Client Services & Production Control Manager

The mission of Washington Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange) is to radically improve how Washington residents secure health insurance through innovative and practical solutions, an easy-to-use customer experience, our values of integrity, respect, equity and transparency, and by providing undeniable value to the health care community.

The Exchange is a public-private partnership that operates Washington Healthplanfinder, the eligibility and enrollment portal used by one in four Washington residents to obtain health and dental coverage. Through this platform, and with support from a Customer Support Center and statewide network of in-person navigators and brokers, individuals and families can shop, compare and enroll in private, qualified health plans (as defined in the Affordable Care Act) or enroll in Washington Apple Health, the state Medicaid program.

The Exchange embraces the following equity statement adopted by our Board of Directors:

Equity is fundamental to the mission of the Washington Health Benefit Exchange. The process of advancing toward equity and becoming anti-racist is disruptive and demands vigilance to dismantle deeply entrenched systems of privilege and oppression. While systemic racism is a root cause of many societal inequities, we must also use an intersectional approach to address all forms of bias and oppression, which interact with and often exacerbate racial inequities. To be successful, we must recognize the socioeconomic drivers of health and focus on people and places where needs are greatest. As we listen to community, we must hold ourselves accountable to responding to recommendations to remedy inequitable policies, systems, or practices within the Exchange s area of influence. Our goal is that all Washingtonians have full and equal access to opportunities, power and resources to achieve their full potential.

SUMMARY

The Client Services and Production Control Manager oversee end-to-end IT service coordination, client system engineering, and customer-facing support operations at the Exchange. This role leads the ITIL Service Transition functions, Change and Release Management, and disaster recovery coordination, while also managing the deployment, maintenance, and support of desktop, mobile, and telecommunications systems. Acting as the central point for system outages and technical communication, the manager facilitates collaboration across internal teams and with federal, state, and external IT partners.


This position drives process improvement using Lean methodologies, supports requirement gathering, and manages procedure mapping. It also directs the Client Support team, ensuring effective triage, prioritization, and escalation of system issues. Regular reporting on system stability, change impacts, and partner performance is provided to leadership. Strong relationships with staff at all levels, vendors, agents, and government entities are essential to success in this role.


DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership in Technical Operations and Systems Engineering
• Strategic Alignment & Standards: Guide system engineering to support business goals, approve technology standards, and prioritize initiatives like device management and endpoint security.
• System Design & Deployment Oversight: Review and validate infrastructure deployments for scalability, compliance, and performance across client systems and cloud services.
• Security & Service Administration: Collaborate with the Security team on endpoint protection, manage O365 tenant configurations, and ensure SharePoint and cloud services are properly maintained.
• Performance Monitoring & Reporting: Track key metrics (uptime, patching, incident resolution), communication risks and progress to leadership, and conduct regular system health reviews.
• Policy Compliance & Audit Readiness: Enforce IT policies, managing licensing and access controls, and support internal and external audits for compliance across systems and services.


Team Leadership & Staff Development
• Supervise Client Support and Prod control teams, setting daily tasks and performance goals.
• Mentor junior staff, conduct annual reviews, and coordinate schedules and leave approvals.
• Collaborate with the associate Director of Infrastructure Services to align team objectives.


Client Support & Helpdesk Management
• Monitor and triage IT helpdesk tickets, ensuring timely resolution and escalation.
• Provide hands-on troubleshooting, installation, and configuration support for end-user devices.
• Develop and maintain client system procedures, standards, and knowledge base content.
• Deliver excellent customer service for IT incidents and requests.


Process Improvement & ITSM Development
• Lead development and optimization of ITSM workflows and automation using Lean principles.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to define and improve business-critical procedures.
• Educate stakeholders on process ownership and compliance.


Change & Release Management
• Define and manage change control processes, including chairing CAB and ECAB meetings.
• Authorize and track standard and high-risk changes, ensuring minimal disruption to services.
• Prepare and deliver change tracking and outage reports to leadership.
• Facilitate post-implementation reviews and continuous service improvement efforts.


IT Coordination & Communication
• Serve as the central point for system outages and technical coordination across internal and external partners.
• Communicate effectively with federal, state, and vendor stakeholders regarding system availability and impact.
• Develop templates and procedures for outage notifications and root cause analysis.
• Apply plain language and usability best practices in all communications.


Infrastructure Planning & Testing
• Build and maintain a test lab environment for hardware and software validation.
• Assess and manage IT equipment inventory and procurement needs.
• Plan and execute client hardware deployments and AV setup for conference rooms.


Disaster Recovery & Special Project
• Coordinate annual disaster recovery exercises and lead after-action improvement planning.
• Lead cross-functional teams and support special projects as assigned.


QUALIFICATIONS

Required:
• Five years of progressive management experience overseeing high-performing IT teams responsible for client operations, production control, change/incident management, and help desk functions.
• Expertise in Change and Release Management, with a focus on strengthening IT operations and driving continuous process improvement.
• Demonstrated experience advancing IT Service Management frameworks and operational efficiency.
• Strong skills in IT coordination, communication, and stakeholder engagement.

Desired:
• Experience applying Lean principles to ITSM workflow optimization and process improvement.
• Experience collaborating with federal, state, and vendor partners on technical operations.


APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

This position will be open until we find a suitable number of candidates to review. If interested, please submit an application with a cover letter as soon as possible. The Exchange reserves the right to close the recruitment at any time.


SALARY INFORMATION

Full Salary Range: $98,842.00 to $148,263.00 annually, with midpoint at $123,552.00.


Hiring Range: $113,668.00 and $123,552.00 annually. This is an estimate of where a qualified candidate can expect to receive an offer.


The actual salary offer will consider candidate experience, skills, qualifications, internal equity, and the market. Our compensation policy reserves the salary range above the midpoint for employees who are meeting and exceeding expectations and for growth and development, up to the maximum.


BENEFITS

Take a peek at our benefits package.


WORKING CONDITIONS

Core business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. There are times where irregular hours will be required. The preferred duty station is our Olympia, Washington headquarters. The nature of this role relies heavily on remote and in-person collaboration. While a hybrid remote and on-site schedule may be considered, the position will require flexibility to allow for in-office availability as business needs dictate. Travel requirements will be limited, however there may be occasions where an employee is required to travel and work irregular hours to attend meetings or trainings. Duties of this position require the use of standard office furniture and equipment, including setup for remote work. The employee is responsible for providing and maintaining a safe, ergonomic, and secure workspace at their remote location.


The working conditions and physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

A criminal background screen will be conducted for candidates under final consideration, and if hired, every five years of employment where highly sensitive data is processed or maintained by the position. The result of this background screen must meet the Exchange's eligibility standards.

OTHER INFORMATION

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and levels of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties and skills of personnel so classified.

This is not an employment agreement or contract. Management has the exclusive right to alter this job description at any time without notice.

The Washington Health Benefit Exchange is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

We participate in E-Verify. You can view the Department of Justice's Right to Work poster here.