Program Director

Peraton

$176K — $282K *
Information Technology
15+ years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 16+ years of management experience, with strong leadership skills.
  • ITIL 4 Foundation certification.
  • PMP or equivalent senior program management certification required.
  • Experience managing complex, outsourced IT infrastructure programs.
  • 14+ years in IT infrastructure and managed services, with 5+ years in senior management roles.
  • Demonstrated experience interfacing with senior executives in challenging environments.
  • Proven ability to manage federal IT contracts within regulatory frameworks.

Responsibilities

  • Serve as the primary representative for all customer interactions and program governance activities.
  • Oversee service delivery across multiple IT service towers and ensure compliance with contractual obligations.
  • Lead incident management and crisis response efforts for Severity Level 1 incidents.
  • Develop actionable business cases and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
  • Manage executive relationships and maintain a high level of client satisfaction.
  • Mobilize resources and talent to ensure effective program execution and succession planning.
  • Drive automation and innovation initiatives to optimize service delivery and reduce costs.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health and wellness benefits.
  • 401(k) plan with employer matching contributions.
  • Continuing education and professional development opportunities.
  • Flexible work arrangements, including remote work options.
  • Paid time off and holiday leave to promote work-life balance.
Full Job Description
Responsibilities

Peraton is seeking an experienced Program Director that will serve as the authorized voice of Peraton in all governance, operational, and strategic interactions with the customer. This executive-level role carries enterprise-wide accountability for performance, quality, and continuous improvement across all seven service towers — Data Center Operations, Network, Unified Communications, Client Services, Service Desk, Monitoring & Event Management, and Cross Functional Services — spanning 88+ locations, 4,700+ virtual servers, 256,000+ annual service desk contacts, and 24x7x365 operations.

The ideal candidate leads all aspects of service delivery across the full contract, owns risk management, mobilizes resources for Severity Level 1 incidents and disasters, and ensures Peraton performs in strict accordance with all contractual obligations. The role requires deep understanding of the customer's business plans and strategic goals, translating them into actionable IT demand plans. The Program Director participatesin all three governance committees — Operational (weekly), Managerial (monthly), and Executive Operating (semi-annual) — asPeratonsprimary representative and escalation authority.

Beyond operational leadership, this role drives innovation and modernization —identifying opportunities to improve service delivery, reduce customer costs, and deploy automation, AI-driven operations, and integrated platform capabilities. This role is the primary steward of the Peraton 6customer relationship and is directly accountable for client satisfaction, which is tied to significant financial performance incentives.

Day to Day Roles and Responsibilities:

  • Authorized Contractor Voice
  • Contract Mastery & Compliance
  • Executive Relationship Management
  • Service Delivery Leadership
  • Incident & Crisis Command
  • Business Case Development
  • Continuous Improvement Leadership
  • Talent Mobilization & Succession
  • Best Practice Deployment
  • Automation & Innovation Leadership
  • Financial Performance
  • Relationship Management Plan
  • Third-Party Oversight
  • Governance Documentation
Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

  • Minimum 16 years management experience
  • ITIL 4 Foundation (2026 current standard)
  • PMP 6 PMI 2024 ECO, or equivalent senior program management certification
  • Successful, referenceable experience managing a fully outsourced IT infrastructure program ofsimilar size and complexity
  • Minimum 14 years of progressive IT infrastructure and managed services experience
  • Minimum 5 years in senior program/account management with P&L responsibility
  • Demonstrated experience interfacing with C-Suite and senior government executives
  • Experience managing multi-tower, multi-location IT outsourcing programs with 24x7x365 requirements
  • Proven experience managing federal government IT contracts (FAR/DFARS, FISMA, federal IT governance)
  • Experience leading governance committee structures at operational, managerial, and executive levels
  • Demonstrated experience managing Severity Level 1 incident response and disaster recovery at enterprise level
  • Understanding of ITIL 4 service management framework in large-scale outsourcing environments
  • Familiarity with FISMA, NIST SP 800-53, FedRAMP, Zero Trust Architecture
  • Knowledge of ITfinancial management, TBM, and cost optimization strategies
  • Minimum 3 years leading or sponsoring automation and AI initiatives in large-scale IT managed services
  • Demonstrated experience championing AIOps, intelligent automation, and platform integration programs with measurable results
  • Ability to evaluate and present business cases for automation and AI investments to senior government clients
  • Experience overseeing ServiceNow ITSM/ITAM/ITOM platform implementations
  • Track recordof driving measurable improvements in MTTR, automation rates, and cost reduction through technology innovation
  • Must be US Citizen; must have the ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance

Preferred Qualifications:

  • MBA orMasters degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or IT Management strongly preferred
  • ITIL 4 Strategic Leader (SL) — Digital & IT Strategy and Direct, Plan & Improve
  • Certified Outsourcing Professional (COP) — IAOP
  • AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) or Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)
  • Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Green Belt
  • Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) — ISACA
  • ITIL 4 Managing Professional (MP)
  • Certified Government Contract Manager (CGCM) — NCMA
  • Experience managing IT outsourcing for federal financial regulatory agencies
  • Experience responding to and remediating federal OIG or GAO audit findings at program level
  • Familiarity with the customer's IT environment: Avaya, VMware, Pure Storage, Cisco, Microsoft M365
  • Experience with performance-based contracting and financial incentive structures tied to client satisfaction
  • Knowledge of the customer'sregulatory mission and bank examination/bank closing operational sensitivity
  • Active participation in federal IT industry associations (ACT-IAC, AFCEA, ITAPS)
  • Executive Presence:Represents Peraton credibly at the highest levels of customer leadership; commands respect through expertise, preparation, and integrity
  • Strategic Vision:AlignsPeratons capabilities with the customer's long-term IT modernization goals; anticipatesfuture needs and positions the program for success
  • Accountability Culture:Sets a tone of uncompromising accountability; owns outcomes 6 both successes and failures 6 and drives root cause resolution
  • Client-Centric Leadership: Deeply committed to the mission and satisfaction; proactively identifiesand resolves issues before escalation
  • Crisis Leadership:Calm and decisive under pressure; has led major incident response and disaster recovery; mobilizes large distributed teams rapidly
  • Talent Champion:Attracts, develops, andretainstop talent; builds high-performing teams; ensures succession depth across all Key Personnel positions
  • Transparent Communication: Communicates openly and honestly with customer leadership including delivering difficult news proactively; builds trust through consistency
Target Salary Range$176,000 - $282,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individuals experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

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