Job Description Job Description Technical Operations Lead
Location: Boston, MA
Duration: 6 Months
Position Summary
We are seeking an experienced Technical Operations Lead to oversee and coordinate the adoption and implementation of future-state operational protocols for a large-scale technology transformation program.
The Technical Operations Lead will work closely with technical leadership, project management, systems integrators, software/SaaS vendors, security teams, business stakeholders, and various organizational IT departments to ensure successful implementation and operational readiness.
The role will be responsible for establishing operational frameworks, coordinating department-level technology adoption, overseeing testing and implementation activities, managing technical deliverables, and supporting the transition to ongoing operations.
Key Responsibilities
- Establish future-state operational frameworks, models, roles, and responsibilities.
- Coordinate with IT organizations and representatives across multiple departments to ensure successful implementation of the new solution.
- Communicate and manage local technology requirements, issues, access needs, testing, approvals, security requirements, and operational concerns.
- Develop technical plans for system retirement, data conversion, security migration, data integration, and compliance where applicable.
- Coordinate testing and approval of department IT solutions, including user access and local IT operational requirements.
- Work with system integrators and SaaS/product vendors to establish the overall operational model.
- Oversee vendor deliverables, performance metrics, service-level agreements (SLAs), upgrades, defect fixes, maintenance, and configuration changes.
- Work with security and risk teams to address IT security and compliance requirements.
- Coordinate departmental testing activities with Quality Assurance and Testing teams.
- Develop implementation plans covering IT adoption, communications, coordination, and testing.
- Support architecture review activities and communicate technical decisions to relevant departments.
- Assist with technical environment management and Help Desk implementation for post-go-live/Hypercare support.
- Establish procedures for SaaS upgrades and system maintenance.
- Define monitoring functions and operational SLAs to maintain a high-quality operational environment.
- Support compliance and risk mitigation activities and monitor vendor adherence to security protocols.
- Monitor data and system environments and communicate operational status.
- Communicate project progress, risks, issues, and potential scope changes to technical and program leadership.
- Act as a liaison between incident response teams and subject matter experts.
- Monitor operational reports and logs for unusual events or issues.
Vendor & Implementation Support
- Support the generation and approval of technical operational artifacts and deliverables.
- Assist with the transition of legacy data from existing local IT systems and servers into the new solution.
- Manage planning, delivery, and implementation of vendor-provided work products.
- Perform resource planning and management.
- Track vendor performance, issues, risks, and deliverable progress.
- Conduct regular meetings with local IT representatives to communicate project plans and capture department-specific requirements.
- Support business owners and project teams in understanding changing business requirements and operational change management needs.
Testing & Quality Assurance
Participate in and support:
- Quality Assurance testing
- Business process testing
- Integrated System Testing (IST)
- User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
- End-to-End testing
- Performance testing
- Penetration testing
- Disaster Recovery testing
- Integration testing
Ensure project deliverables meet business requirements and recommend appropriate procedures and tools for troubleshooting, patching, exception handling, and issue escalation.
Required Skills
- Extensive technical knowledge and experience working in diverse operational environments.
- Experience with Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms.
- Knowledge of relational database structures and SQL.
- Experience in technical leadership and technical decision-making.
- Strong experience with system administration and monitoring across application platforms.
- Experience with multiple phases of software/system testing, including unit, system, integration, parallel, and UAT.
- Strong knowledge of LAN/WAN/VPN and remote networking technologies and protocols.
- Experience with network infrastructure including routers, switches, firewalls, and related protocols.
- Knowledge of information security frameworks such as ISO 2700x, ITIL, and NIST.
- Strong project risk analysis and resolution skills.
- Excellent problem-solving, negotiation, and decision-making abilities.
- Strong leadership skills and experience working in matrixed organizations.
- Ability to understand the relationship between systems architecture and business requirements.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with SaaS/cloud implementations, particularly migration of legacy on-premise applications to cloud environments.
- Experience working with diverse technical configurations, technologies, and processing environments on projects of similar size and complexity.
- Experience leading data integration, system operations, and security initiatives.
- Strong experience in project plan development, delivery oversight, and status reporting.
- Experience developing executive-level status reports and communications.
- Experience implementing Data Quality programs.
- Experience performing or supporting system audits within government organizations.
- Experience with state government technology implementations and operations.
Minimum Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Systems Analysis, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
- Minimum 10 years of IT design and implementation experience.
- Deep knowledge of multiple technical disciplines, including:
- Application development
- APIs
- Audit compliance
- Database management
- Infrastructure and network design
- Middleware
- Security, risk, and compliance management
- Servers and storage