| Location | Houston, TX |
Program Manager
Salary
Depends on Qualifications
Location
Houston, TX
Job Type
Regular Full-time
Job Number
17471
Department
Universal Services
Opening Date
11/02/2026
Closing Date
12/3/2026 11:59 PM Central
Max Number of Applicants
100
Position Description
Senior IT Program Manager
Harris County Universal Services (HCUS) is seeking an experienced and strategic Senior IT Program Manager to lead complex technology programs and portfolios that support county-wide initiatives and departmental business objectives. This role is responsible for driving the successful delivery of multiple concurrent projects, providing strategic leadership, fostering stakeholder engagement, and ensuring strong governance, accountability, and alignment with organizational priorities.
Job Responsibilities:
Program & Portfolio Management
Lead and manage complex IT programs and project portfolios aligned with HCUS and stakeholder department strategies.
Develop and maintain program and portfolio roadmaps that support organizational goals and technology modernization efforts.
Oversee project scope, schedules, budgets, resources, risks, dependencies, and deliverables across multiple initiatives.
Monitor program and portfolio performance, providing actionable insights and recommendations to executive leadership.
Evaluate, prioritize, and align initiatives based on business value, organizational impact, and resource capacity.
Strategic Planning & Leadership
Partner with business and technology leaders to develop strategic plans and technology roadmaps.
Provide strategic guidance on investment decisions, project prioritization, resource planning, and organizational change initiatives.
Identify risks, opportunities, and emerging trends that impact business and technology objectives.
Support executive decision-making through business cases, presentations, dashboards, and performance reporting.
Stakeholder Engagement
Build strong relationships with business leaders, county departments, executive leadership, vendors, and technical teams.
Serve as the primary liaison between business and technology stakeholders.
Facilitate governance meetings, steering committees, and executive reviews.
Communicate program status, risks, issues, and outcomes to stakeholders at all organizational levels.
Project Oversight & Team Collaboration
Partner with Project Managers and cross-functional teams to ensure successful project delivery.
Coordinate resources, dependencies, and priorities across multiple projects and departments.
Remove obstacles, resolve conflicts, and drive accountability for program outcomes.
Promote collaboration, transparency, continuous improvement, and best practices.
Governance :
Ensure compliance with established program, portfolio, and project management methodologies.
Support governance processes, documentation standards, regulatory compliance requirements, and performance measurement activities.
Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer
https://hrrm.harriscountytx.gov/Pages/EqualEmploymentOpportunityPlan.aspx
If you need special services or accommodations, please call (713) 274-5445 or email ADACoordinator@bmd.hctx.net.
This position is subject to a criminal history check. Only relevant convictions will be considered and, even when considered, may not automatically disqualify the candidate.
Requirements
Education
Experience:
Seven (7) or more years of experience in IT program management, portfolio management, project management, or related technology leadership roles.
Proven experience managing complex, cross-functional programs and project portfolios with multiple stakeholders.
Demonstrated success delivering large-scale technology initiatives from planning through implementation.
Experience developing strategic roadmaps, managing competing priorities, and aligning technology investments with organizational objectives.
Experience presenting executive leadership and facilitating strategic decision-making.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Strong program and portfolio management capabilities.
Strategic thinking, planning, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Strong leadership, facilitation, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
Excellent verbal, written, and presentation communication skills.
Knowledge of governance frameworks, budgeting, resource planning, and performance reporting.
Understanding government operations, procurement processes, public-sector governance, and regulatory compliance requirements.
Ability to translate complex technical concepts into business-focused recommendations and outcomes.
Applicants for this position will be subject to a criminal background check that includes being fingerprinted. This applies to any position with network access to Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) or access to an area where CJIS is received, maintained or stored either manually or electronically (i.e. custodian, maintenance).
Automatic Disqualification:
NOTE: Qualifying education, experience, knowledge and skills must be documented on your job application. You may attach a resume to the application as supporting documentation but ONLY information stated on the application will be used for consideration. "See Resume" will not be accepted for qualifications.
Preferences
Experience working in government public sector (Law enforcement background), county, municipal, or other highly regulated environments.
