The Senior Transition Manager leads every newly awarded federal program from contract award through a 60–90-day phase-in, then hands it to the Director, who will run it long-term. The role lets the company take on new work without overloading its two Delivery Directors, who together oversee 24 programs and more than 350 staff.
The person in this role is the client's first face of the company on a new contract. They stand up staffing, clearances, deliverables, and reporting quickly, earn the confidence of the Contracting Officer and COR, and leave each program stable and ready for a clean handoff. They also own and improve the division's transition playbook.
Key responsibilities:
Transition leadership (about 60%)
• Lead phase-in for new contracts, task orders, and recompete wins, typically one to three transitions at a time.
• Build and execute a transition plan, risk register, and staffing tracker for each program from award to handoff.
• Lead kickoff meetings with the Contracting Officer and COR, and set reporting cadence and communication plans.
• Run incumbent capture, recruiting coordination, and onboarding to meet staffing targets by day 60.
• Start clearance, badging, system access, and government-furnished equipment requests before contract start.
• Ensure first deliverables and reports under the CDRL list and QASP are submitted on time and to standard.
Handoff and client continuity (about 20%)
• Bring the receiving Director and Program Manager into client meetings from day one.
• Confirm exit criteria are met, lead the formal handoff meeting, and notify the COR in writing of the long-term team.
• Coach incoming Program Managers so they can run daily operations for at least 30 days before handoff.
Process and reporting (about 20%)
• Own the New Program Transition Playbook, including checklists, RACI, and exit criteria, and update it after each transition.
• Report weekly transition status, risks, and financials to the VP, IT Delivery.
• Work with Contracts to confirm key personnel substitutions and transition-in CLIN charging.
• Support proposal teams with realistic transition plans and staffing assumptions for upcoming bids.
• Step in as interim Program Manager on an at-risk program when the VP directs.
Required qualifications:
• Bachelor's degree in business, information technology, engineering, or a related field; additional years of experience may substitute.
• 8+ years in federal program or project management, with at least 5 years as a Program Manager or Deputy Program Manager on federal IT services contracts.
• Led, or played a significant role in, at least two contract phase-ins or transitions, including incumbent staff capture.
• Working knowledge of the FAR, contract types (FFP, T&M, cost-plus), key personnel clauses, CDRLs, and QASPs.
• Active Top Secret clearance with a current investigation and SCI eligibility.
• PMP certification.
• Proven ability to build trust with Contracting Officers, CORs, and agency program leadership.
• Strong organizational skills: can run several transitions at once against fixed deadlines.
Preferred qualifications:
• Experience in both Intelligence Community and Federal Civilian or DoD environments.
• Active TS/SCI with CI polygraph.
• Master's degree or an additional certification such as DAWIA/FAC-P/PM, ITIL, or Agile (SAFe, PMI-ACP).
• Experience writing transition and management volumes for federal proposals.
• Familiarity with CPARS and how early performance shapes ratings and recompete outcomes.
Clearance: Top Secret with SCI Eligibility
Location: Herndon, VA; frequent on-site work at client locations.