[Hiring] Program Manager / Transition Lead - Healthcare @Harbor IT

Role Description

Harbor IT is seeking a Program Manager to own the end-to-end delivery of a high-stakes healthcare IT transition. This engagement involves a mid-market healthcare organization with approximately 100 facilities nationwide, currently supported by an internal IT team of 40–50 staff, transitioning to a fully managed Harbor IT service model within a 2–4 month window.

This is the most consequential mid-market engagement in Harbor IT’s portfolio this year. The Program Manager is accountable for executing a clean cutover of the client’s full IT operation onto Harbor IT’s processes, tooling, and operating model—with zero service interruption, zero net-new compliance findings, and preserved executive trust.

This role is designed for a seasoned operator who has personally delivered transitions of this scale and speed before. It requires executive presence, decisive judgment, and hands-on leadership—strategic in the boardroom and tactical on the ground.

Key Responsibilities

• End-to-End Transition Ownership
  • Deliver a full IT operational cutover within 2–4 months
  • Ensure zero critical service interruptions and no compliance gap
  • Own timeline, risk, scope, and delivery outcomes
• IT Staff Assessment and Restructuring
  • Personally assess the client’s internal IT team
  • Make retention and redundancy recommendations
  • Lead sensitive communications in partnership with client HR and Harbor IT leadership
  • Design and execute retained-staff onboarding
• Steady-State Team Buildout
  • Hire and manage field technicians, site leads, and operational staff
  • Integrate retained client employees or recruit externally as needed
  • Ensure staffing readiness by cutover, not after
• Field Coverage Model Design
  • Define and implement on-site, regional, and remote coverage across approximately 100 facilities
  • Document, staff, and operationalize the model within the transition window
• HIPAA and Healthcare Compliance Continuity
  • Own compliance integrity throughout the transition
  • Ensure PHI handling, BAA continuity, access controls, and audit readiness
  • Coordinate closely with Harbor IT Security and client compliance leadership
• Executive Client Leadership
  • Act as the executive point of contact for client sponsors
  • Run weekly steering committee meetings
  • Navigate scope disputes, staffing decisions, and timeline pressure with confidence and clarity
• Cutover and Program Execution
  • Build and enforce the master transition plan (milestones, RAID log, dependencies)
  • Maintain the plan as the single operational source of truth
• Tooling and Documentation Foundation
  • Ensure full PSA and documentation readiness (ConnectWise and Hudu preferred)
  • Asset inventories, service catalogs, contacts, and escalation paths complete before cutover
• Commercial and Scope Control
  • Enforce MSA boundaries
  • Surface out-of-scope items commercially, not operationally
  • Protect engagement margin while maintaining client trust
• Handover and Continuity
  • If not remaining as account GM, recruit and onboard the successor
  • Deliver complete runbooks, SOPs, escalation paths, and stakeholder maps
  • Ensure no fragmented handoffs
• Build the Transition Playbook
  • Bring an established transition methodology (checklists, assessment frameworks, staffing models)
  • Institutionalize this capability within Harbor IT for future engagements

Success Criteria (First 6 Months)

• Zero critical service interruptions during cutover
• Zero net-new HIPAA or compliance findings
• Transition completed within the agreed 2–4 month window
• Written executive validation of steady-state readiness
• Fully staffed, documented, and operational account handoff

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in IT, Business, Healthcare Administration, or equivalent operational experience
• 10+ years in IT service delivery, MSPs, or technology consulting
• Direct ownership of at least two large-scale IT outsourcing or transition engagements (50+ sites)
• Experience conducting staff assessments and making retention and redundancy recommendations for 30+ personnel
• Hands-on experience operating within a HIPAA-regulated environment
• Prior responsibility for a $3M+ annual managed services engagement
• Demonstrated success delivering transitions in 90 days or less

Technical Competencies

• Strong understanding of mid-market MSP operating models
• PSA and documentation systems experience (ConnectWise and Hudu strongly preferred)
• HIPAA Security Rule and healthcare compliance literacy
• Familiarity with healthcare IT environments (EHRs, endpoints, identity, network, backup)

Leadership and Soft Skills

• Executive presence under pressure
• Clear, confident communicator with internal teams and client leadership
• Decisive, with a strong bias to action
• Comfortable operating strategically and tactically in parallel
• Owns outcomes, not just plans

This Role Is Not a Fit for Candidates Who

• Have only worked in PMO or coordination roles without delivery authority
• Have not personally executed a large IT transition under 120 days
• Prefer indirect influence over direct accountability

Preferred Certifications (Optional)

• PMP, PgMP, or equivalent enterprise program leadership credential
• ITIL v4
• HIPAA-related certifications (experience prioritized over credentials)