Experience with digital transformation, enterprise technology implementations, and organizational change management.
Project Management Professional (PMP), PgMP, PMI-ACP, or equivalent certification.
Familiarity with Agile, Scrum, PMBOK, PRINCE2, or other project and portfolio management frameworks.
General Information
Harris County Universal Services does not provide sponsorship or authorization to work in the United States. Employees will be required to provide proof of legal authorization to work in the United States.
Location:
Work Arrangement:
All new hires are required to work onsite during their first 90 days of employment.
For positions eligible for a hybrid schedule, telework may be considered after this period and requires management approval based on performance and operational needs. Telework is a privilege and is not guaranteed.
Employment may be contingent on passing a drug screen and meeting other standards.
Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.
HARRIS COUNTY EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Harris County offers a highly competitive benefits program, featuring a comprehensive group health plan and defined benefit retirement plan.
The following benefits are offered only to Harris County employees in regular (full-time) positions:
Health & Wellness Benefits
Paid Time Off (PTO)
Retirement Savings Benefit
The following benefits are available to Harris County employees in full-time and select part-time positions:
In accordance with the Harris County Personnel Regulations, group health and related benefits are subject to amendment or discontinuance at any time. Harris County Commissioners Court reserves the right to make benefit modifications on the Countys behalf as needed.
For plan details, visit the Harris County Benefits & Wellness website:
www.benefitsathctx.com
01
Which of the following best describes your highest level of education completed as it relates to this position? Qualifying information must be documented in the Education section of your application.
02
If you selected a college degree in response to the previous question, which of the following best describes your major?
03
Please describe your educational background including level of education completed, area of study and completed major and minor programs.
04
Which of the following best describes your verifiable experience in IT program management, portfolio management, project management, or related technology leadership roles? (To be considered, qualifying experience must be documented in your applications employment history)
05
Please provide the dates of employment during which you obtained experience in IT program management, portfolio management, project management, or related technology leadership roles. Provide the month and year that began and ended the experience [ Example: "January 2020 - December 2025" ] If this experience is not clearly documented in the Work Experience section, your application will be disqualified. If you do not have this experience, type "N/A" in the space provided.
06
Which of the following describes your level of proficiency using a personal computer and common office software such as MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook). Please select your level of proficiency based on the following descriptions:
Advanced:
A person with this level of skills is able to produce very large, complex formal documents that require a table of contents, footnotes, endnotes, bookmarks, and other special elements; a wide range of graphic effects, and use advanced techniques for analyzing and manipulating data. Has full mastery of Macro commands and skills to tie the objects together into a cohesive system by using Macros and Visual Basic for Applications code. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons.
Intermediate:
A person with this level of skills is able to customize toolbars, import and insert graphs, embed Excel data, and elaborate reports. Understands the concepts of databases and is able to work with charts and to use the list management capabilities of Excel. Able to use complex query techniques, create efficient forms and reports, and create Macros to automate these forms. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons.
Basic:
A person with this level of skills is able to use basic formatting, editing, printing functions, and understands the document page setup. Has the ability to enter and correct data, modify a workbook, format a worksheet, and use printing functions. Understands the different database concepts and structures and is familiar with data validation and is able to create a simple presentation in PowerPoint, run it, and print it.
Entry Level:
A person with this level of skills has the ability to open, create, save and modify documents in Word, send and receive email in Outlook and create spreadsheets in Excel. Format documents for printing, comfortable using the printer menu to preview documents. Has ability to change the font, the margins, insert or delete pages and use the built-in spellchecker and grammar check.
07
Do you have experience working in government public sector (Law enforcement background), county, municipal, or other highly regulated environments?
08
Do you have experience with digital transformation, enterprise technology implementations, and organizational change management?
09
Do you have a Project Management Professional (PMP), PgMP, PMI-ACP, or equivalent certification?
10
Do you have familiarity with Agile, Scrum, PMBOK, PRINCE2, or other project and portfolio management frameworks?
Required Question
Employer Harris County
Address 1111 Fannin St
Ste. 600
Houston, Texas, 77002
Phone 713-274-5445
Website https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/harriscountytx