning, execution, coordination, and tracking of Metro work efforts for Network Services, including leading initiatives from start to finish, setting team priorities and goals, and monitoring team performance.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive program management plan, including creation and monitoring of timelines aligned with project sequencing, prioritization, and dependencies.
• Manage the Metro Azure DevOps (ADO) environment, including dashboards, epics, features, and user stories within the Network Services ADO instance, and prioritize work in collaboration with the Metro primary point of contact.
• Lead Agile ceremonies for the Network Services Metro Agile Team, including Backlog Refinement, Iteration Planning, Daily Stand-ups, Iteration Reviews, and Quarterly Program Increment Planning (QPIP) breakouts.
• Ensure collaboration with other King County Information Technology (KCIT) teams and sections to support integrated Statements of Work (SOW).
• Coordinate with the KCIT Metro Customer Success Manager, Metro Leads, Metro IT Project Managers, and the Network Architect as needed.
• Maintain the team charter and ensure alignment with program goals and expectations.
• Support effective management of Program Increment (Quarterly Plan) commitments, ensuring team priorities are balanced and achievable.
• Monitor and maintain healthy Work-In-Progress (WIP) levels for all Network Services Metro Agile Product Team members, accounting for both planned and unplanned work.
• Identify opportunities for process, workflow, or performance improvement.
• Identify potential risks and develop contingency plans to mitigate impacts.
• Define program controls, including processes, procedures, and reporting mechanisms needed to manage the program effectively.
• Manage risks and issues throughout the program lifecycle, taking corrective action when necessary.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Seven or more years of experience as an Information Technology (IT) Project Manager, demonstrating successful delivery of IT-related projects.
• Three or more years as an IT Program Manager demonstrating experience managing complex transformational IT initiatives.
• Two or more years as a Scrum Master demonstrating experience managing IT projects or programs using Scrum/Agile principles.
• Proven experience managing and controlling day-to-day project activities, including issues, risks, quality, and budgets within complex technology and stakeholder environments.
• Experience leading vendor procurement processes and managing vendor performance and compliance with contracted deliverables throughout the project lifecycle.
• Advanced knowledge of project management principles and techniques.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with customers, stakeholders, and team members.
• Ability to develop and oversee implementation of work plans with competing priorities, anticipating risks and adjusting plans as needed.
• Ability to work collaboratively and navigate complex situations effectively.
• Experience working with and/or leading cross-functional teams with a strong focus on customer service, staff engagement, and organizational commitment.
• Ability to provide leadership, guidance, foundational principles, and tools needed to drive successful outcomes.
• Ability to quickly assess situations and resolve conflicts using facts, diplomacy, and both formal and informal communication channels.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present information clearly and translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to identify strong talent, assess strengths and limitations, and provide appropriate coaching and support.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Project, including developing resource-loaded schedules for major IT projects, and experience creating other project control documents.
• Ability to work effectively in Scrum, Agile, and Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) environments, serving in roles such as Scrum Master, Product Owner, Product Manager, Program Manager, Agile team member, or Release Train Engineer.
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement and professional growth.
• Proficiency with common productivity and project management tools, including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, SharePoint, Teams) and Microsoft Azure DevOps (ADO) or similar platforms.

Desirable Qualifications

• PMP Preferred
• PgMP preferred
• Agile/Scrum (CSM/PSM) certification preferred
• Prosci certification preferred
• Prior experience in public sector/government IT organization

Additional Information

Hybrid Work

The work associated with this position will be performed through a combination of onsite work and telecommuting. Employees will have access to shared workspaces at various King County facilities.

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support when working remotely.

Classification

IT Program/Product Manager - 740701

Union

This position is represented by L117-IT Mgrs & Sups

Work Schedule

The normal work week for this position is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Alternative work schedules may be considered. This position is FLSA Exempt and is not eligible for overtime pay.

Duration

This recruitment aims to fill a Term-Limited Temporary (TLT) position with an anticipated end date of up to three (3) years. If the position is filled by a King County employee who has successfully completed their initial probation, they will be offered the role as a Special Duty Assignment.

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce.

To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity.

Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards.

We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class.

Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.