Title: Technical Program Manager (Hybrid Schedule)

State Role Title: Salary Non-Specified

Hiring Range: 148,000-175,000

Pay Band: UG

Agency: Virginia Retirement System

Location: Virginia Retirement System

Agency Website: www.varetire.org/careers

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

Job Duties

The Virginia Retirement System (VRS) is seeking a Technical Program Manager to lead the evolution of our enterprise application ecosystem. This is a "hands-on" technical leadership role responsible for managing the end-to-end SDLC of applications built on Microsoft .NET, MS SQL Server, and Angular. The ideal candidate will be the primary architect of delivery, bridging the gap between business strategy and technical execution. You will lead the enterprise through a critical migration to a hybrid cloud architecture, leveraging microservices and containerization to drive scalability and velocity. You are not just a scheduler; you are a technical leader who validates architecture, removes engineering blockers, and ensures our systems meet the highest standards of security and performance.

Technical Strategy & Architecture Governance
• Hybrid Cloud Migration: Orchestrate the transition of legacy and proprietary frameworks to a hybrid cloud environment using Docker and Kubernetes.
• API Ecosystem Leadership: Define and enforce API lifecycle strategies using REST, GraphQL, and gRPC patterns to ensure seamless integration and backward compatibility.
• Security & Identity: Oversee the implementation of robust authentication protocols (OAuth 2.0, OIDC) and API gateway configurations, including rate limiting and feature throttling.
• Technical Validation: Actively participate in design reviews to validate architectural decisions, estimate engineering effort, and identify technical risks before they impact the critical path.

Full-Lifecycle SDLC Management
• Modern Stack Oversight: Manage the delivery of complex applications utilizing .NET core, Angular front-ends, and MS SQL Server back-ends.
• DevOps Maturity: Design and audit automated CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab, or GitHub Actions) to ensure high-frequency, low-risk deployments.
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Drive the adoption of Terraform or CloudFormation to manage infrastructure changes systematically and repeatably.
• Release Engineering: Lead sophisticated deployment strategies, including Blue-Green, Canary, and Rolling updates to achieve zero-downtime releases.

Strategic Program Leadership
• Roadmapping & OKRs: Translate high-level business objectives into technical execution timelines, identifying critical path milestones and resource constraints.
• Tech Debt & Platform Health: Advocate for and negotiate the allocation of engineering capacity for refactoring, tech debt reduction, and platform stability.
• Performance Metrics: Establish and monitor DORA metrics (Deployment Frequency, Lead Time for Changes, MTTR, and Change Failure Rate) to drive continuous improvement.
• Stakeholder Translation: Serve as the "technical translator," communicating complex incidents and architectural trade-offs to non-technical executive leadership in terms of business impact and risk.

Process & Release Governance
• Feature Management: Implement and manage feature-flagging workflows (e.g., LaunchDarkly, Split.io) to decouple code deployment from feature release.
• Change Advisory: Lead Change Advisory Board (CAB) presentations, providing data-backed impact analysis for upstream and downstream dependencies.
• Version Control: Enforce Git-flow or trunk-based development policies to maintain repository health and minimize integration conflicts.

Supervisory Responsibilities
Providing strategic direction, technical guidance, and operational oversight to ensure successful delivery of IT initiatives. Responsibilities include supervising cross-functional teams, managing project timelines, resources, and ensuring alignment with organizational goals. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and supervising work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in information systems, computer science or a closely related field.
Five (5) or more years experience in Technical Program Management or Software Engineering Leadership.

Additional Considerations

PMP, CSM, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, or Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect.

Ability to ascertain and meet customer expectations. Ability to work effectively and independently in a fast paced environment where priorities can rapidly change. Communicate effectively orally and in writing to a diverse group. Excellent analytical and troubleshooting skills to identify and resolve technical issues.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams and clearly articulate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

Special Instructions

You will be provided a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position.

VRS is unable to provide sponsorship for this position now or in the future. Applicants must have authorization to work in the United States without the need for sponsorship now or in the future.

The current hybrid schedule for technology employees is 3 days onsite in Richmond, VA (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) and 2 days remote (Monday and Friday). All employees must be able to work the current hybrid schedule and report to the office as needed on designated remote days.

Contact Information

Name: Human Resources

Email: careers@varetire.org

In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their AHP Letter (formerly COD) provided by the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS), or the Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired (DBVI). Service-Connected Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS/DBVI to get their AHP Letter. Requesting an AHP Letter can be found at AHP Letter or by calling DARS at 800-552-5019.

Note: Applicants who received a Certificate of Disability from DARS or DBVI dated between April 1, 2022- February 29, 2024, can still use that COD as applicable documentation for the Alternative Hiring Process.