IT Manager Senior (ATS-Public Safety)

Job Description:

IT Manager Senior (ATS-Public Safety)

Description

JOIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN TEAM

At the City of Austin, we are more than just an employer-we are a vibrant community dedicated to shaping one of the nation's most dynamic and innovative cities. As we strive to fulfill our commitment as public servants, it is important that we ground our efforts in a set of guiding principles - Empathy, Ethics, Excellence, Engagement, and Equity - anchors in delivering services that significantly impact the lives of Austinites. Joining the City of Austin means embarking on a purposeful career, contributing to the community, and being part of a forward-thinking organization that values every employee.

What Makes the City of Austin Special?

• Make a Difference : Join a team driving meaningful change in one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation.
  
• Value and Innovation : Work in an environment where employees are valued and innovation thrives.
  
• Competitive Benefits : Enjoy a comprehensive compensation package that includes generous leave, work-life balance programs, and extensive benefits.
  
• Retirement Security : Plan for the future with the City of Austin Employees' Retirement System.
  
• Sustainable Transportation Options : Commute easily with access to public transit and bike-friendly infrastructure.
  
• Focus on Wellness : Stay healthy through wellness programs, on-site fitness centers, and mental health support.
  
• Career Growth : Advance your skills and expertise with professional development and leadership opportunities.
  
• Modern Workspaces : Work in innovative and sustainable environments that foster collaboration and inspiration.
  

By joining us, you become part of a community that values its people and is committed to making Austin the most thriving and resilient city in the country.

About the Department:

The City of Austin, Austin Technology Services (ATS) Department provides and empowers the City’s business partners and Austin’s residents, visitors and businesses with sustained, reliable, and efficient technology services, infrastructure, and telecommunications. By leveraging state-of-the-art tools, innovative methods, and strategic partnerships, we are at the center of shaping the City of Austin’s IT strategy.

Job Description:

IT Manager Senior

Purpose:

Under general direction, directs and leads the delivery of core services; and enterprise wide or complex Information Technology (IT) service(s) to meet budget, technology, strategic, and business goals.

Duties, Functions and Responsibilities:

Essential duties and functions, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include the following. Other related duties may be assigned.

• Determines the goals and continuity of program service within broad outlines
  
• Develops strategies, direction and priorities for service delivery
  
• Develops standards, frameworks, governance
  
• Manages enterprise program areas, supervises supervisors and coordinates with other managers
  
• Manages the support of corporate services
  
• Monitors, prepares and presents reports, budgets, and performance measures
  
• Governs and manages complex enterprise technology projects
  
• Prepares and evaluates Request for Proposals
  
• Participates and manages enterprise contracts
  
• Participates with other City departments, project teams and agencies to ensure compliance with City of Austin personnel, security and department policies and standards
  

Responsibilities - Supervisor and/or Leadership Exercised:

Responsible for the full range of supervisory activities including selection, training, recognition, evaluation, counseling, and recommendation for dismissal, succession planning

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Must possess required knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience and be able to explain and demonstrate, with or without reasonable accommodations, that the essential functions of the job can be performed.

• Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer service and user services
  
• Knowledge in analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems and to communicate information and ideas
  
• Knowledge of business and enterprise management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership techniques, production methods, and coordination of people and resources
  
• Knowledge of City of Austin (COA) budget processes
  
• Knowledge of COA ordinances, administrative rules, and regulations affecting department operations and personnel matters
  
• Knowledge of current complex and enterprise IT systems and data systems technology, security, operations, and practices
  
• Skill in organizing complex work of larger groups effectively and efficiently
  
• Skill in understanding the organization and operation of the City and department as necessary
  
• Skill in conducting hardware and software evaluations, performing selection and acquisition functions
  
• Skill in enterprise vendor management and development of collaborative relationships
  
• Ability to develop, implement, and administer a budget, prepare budget requests, and monitor expenditures for budgetary compliance
  
• Ability to consider the relative costs and benefits of potential actions, and to determine how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures
  
• Ability to read and interpret standard accounting and financial reports
  
• Ability to conduct research and analyze and interpret research findings
  
• Ability to compile data and prepare narrative and statistical correspondence, reports, and presentations
  
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing
  
• Ability to adhere to required compliance to all change management policies and procedures.
  
• Ability to adhere to required compliance to all information security policies and procedures.
  

Minimum Qualifications:

Education and/or Equivalent Experience:

• Graduation with a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in a field related to the job plus three (3) years of related experience, including two (2) years supervisory experience.
  
