Public Service Manager III - Application Director

State of Maine

• $97K — $138K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Master's or Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field
  • Minimum of 10 years of relevant technical experience
  • Strong communication and presentation skills
  • Expertise in application architecture and system design
  • Proven leadership experience in technology change and modernization

Responsibilities

  • Manage partnerships for effective service delivery
  • Ensure alignment with MaineIT's mission to drive efficiency
  • Build and lead high-performing technical teams
  • Collaborate with finance on budget tracking
  • Oversee delivery of high-quality application services
  • Implement risk management policies and procedures
  • Approve application deployments on behalf of the CIO

Benefits

  • Telework options available
  • Opportunities for professional development
  • Collaborative work environment with agency leadership
  • Participation in modernization initiatives
  • Comprehensive background checks required for employment
Full Job Description
If you are a current State of Maine employee, please submit your application through the internal application process using the Find Jobs report in PRISM. Seasonal employees who do not have PRISM access should apply through the State's career page and indicate on the application that they have previously worked for the State.

Office of Information Technology

Opening Date: September 28, 2026

Closing Date: October 09, 2026

Grade / Admin Unit: 34 / Confidential

Job Class Code: MH34
Salary: $97,354.40 - $138,240.96*/Hourly (*Includes a 10% recruitment and retention stipend)
Position Number:

Location: Augusta

Telework: Available

Currently, this position is not eligible for visa sponsorship or STEM OPT extensions.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The Director of Applications is a senior technology leader responsible for shaping and delivering the State of Maine's enterprise application strategy. In this role, you will partner closely with MaineIT's executive leadership, fellow directors, and agency partners to ensure that technology solutions effectively support statewide goals, deliver value, and enable long-term modernization.

You will provide strategic direction and operational leadership for multiple application development and support teams. This includes setting vision and priorities, overseeing application portfolios, guiding modernization efforts, and ensuring reliable, secure, and high-quality application services across executive branch agencies. You will manage application budgets, lead planning and execution of major technology initiatives, and provide oversight of vendor-developed solutions to ensure alignment with enterprise standards and business needs.

A key part of this role is leadership excellence. You will build and develop high-performing teams, foster a culture of continuous improvement, and promote modern delivery practices and technologies. You will guide system design for large-scale, complex environments and lead policy and planning assignments that influence enterprise technology direction.

Success in this position requires strong relationship-building and collaboration skills. You will serve as a trusted partner to agency leadership, negotiating priorities, balancing competing demands, and driving shared outcomes across organizational boundaries. As part of the Enterprise Shared Services leadership team, you will work with other Application Directors to align investments, standardize practices, and advance the State's digital strategy.

The Director of Applications operates with significant autonomy and is expected to bring strong strategic thinking, sound judgment, and a commitment to service excellence in support of Maine's mission and the citizens it serves.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Position duties include, but are not limited to:
  • Managing strong partnerships and ensuring effective service delivery.
  • Ensuring alignment with MaineIT's mission and strategy to drive efficiency.
  • Building, managing, and inspiring a high-performing technical team to maximize the value of the service portfolio.
  • Collaborating with the finance team on budget tracking and forecasting.
  • Continuously improving work intake and prioritization processes.
  • Developing teams and IT sourcing strategies within functional business areas.
  • Prioritizing work, communicating clearly, and delivering well-architected systems on time and within budget.
  • Participating in the design, review, and evaluation of technical solutions.
  • Ensuring the application team has the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities.
  • Overseeing the delivery of high-quality outputs and deliverables.
  • Implementing and maintaining operating policies to manage risk.
  • Contributing to the development of strategies for modernizing service delivery.
  • Approving application deployments on behalf of the CIO.
  • Ensuring performance appraisals are completed on or before anniversary dates.
  • Leading designated initiatives on behalf of the MaineIT senior leadership team.
  • Overseeing the creation and quality of contracts and amendments, ensuring vendors are held accountable for delivering services in accordance with MaineIT policies and procedures.
  • Effectively embracing and applying matrix management practices.


KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:
  • Strong communication and presentation skills with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to both technical and nontechnical audiences.
  • Ability to translate business needs into technology strategies and solutions that align with enterprise priorities.
  • Solid understanding of application and system architecture, modern development practices, and secure, scalable solution design.
  • Experience managing application portfolios, budgets, and multi-year investment planning.
  • Skilled in vendor and contract management, including state procurement processes.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, including relationship building, collaboration, negotiation, and strategic thinking.
  • Ability to use data and analytics to guide decisions, evaluate risks, and improve performance.
  • Strong adaptability with the ability to shift priorities, manage ambiguity, and respond to evolving agency needs.
  • Proven leadership experience developing teams, driving modernization efforts, and leading organizational or technology change.
  • Ability to contribute to enterprise planning, governance, and policy development across multiple agencies.


MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Master's or bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, or Business Information Systems, or a related field of study, or equivalent experience. A minimum of 10 years of a combination of related post-secondary education, technical certifications, or technology related work experience. Related training, internship experience etc. may be credited as equivalent experience.

Preferencewill be given to candidates with the following skills or experience:

Relevant experience in Application Architecture & Integration, Software Development Lifecycle & Quality Assurance, Technical Acumen & Emerging Technology, Vendor Selection & Contract Management, Risk & Compliance Oversight, Performance Monitoring & metrics, Continuous Improvement & Process Optimization, Cross-functional Collaboration & Stakeholder management, problem solving and decision making.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Please submit a cover letter along with a current resume and three (3) professional references.

In order for us to properly determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for any posting, you must be sure your resume includes the month and year for any relevant experience listed. Your resume should include the duties and responsibilities associated with each position. Any experience that was not full-time employment should be identified as such.

CONTACT INFORMATION: For more information or questions specific to the position, please contact [email protected]

The selected candidate will be required to pass the required background checks (fingerprinting may be required) as a condition of employment.

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