Organizational Change Management (OCM) Program Manager

Full Job Description

Organizational Change Management (OCM) Program Manager (WMS 2)

WaTech: A great place to work!

As a Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech) employee, you will have a unique opportunity to help advance the latest IT technologies and practices used by state government to meet the needs of Washingtonians.

Through teamwork, partnership, and collaboration WaTech works to transform public service through a connected government.

About the position

The Organizational Change Management (OCM) Program Manager is part of OCM program within WaTech’s Strategy and Management Division (SMD) Division.

The OCM Program operates as a distinct but integral function within the division, ensuring change management principles are embedded across projects, initiatives, and organizational strategies This position reports to the Assistant Director for Enterprise Strategy & Oversight.

As the OCM Program Manager, serves as a strategic advisor to executive leadership, legislative partners, and cross-agency teams, offering data-informed insights to guide change strategies and ensure alignment with statewide and agency IT goals.

This role empowers leadership, project teams, and staff to embrace change, enabling long-term sustainability and improved service delivery statewide.

Requirements

Some of what to expect in this role:

• Develop, implement, and provide oversight for WaTech’s agency-wide Organizational Change Management (OCM) strategy and OCM governance framework.
• Advise executive leadership, project sponsors, and governance committees on OCM strategies to align change initiatives with agency and statewide strategic goals.
• Develop, refine, and maintain OCM governance structures, policies, and standards.
• Develop and implement performance metrics and reporting mechanisms to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of OCM programs and initiatives.

Develop and implement change management plans and deliverables for projects within the change management framework.

Partner with leaders, managers, and staff to provide change management support based on assessments of organizational readiness, change impact, and agency response, including resistance.

• Collaborate with project managers and technical leads to ensure OCM activities are appropriately planned, integrated, and tracked within project plans, including key milestones, readiness assessments, communication deliverables, and training schedules.
• Provide oversight to ensure alignment between project objectives and OCM strategies, intervening as needed to address gaps or misalignment.
• Design, develop, and maintain standardized OCM tools, templates, and operational frameworks.
• Facilitate open dialogue and transparent communication channels to address concerns, reduce resistance, and build trust.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and learning across teams and interested parties engaged in change initiatives.

Qualifications

Here’s what we’re looking for:

Nine years of experience in Organizational Change Management (OCM), including the design, implementation, and oversight of large-scale change initiatives.

This experience must concurrently include: Five years of experience in a leadership or program management role, overseeing teams or cross-functional project groups.

Two years' experience managing organizational change in a complex, matrixed organization.

Two years' experience advising executive leadership, project sponsors, and governance bodies on change management strategies.

Two years' experience with vendor and contract management, including performance oversight, scopes of work, and vendor relationship management.

*A bachelor’s degree in Organizational Development, Business Administration, Public Administration, Change Management, Communications, Human Resources, Psychology, or a closely related field may substitute for up to four years of experience.

Must possess and maintain or acquire/obtain and maintain the one of the following professional certifications within first six months of employment (verification required):

• Prosci Change Management Certification.
• Equivalent industry-recognized OCM certification (e.g., ACMP Certified Change Management Professional).

Preference may be granted to applicants with the following:

• Master's Degree in Organizational Development, Business Administration, Public Administration, Change Management, or a related field.
• 10 years of experience leading complex OCM initiatives in large, multi-agency, or government environments.
• Experience working with governance bodies, legislative partners, and advisory committees.
• Experience aligning OCM strategies with state or agency-level strategic plans.
• Experience leading Communities of Practice (CoP) or organizational change centers of excellence (CoE).
• Experience in building long-term OCM capability and capacity across an organization.
• Advanced proficiency in OCM dashboards, analytics tools, and adoption of metric tracking platforms.
• Familiarity with state legislative processes, budget cycles, and procurement policies.

Additional Information

Telework:

This position is approved for teleworking. However, the incumbent is expected to be onsite in our Olympia, Washington office several days per month, or as needed to attend in person meetings and team building.

We value diversity and different perspectives:

WaTech is committed to providing equal access and opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees.

We seek to attract and retain a diverse staff and welcome your experiences, perspectives and unique identity.

We invite you to include your preferred name and pronouns in your material to ensure we address you correctly throughout the application process.

What WaTech offers:

As an employee of WaTech, you’ll have access to an outstanding employee benefits package that includes medical and dental plan options for you and your family, paid leave and holidays, retirement plan options and more.

While WaTech is headquartered in Olympia, Washington, which is near some of the country’s most scenic national parks, we are able to offer many of our positions telework and flexible schedule options to help support a healthy work-life balance.

To learn more about WaTech and what our employees enjoy about working here, please visit our website.

Additional information about this role:

• This position requires a background check. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant's suitability to perform in the position and is a continued condition of employment.

How to apply:

Applications for this recruitment will be accepted electronically. Please select the large “apply” button at the top of this announcement. In addition to completing your online application, please also include the following attachments:

• A current resume detailing your applicable experience, training and/or education.
• A letter of interest highlighting how your experience aligns with the outlined job posting.

Top candidates will be asked to provide a list of their professional references with contact information.

Reminders:

• A real person is reviewing your application material. It is in your best interest to complete the application in its entirety and review thoroughly before submitting. You will not be eligible to re-apply for this posting for 30 days.
• Applications with missing or incomplete fields, or supplemental question responses such as “see resume” may be considered incomplete and removed from consideration.

WaTech complies with the employment eligibility verification requirements of the federal Form I-9.

The selected candidate must be able to provide proof of identity and eligibility to work in the United States. WaTech does not use the E-Verify system.

We are not eligible to extend STEM Optional Practice Training (OPT) opportunities. For more information, please visit https://www.uscis.gov.

Applicants wishing to claim Veterans Preference should attach a copy of their DD-214 (Member 4 copy), NGB 22, or signed verification of service letter from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to their application.

(Please redact any personally identifiable data such as social security number and date of birth prior to submittal.)

By submitting your materials, you affirm that all information is true and correct. Any untruthful information is cause for removal from the applicant pool. If hired as a result of this recruitment, the discovery of incorrect or falsified information may lead to disciplinary action or dismissal.

Recruitment process:

The first round of application assessments will be conducted seven days after the initial job posting date.

The hiring authority reserves the right to offer the position at any time after the initial seven-day job posting date. It is to the applicant's advantage to apply as early as possible.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions.

The salary range reflected above reflects the full potential for this position. The base pay offered to the selected candidate will consider the candidate’s specific qualifying experience and internal equity of the existing team.

Contact us: For inquiries about this position, please contact Rebekah Wilkes at (360) 407-8646 or email to recruitment@watech.wa.gov.

If you’d like to request an accommodation for any part of the selection process, or to receive the application material in an alternative format, please contact Human Resources at (360) 407-8242 or Human.Resources@watech.wa.gov.Persons of disability or those who are deaf or hard of hearing can call the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.