IT Program Manager

Job Description

Job Description:\n\nBy joining the National Student Clearinghouse, you can be sure that the work you do now will help shape the future of education and the workforce in the U.S. As the trusted source for higher education data since 1993, the Clearinghouse is the leading provider of transcript and data exchange services, automated enrollment and degree verifications, learner insights and research, and compliance solutions for schools, businesses, and learners nationwide. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Clearinghouse works with nearly 3,600 postsecondary institutions to meet their compliance needs and with thousands of high schools and districts to provide continuing collegiate enrollment, progression, and completion statistics about their alumni. In addition, the Research Center publications inform policymakers and business leaders about student educational pathways. Using our unique combination of data, analytics, and software to drive our mission, security and privacy is paramount. Join us as we continue to invest in our talent and new advanced technologies to unlock the power of data on behalf of all learners. About the Role:\nThe Technical Specialist, IT Program Management position (externally known as IT Program Manager) collaborates and coordinates cross-functional technology initiatives that support the Clearinghouse's ongoing modernization efforts. This role partners closely with engineering, architecture, security, operations, product, and business teams to ensure work is effectively planned, prioritized, tracked, and delivered.\nThis position is responsible for facilitating delivery processes, coordinating dependencies across teams, managing risks and milestones, maintaining program visibility, and supporting adoption of AI-enabled tools and automation capabilities that improve delivery effectiveness and operational efficiency.\nThe role will leverage cloud, DevSecOps, observability, security, identity management, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) platforms, including AWS, GitLab, Datadog, Wiz, Okta, Terraform, and related technologies.\nSpecifically, this position oversees a portfolio of initiatives, coordinating schedules, resources, dependencies, communications, risks, and reporting to ensure successful outcomes and transparency for stakeholders at all levels of the organization.\nIf you are looking to be part of a winning team with a great mission, the Clearinghouse is an excellent place to grow your career.\nCurrently, this is a remote-first position, and this position may be required to periodically work on-site at our office and the frequency would depend on the department/division's requirements. Therefore, candidates must either reside within a reasonable distance to commute to our office or be willing to travel to our office in Herndon, when required.How You Contribute:\n\n Demonstrate the Clearinghouse's core competencies: Customer Focus, Optimizes Work Processes, Collaborates, Communicates Effectively, and Be Open and Authentic.\n Develop strong knowledge of company products and services and how customers use them.\n Support a holistic approach to manage the IT Program inclusive of program level deliverables, schedules, issues, risks, risk mitigation plan, budget expenditures and related mitigation plans.\n Facilitate and promote effective Agile delivery practices to ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and meet or exceed conditions of satisfaction.\n Facilitate daily standups, backlog reviews, planning sessions, and other delivery ceremonies.\n Coordinate work across multiple teams to identify dependencies, resolve blockers, and maintain delivery momentum.\n Track action items, commitments, milestones, and delivery deadlines, providing proactive communication and escalation as needed.\n Ensure work items, requirements and AI-generated artifacts contain sufficient context, acceptance criteria, and quality to support planning, execution, reporting, automation, and downstream delivery processes.\n Collaborate across the organization and with application development teams, enterprise architecture, support teams, the Chief Data Office (CDO), and business units to assess the overall health of the program.\n Ensure a high level of transparency exists in communicating status, risk, and issues throughout the Clearinghouse.\n Host and facilitate delivery, planning, and status meetings, effectively communicating expectations and driving team progress toward fulfilling conditions of satisfaction.\n Provide recurring portfolio-level reporting and executive visibility for key technology initiatives, risks, milestones, and outcomes. Metrics will encompass team productivity, quality, and value delivered by the projects/program.\n Responsible for schedule management, proactively measuring and monitoring project progress, identifying and managing project risks and issues, and employing mitigation tactics, issue resolution and/or escalation procedures as appropriate.\n Provide project management/leadership to key IT initiatives as assigned.\n Demonstrate openness to new perspectives and ideas.\n Leverage AI-enabled tools and automation capabilities to improve work intake, story creation, reporting, and delivery efficiency.\n Partner with technical teams to identify opportunities for process automation and reduction of manual operational work.\n Support adoption of AI and automation solutions that enhance visibility, delivery tracking, knowledge sharing, and team productivity.\n\nPosition may be required to perform other duties as required. These essential functions are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.What You Bring to the Table:\n\n Bachelors degree in computer science, information technology, or any related field. A combination of education and experience including military service will also be considered.\n A mimimum of 10 years of experience managing programs and projects in a matrixed organization to deliver projects on time and within budget and scope.\n Experience with:\n \n Technology delivery and experience working in a technology organization delivering large scale projects.\n Managing internal and external stakeholders supporting technology initiatives..\n Managing multiple initiatives simultaneously, prioritizing and monitoring tasks across all projects.\n Working in an Agile environment.\n \n Proficiency working with Microsoft Office Suite and other collaboration tools.\n Familiarity with project management and Agile delivery platforms such as GitLab, Jira, Azure DevOps, Microsoft Project, Clarity, or similar tools.