• Experience may substitute for education up to four (4) years
  
• Master’s Degree in a related field may substitute for two (2) years of experience
  

Licenses and Certifications Required:

None

Preferred Qualifications (PQ):

• Demonstrated experience leading mission-critical municipal and critical infrastructure operations, including operating and supporting large-scale, distributed technology environments (100+ locations and thousands of devices) that underpin public safety, transportation, and utility operations. Experience should include serving as a senior escalation authority during high-impact outages and sustaining operations within non-purpose-built municipal facilities. In your response, please include how many years of experience you have.
• Demonstrated success delivering multi-year infrastructure modernization and partner network integration programs, including designing and executing phased, multi-year modernization or remediation initiatives that improve resiliency, interoperability, and lifecycle sustainability in municipal and critical infrastructure environments. Experience may include integration of partner agency networks, municipal consolidations, or modernization programs delivered through reuse, cost avoidance, and disciplined architecture rather than incremental funding. In your response, please include how many years of experience you have.
• Demonstrated deep technical and operational expertise in highly available communications and network platforms, including designing, operating, or assuring high-availability and fault-tolerant network and communications infrastructures in municipal and critical infrastructure environments. Experience should include systems monitoring, disaster recovery, resiliency testing, and continuity validation for mission-critical environments such as transportation systems, public safety-adjacent networks, or provider and life-safety communications platforms. In your response, please include how many years of experience you have.
• Demonstrated leadership in developing durable operational capability and reducing key-person risk, including mentoring technical staff and building repeatable, documented operational practices such as CMDB development, structured root-cause analysis, lifecycle management, and operational assurance within municipal, public safety, and critical infrastructure environments. Experience should demonstrate improvements to reliability, auditability, and long-term organizational resilience beyond reliance on individual expertise. In your response, please include how many years of experience you have.
• Demonstrated fiscal stewardship and decision authority for mission-critical technology operations, including managing or exercising decision authority over operational or capital budgets supporting critical infrastructure or public safety technology environments. Experience should include prioritizing expenditures, approving procurements, and balancing operational risk, service continuity, and fiscal constraints. In your response, please include how many years of experience you have.
• Demonstrated leadership maintaining continuity of operations across multiple facilities supporting 24×7 mission-critical services, including planning for and managing infrastructure disruptions, facility transitions, or technology failures while maintaining uninterrupted service delivery for public safety or other critical infrastructure operations. In your response, please include how many years of experience you have.
• Demonstrated experience implementing and operating technology systems in accordance with recognized security and infrastructure standards, including NIST cybersecurity frameworks, CJIS security policy requirements for criminal justice information systems, and applicable telecommunications or infrastructure standards such as those published by TIA. Experience should include applying these standards to operational environments supporting public safety or other critical municipal infrastructure, ensuring systems remain compliant, secure, and resilient while maintaining operational continuity. In your response, please include how many years of experience you have.

Notes to Candidate:

Position Overview:

The IT Manager Senior for Public Safety Technology and Critical Infrastructure, reports to the Deputy CIO for Public Safety within Austin Technology Services (ATS).

This position will lead the technology environments and specialized operational networks that sustain the City’s Public Safety Technology mission essential functions, including emergency communications, real-time emergency services coordination, public safety infrastructure, interoperability with regional and federal partners, and the data and systems required for emergency decision making and disaster recovery operations. These systems support the critical operations of Austin Police, Austin Fire, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, Austin Emergency Management, Austin Transportation & Public Works, Austin Watershed Protection, and Austin Forensic Science.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate the ability to:

• Direct and sustain mission-critical IT operations for public safety systems and critical municipal infrastructure including critical communications platforms such as call center technologies and P25 LMR systems, traffic and transportation operations, and multimodal network transport environments spanning terrestrial fiber, copper, microwave, and LEO, MEO, and GEO satellite services. Lead operations across more than 100 municipal operational locations and thousands of devices while navigating legacy infrastructure, shared services, regulatory obligations, operational risk, and funding realities with sound judgment and fiscal discipline. Support municipal Emergency Operations Center technology environments, direct response strategies during adverse weather and emergency conditions, and serve as a trusted Tier-4 escalation authority for complex, high-impact incidents to maintain continuity of operations.
  

• Shape and execute the strategic vision and multi-year technology roadmap for Public Safety Technology and associated critical infrastructure, translating operational risk, regulatory and compliance requirements, and resilience objectives into prioritized modernization initiatives. Establish design objectives emphasizing resiliency, disaster recovery, reuse, and efficient use of technology and capital assets while integrating architectural direction, governance, and capital planning across on-premises and cloud infrastructure.
  

