Program Manager Contract Jobs in Palatine, IL (NOW HIRING)

DecisionPoint seeks a Program Manager to lead and oversee large-scale enterprise IT modernization, operations, cloud transformation, cybersecurity, and service delivery activities supporting a large-scale federal and DoD mission environment. This role provides executive-level leadership for program execution, strategic planning, customer engagement, risk management, and operational oversight across multiple integrated task areas supporting mission-critical systems and enterprise IT operations. 

The Program Manager serves as the primary interface with Government leadership and is responsible for ensuring successful delivery of technical, operational, cybersecurity, and modernization objectives across geographically dispersed teams and stakeholders. This position requires strong experience managing complex federal IT programs involving cloud migration, enterprise applications, infrastructure modernization, cybersecurity compliance, service management, and Agile delivery environments. 

The Program Manager collaborates closely with Government stakeholders, PMO leadership, technical leads, cybersecurity personnel, and operational teams to ensure contract performance, quality delivery, and continuous process improvement. 

This position is onsite at USMEPCOM Headquarters in North Chicago, Illinois. 

Note: By applying to this position, you acknowledge and consent to having your resume included in an active competitive government contract bid.** 

The Program Manager will: 

• Provide overall leadership, management, direction, administration, quality assurance, and oversight for enterprise IT operations and modernization activities supporting mission-critical federal systems. 

• Serve as the primary point of contact for all contractual, technical, operational, and programmatic matters. 

• Manage integrated teams supporting cloud modernization, application development, cybersecurity, infrastructure operations, service desk support, and enterprise systems management. 

• Oversee program schedules, staffing, deliverables, risks, and performance metrics to ensure successful contract execution. 

• Lead strategic planning, transition activities, governance reviews, executive briefings, and customer engagement meetings. 

• Ensure compliance with program Service Level Agreements (SLAs), Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) metrics, cybersecurity requirements, and operational objectives. 

• Support modernization and migration initiatives involving cloud-hosted enterprise applications and legacy system transformation efforts. 

• Coordinate across technical and functional teams to manage priorities, dependencies, and operational issues. 

• Monitor program financial performance, labor utilization, and resource planning activities. 

• Implement continuous improvement initiatives to enhance operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and service delivery quality. 

• Support Agile, DevSecOps, and IT Service Management (ITSM) processes across the program environment. 

• Ensure program documentation, reporting, and executive communications are accurate, timely, and compliant with contractual requirements. 

• Exercise decision-making authority supporting successful operational and contractual execution. 

Clearance Requirement 

• Active Secret clearance required.

Education (Required) 

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Engineering, Program Management, Computer Science, or a related field. 

Experience (Required) 

• Minimum 6 years of experience managing large-scale federal IT programs valued at approximately $300M or greater and supporting 200+ FTE personnel across enterprise modernization, infrastructure operations, cybersecurity, cloud migration, application support, and operational service delivery environments. 

• Minimum 10 years of experience supporting military or Department of Defense (DoD) mission environments involving enterprise IT operations, engineering, cybersecurity, cloud modernization, or operational program management. 

• Experience supporting Military Entrance Processing Command (MEPCOM), military personnel processing, applicant processing, force readiness, recruiting, accessions, or similarly complex Department of Defense (DoD) operational environments is highly preferred. 

• Comparable experience may include support to organizations such as U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USAREC), Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), Defense Health Agency (DHA), Military Health System (MHS), Human Resources Command (HRC), Navy Recruiting Command (NRC), Air Force Recruiting Service (AFRS), or other large-scale DoD operational, personnel processing, medical readiness, or accessions-focused enterprise environments. 

• Experience leading geographically dispersed technical and operational teams within complex federal or DoD environments. 

• Experience overseeing complex program schedules, staffing, risk management, budgets, contract performance, and deliverable execution. 

• Experience delivering executive-level briefings, governance activities, stakeholder engagement, and customer relationship management support. 

Technical Knowledge (Required) 

• Understanding of enterprise IT operations, cloud environments, cybersecurity frameworks, and IT modernization initiatives. 

• Experience with Agile methodologies, IT Service Management (ITSM), and enterprise operational processes. 

• Familiarity with federal cybersecurity requirements, risk management processes, and compliance standards. 

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, collaboration tools, project tracking systems, and reporting platforms. 

• Experience supporting enterprise cloud migration and modernization initiatives. 

• Experience with DevSecOps, Zero Trust, RMF, or enterprise cybersecurity operations. 

• Experience supporting enterprise application modernization and hybrid cloud environments. 

• Experience with ServiceNow, Jira, Microsoft Project Server, or enterprise program management tools. 

Certifications 

Required: 

Candidate must possess one of the following active certifications at the time of hire: 

• Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP)  

• PMI Program Management Professional (PgMP®)  

• Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Level III Program Management (PM)  

• Federal Acquisition Certification (FAC) Level III Program and Project Manager (P/PM) 

• FAC Level III Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)  

Preferred at Time of Hire (Required Within 60 Days of Employment): 

Candidates should possess the following certifications at the time of hire. Candidates who do not currently hold the below certifications must be willing to obtain them within 60 days of employment. DecisionPoint will sponsor certification training and exam costs for selected candidate as needed. 

• ITIL v3 Intermediate Level Certification or ITIL v4 Managing Professional Certification (or equivalent)  

• Active Information Assurance Management (IAM) Level III certification 

Skills 

• Strong leadership and organizational management abilities. 

• Excellent executive communication and presentation skills. 

• Strong problem-solving and strategic planning capabilities. 

• Ability to manage multiple integrated technical and operational workstreams simultaneously. 

• Strong customer engagement and stakeholder management skills. 

• Ability to lead distributed teams in fast-paced operational environments. 

• Strong attention to detail with emphasis on quality and mission delivery. 

• EEO and Affirmative Action Policy: DecisionPoint Corporation is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. It is the policy of DecisionPoint Corporation to provide equal employment opportunity in accordance with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action laws, directives and regulations to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other protected status under Federal, State or Local laws.
• Pay Transparency Policy: In accordance with Presidential Executive Order 13665, DecisionPoint Corporation will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.
• Authorization to Share Resume and Personal Information: By expressing your interest and submitting your resume for this position, you authorize DecisionPoint Corporation to share your resume, as well as personal information included on the resume, with its subsidiaries, affiliates and teaming partners for the purpose of considering you for this position and other available positions requiring comparable skills, education and experience. Should DecisionPoint Corporation. or its affiliates and teaming partners wish to initiate pre-employment discussions, you will be asked to complete an employment application and related employment documents.