IT program managers recruiting
An IT program manager on a federal contract is accountable for the task order: its schedule, budget, staffing, deliverables, risks and the relationship with the contracting officer's representative.
On commercial programs the manager runs a portfolio of technology projects to the same disciplines without the federal contract layer. Recruiters Workforce recruits program and project managers for contractors, agencies' integrators and commercial technology organizations, including the key personnel positions named in proposals.
What IT program managers do
The manager plans and controls the work, manages the labor categories and staffing plan against the contract, reports status and earned value where required, controls scope and change, manages subcontractors, and leads the recompete or option-year planning that keeps the program funded. On federal programs the manager also carries the contract's compliance obligations, from security and privacy training to the cybersecurity requirements of DFARS 252.204-7012 and, increasingly, the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification status the contract requires.
Requisitions state the contract type, the size of the team and budget, the location and on-site expectation, and whether the position is key personnel, which usually fixes the degree, years and certification the manager must hold.
Certifications commonly requested
Program management requisitions name a small set of credentials, often as key personnel requirements written into the contract.
- Project Management Professional
- The Project Management Institute's project management credential, named on most federal program manager requisitions and on many key personnel clauses; the institute publishes the experience and education requirements on its site.
- ITIL 4 Foundation
- A 40-question, 60-minute multiple choice exam with a 65 percent pass mark and no prerequisites. Requested on service management and operations programs.
- CompTIA Security+
- Requested on Department of Defense programs where the manager holds accounts on program systems. Current version V7.
- ISC2 CISSP
- Requested for managers of cybersecurity programs; requires five years of cumulative experience in two or more of the eight domains, with a degree or approved credential satisfying up to one year.
Clearance levels commonly required
Program managers hold the clearance of the program: Public Trust on civilian programs, Secret or Top Secret on defense programs and TS/SCI, often with a polygraph, on intelligence programs. Because the manager must be able to attend every meeting on the program, employers rarely accept a temporary eligibility for this position, and key personnel clauses usually require the clearance on day one.
Engagement models that fit
Program managers are usually direct hires, because the contract names them as key personnel and expects them on the contractor's own payroll. Contract-to-hire fits programs staffing ahead of award, and contract staffing fits interim project managers during a transition. Retained search is the standard model for program managers on large task orders and for portfolio leaders. The engagement models page compares them.
Industries that hire IT program managers
Markets where IT program managers are in demand
Questions about recruiting IT program managers
What does a key personnel requirement mean for the search?
The contract fixes the qualifications, usually a degree, a number of years managing programs of a stated size, a credential such as the PMP, and the clearance, and the government must approve a substitution. Only candidates who meet every term can be proposed, so the requisition summary should copy the clause exactly.
Are program managers placed before a contract is awarded?
Often, as contingent hires named in a proposal with a start date tied to award. The candidate is told that the start depends on award, and the submittal records their availability window and their agreement to be named. Recompetes are the most common case.