• Assure the ongoing availability, performance, and operational readiness of mission-critical systems including CAD, 9-1-1 platforms, land mobile radio systems, transportation systems, and supporting technology platforms. Establish disciplined operational assurance practices including proactive monitoring, signal integrity validation, capacity awareness, backup and recovery testing, and structured root-cause analysis while developing staff capability and operational maturity through mentorship, documentation, and institutional knowledge transfer.
  

• Manage major technology decisions and procurements serving as the senior operational and technical authority for vendor strategy, sourcing, and commercial risk management of mission-critical platforms and services. Coordinate public safety stakeholders, program managers, and internal partners including operations, information security, architecture, legal, finance, and procurement to translate strategic technology needs into effective procurements and vendor partnerships.
  

• Establish and manage continuous cyber hygiene and risk management practices ensuring mission-critical platforms remain secure, supportable, and resilient over their lifecycle. Maintain standards for software and firmware currency, configuration hardening, vulnerability management, access control, logging, and asset visibility across enterprise, cloud, and operational technology environments while ensuring security practices support operational continuity and public safety outcomes.
  

This position will allow for up to 50% remote work, however, will require on-site presence as operational needs dictate due to the mission-critical nature of the systems supported. Candidates must reside in Texas and report on-site, as needed. A criminal background (CJIS) and financial background check are required for this position. The work location is: 5010 Old Manor Road, Austin, Texas.

Pay Range: $112,600 - $151,934

Standard business hours, may include hours outside of normal schedule

Essential Employee:

This position has been designated as an Essential Employee. In the event of a City-designated emergency, Essential Employees provide services that impact the public health, safety, utility services, and welfare of members of the Austin community and other employees and ensure the continuity of essential operations. In such an emergency, Essential Employees may be called back in, may be required to modify their schedule, may be assigned to a city-designated work site, or may be retained on site to assist with operations and recovery.

Travel:

If you are selected for this position and meet the Driver Safety Standards in the City of Austin Driver Safety Program, you may drive when necessary to multiple locations as part of your regular job duties. Otherwise, you are responsible for getting to and from these locations.

Application Instructions:

In completing your job application, be sure to provide a COMPLETE employment history including past job titles, employment dates and a detailed summary of your job duties, functions, responsibilities, and skills/abilities. A detailed and complete job application is required to help us determine base pay in the event you are selected for this position.

NOTE: A cover letter and/or resume will NOT be accepted or used to substitute for an incomplete job application. Once a position is closed, no additional applications or application changes will be accepted.

Use of AI is strictly prohibited to respond to the application and during the interview process.

All interviews are being conducted over the phone, Microsoft Teams Phone (no video required) or virtually via Microsoft Teams (video required), or in person.

Post Interview Verification: If you are selected as the top candidate for a position, we will be contacting your current and former employers, we will reach out for professional references including your most recent supervisor. Please do your best to ensure that the contact information on the application is accurate.

Top candidates will also be required to provide proof of education from an accredited organization, copies of any professional licenses or certificates listed on the minimum or preferred qualifications and a copy of your DD-214 if claiming veteran’s preference.

Important Note to Applicants: Please be aware that the Job Posting Close Date reflects the final day to apply, but the posting will close at 11:59 PM the day before the date listed. All application steps, including attachments and submission, must be fully completed before that time.

We also recommend that you save or print a copy of the job posting for your records. Once a posting has closed, it will no longer be viewable in the system.

EEO Statement for City of Austin.

The City of Austin will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on race, creed, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, age, religion, veteran status, disability, or sexual orientation. In addition, the city will not discriminate in employment decisions on the basis of an individual's AIDS, AIDS Related Complex, or HIV status; nor will the city discriminate against individuals who are perceived to be at risk of HIV infection, or who associate with individuals who are believed to be at risk.

The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you require reasonable accommodation during the application process or have a question regarding an essential job function, please call (512) 974-3210 or Texas Relay by dialing 7-1-1.

Benefits

Working with the City of Austin provides a number of benefits, including medical, paid leave time, a great retirement plan, training opportunities and more! Click HERE for more information.

EEO Statement for City of Austin:

The City of Austin will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on race, creed, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, age, religion, veteran status, disability, or sexual orientation. In addition, the City will not discriminate in employment decisions on the basis of an individual's AIDS, AIDS Related Complex, or HIV status; nor will the City discriminate against individuals who are perceived to be at risk of HIV infection, or who associate with individuals who are believed to be at risk.

City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you require reasonable accommodation during the application process or have a question regarding an essential job function, please call (512) 974-3210 or Texas Relay by dialing 7-1-1.

Closing Date/Time: 2026-03-30