\n Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.\n Demonstrated ability to effectively and efficiently influence others to take appropriate action.\n Positive and professional attitude with the demonstrated ability to adapt to a dynamic, fast paced industry and environment.\n Demonstrates the Clearinghouse’s core competencies: customer focus, optimizes work processes, communicates effectively, collaborates, and is open and authentic.\n Must live within a commutable distance to Herndon, VA or in one of the Clearinghouse's approved States for hiring purposes. Refer to our HR Policies Page, located on our Careers site at for more details.\n Must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. We do not intend to sponsor external applicants for work visas, and may consider sponsorship only if no qualified candidates can be found who are authorized to work without sponsorship.\n Must be at least 18 years old.\n\nAdditional Desired Qualifications\n\n MBA or advanced degree.\n PMP and/or CSM certificate.\n Experience leveraging AI-enabled tools to improve planning, reporting, delivery management, knowledge management, or operational efficiency.\nPhysical Demands:\n\n Use of a computer for 8 or more hours a day.\n Use of a telephone and/or copy machine.\n Frequently required to sit for 7 or more hours per day.\n Occasionally required to use hands and fingers to operate, handle, and reach.\n Vision abilities include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.\n May be required to do front-of-the-room presentations.\n Able to work extended hours and potentially weekends, when required.\n Travel via car, train, and airplane, when needed.\nBenefits and Related Information\nThe National Student Clearinghouse provides a robust benefit program designed to help meet the needs of each employee and their family, both now and in the future. We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as life and disability insurance benefits, for employees and their qualified dependents. Health care, dependent care, and limited purpose flexible spending accounts, as well as a health savings account with annual employer contributions of $300 for employees and $600 for employees who are enrolled with their spouse and/or dependents, voluntary supplemental health plans for Accident and Hospital Indemnity coverage, and infertility coverage are options available for employees to set aside pre-taxed dollars for certain qualifying expenses. We offer a very generous 401k matching contribution program with the opportunity to defer pre-tax and Roth contributions, as well as catch-up contributions for those who are eligible! We are proud to offer a competitive paid leave program consisting of vacation, sick, and personal time, as well as paid holidays, up to 3 weeks of paid parental leave during a 12-month period , and up to 5 days of paid military leave per calendar year . Vacation time will accrue based on length of service, and new full-time hires can accrue up to 13 days of vacation and up to 10 days of sick time per year. On an annual basis, new employees may use up to 32 hours of accrued sick time as personal time. Additionally, the Clearinghouse observes at least 15 paid holidays per year, including company year-end close between Christmas and New Years Holidays.\n Another perk is that employees have the option to get reimbursed for basic wholesale company and roadside assistance memberships (e.g., Costco and AAA) and to request a buy back on portions of unused accrued vacation based on tenure and certain other qualifications. Employees can further their education and professional development by using our Employee Education Assistance Program, which establishes reimbursement for qualified education expenses upon successful completion of the program, and leveraging the enterprise-wide LinkedIn Learning subscription. There are additional employee benefits too, including but not limited to, mental health with up to eight free therapy sessions for employees and their family members and well-being reward benefits. With the Clearinghouse being an eligible 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization, employees are eligible for service credit towards the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF). To find out more, please request a copy of our Benefits at a Glance! \nAdditionally, we reasonably believe that the salary range for this position is between $126,420 and $164,346.\nThe pay range listed above represents a good faith estimate and is not a guarantee of compensation or salary. The National Student Clearinghouse considers multiple factors when determining base pay for offers, including but not limited to the responsibilities and scope of the role, as well as a candidate’s experience, education, knowledge, skills, abilities, internal equity, and alignment with market data.\nInternal Candidates: If you feel you meet the qualifications for the role, we strongly encourage you to apply and focus on preparing for the application process. Finalist internal candidates will receive a compensation review prior to any offer being made. In accordance with the Clearinghouse’s compensation and promotion guidelines, internal compensation practices will be applied first, which may result in pay that differs from the posted salary range.\nThis job announcement was posted to the National Student Clearinghouse’s Careers site at on 8/28/2026 and the online application period will be open for at least 3 days from this posting date. A completed online application is required to be considered for this opportunity.\nEqual Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities: The National Student Clearinghouse is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability or handicap, sex, marital status, veteran status (or known to have a spousal, family, business, social or other relationship or association with a protected veteran), sexual orientation, genetic information, arrest record, natural hairstyle, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. Our management team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities and general treatment during employment.\nPay Transparency Notice: The National Student Clearinghouse is a federal contractor that abides by all applicable equal opportunity laws and regulations. Under these laws, companies doing business with the federal government must provide applicants and employees with certain policies, including the following information. The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)