IT Operations Manager in Arlington

The IT Operations Manager is responsible for coordinating and managing the day-to-day activities of the IT team on behalf of the CIO. Reporting directly to the CIO, the role monitors team performance, tracks KPIs, and ensures tasks assigned by the CIO are delivered on time and to the required standard. The IT Operations Manager acts as the CIO’s operational point of control, providing regular reporting on workload, progress, and any issues requiring escalation., Team Coordination & Performance

• Coordinate the day-to-day workload of the IT team, assigning tasks as directed by the CIO.
• Monitor team KPIs and performance metrics, reporting progress and issues to the CIO regularly.
• Track the timeliness and quality of task completion across all IT team activities.
• Maintain a clear view of team capacity and flag resource constraints to the CIO promptly.
• Run regular team stand-ups and operational review meetings to keep work on track.

Reporting & Escalation

• Produce regular status reports for the CIO covering task progress, KPIs, and outstanding issues.
• Identify and escalate risks, delays, or quality concerns before they impact delivery.
• Maintain operational dashboards or trackers that give the CIO real-time visibility of team activity.
• Act as the first point of escalation for the IT team before matters reach the CIO.

Operations Oversight

• Ensure IT team tasks across infrastructure, service desk, and business support are completed on time.
• Monitor SLAs for helpdesk, incident resolution, patching, and onboarding/offboarding.
• Coordinate with the CISO on security-related tasks assigned to the IT team, tracking completion.
• Maintain operational oversight of the entire asset management system.
• MaintAin operational documentation, runbooks, and process records kept up to date by the team.

People & Development

• Support the CIO in managing team performance, including reviews and development plans.
• Coordinate IT training and upskilling activity, tracking completion of mandatory programs.
• Foster a positive team culture with clear accountability and consistent ways of working.

Essential Experience

• Proven experience in IT management or team lead role, ideally within a mid-sized organization.
• Track record of managing and coordinating small IT teams against defined targets and KPIs.
• Strong working knowledge of IT infrastructure, networks, and service desk operations.
• Strong working knowledge of IT service management principles and SLA management.
• Experience producing operational reports and performance updates for senior stakeholders.
• Strong working knowledge of IT security principles and compliance requirements.
• Working knowledge of Federal contracting and compliance frameworks including CMMC, CMMI, ISO 9001, ISO 20000, and ISO 27001

Desirable Experience

• Experience working in a CIO-led team or supporting a senior IT leadership function.
• Exposure to security-conscious IT environments and working alongside a CISO.
• Strong working knowledge of IT asset management and project coordination.
• Familiarity with KPI frameworks, operational dashboards, or IT service management tools.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong organizational skills with a disciplined approach to tracking tasks and deadlines.
• Clear communicator, able to report upwards concisely and manage team expectations.
• Collaborative and approachable, with the ability to coordinate across technical and non-technical teams.
• Sound judgement on when to resolve issues independently and when to escalate to the CIO.
• Proactive in identifying performance or delivery risks before they become problems.
• Ability to obtain a Secret Clearance.