Principal Director, Service Operations

Job Summary The Principal Director, Service Operations, is a strategic and operational leader responsible for driving productivity, enhancing user experiences, and delivering exceptional quality of IT & customer services across the organization. Acting as the primary representative of the Enterprise Information Services (EIS) division, this role oversees a diverse portfolio of enterprise IT operations, including end‑user platforms (mobile, AV, and telephony), productivity tools (M365 and CRM), service desks (classified and unclassified), and the vendor management office. The incumbent will work full‑time, on‑site at our facility in Chantilly, VA or El Segundo, CA. What You’ll Be Doing Operational Strategy & Service Excellence Develop and execute IT operations and user experience strategies to ensure service availability, reliability, and scalability across classified and unclassified environments. Define and monitor operational KPIs, SLAs, and Experience Level Agreements (XLAs) to track and enhance service performance and user satisfaction. Establish and maintain runbooks, operational playbooks, and standardized operating procedures. Drive a customer‑centric IT culture focused on service excellence and operational efficiency. Incident, Problem & Change Management Oversee enterprise‑wide incident management, including escalation, communication, root cause analysis, and recovery efforts. Oversee problem management processes to identify systemic issues and eliminate recurring failures. Manage the change management process in partnership with Application Development, Infrastructure, and Security teams. Ensure consistent adherence to ITIL‑based service management practices and drive continuous improvement. Collaborate with infrastructure and cloud teams to maintain high availability, reliability, and scalability of IT systems. Leverage operational data, automation, and analytics to eliminate root causes and improve service resilience. Service Desk & End‑User Experience Manage the enterprise service desk function, ensuring fast resolution times, high‑quality support, and positive user experiences. Drive initiatives to enhance quality of service, self‑service capabilities, automation, and ticket reduction. Align service desk operations with end‑user platforms (endpoint engineering, identity, and collaboration tools). Improve service turnaround times, quality, and customer satisfaction metrics across all support channels. Cross‑Functional Collaboration & Mission Support Partner with Stakeholder Partners to align IT operations with mission and business priorities. Collaborate with Application Development, Infrastructure, and Security teams to support deployments, upgrades, and platform changes. Coordinate with data management teams to ensure operational readiness for analytics platforms and mission‑critical services. Ensure operational compliance with NIST, CMMC, and corporate governance frameworks. Governance, Compliance & Risk Management Participate in OCIO governance forums, contributing to strategy, alignment, and operational planning. Identify and mitigate operational risks, ensuring regulatory and corporate compliance for classified and unclassified environments. Maintain documentation, controls, and evidence to support audits and meet internal and external regulatory requirements. Leadership, Team Development & Vendor Oversight Lead and mentor a team of IT operations, service desk, and vendor management professionals across multiple locations. Foster a culture of accountability, reliability, and continuous improvement within the team. Develop training, certification, and career development plans. Oversee vendor and managed service provider relationships, ensuring cost‑effectiveness, performance, and value delivery. Manage budgets, resource allocation, and co‑sourcing arrangements. Key Outcomes & Value Delivery Support organizational growth and productivity improvements by continuously evaluating and enhancing IT infrastructure and operations. Drive innovation through data‑driven insights, automation, and continuous improvement initiatives. Deliver measurable value through operational excellence, cost optimization, and exceptional user experiences. Minimum Requirements Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Systems, or a related field. Minimum of 10 years of progressive IT leadership experience, with at least 5 years in senior IT operations, service delivery, or enterprise IT roles. Extremely customer‑focused, solution‑oriented, and results‑driven. Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills. Demonstrated success in leading large, geographically dispersed teams, managing budgets, and delivering enterprise‑scale IT services. Strong strategic thinking, problem‑solving, and decision‑making skills. Expertise in ITIL frameworks and IT service management processes. Proven ability to lead and motivate diverse teams, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance; U.S. citizenship required. How You Can Stand Out Experience with organizational change management frameworks. One or more ITIL certifications. Experience supporting mission‑critical or secure environments in regulated industries such as aerospace, defense, or federal organizations. Compensation Grade‑based pay range: $180,800.00 – $271,200.00 annual. Benefits Comprehensive health care and wellness plans. Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation. Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options. 401(k) Plan with company match and vesting upon hire. Variable pay program for exceptional contributions. Relocation assistance. Professional growth and development programs. Education assistance programs. Inclusive work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect. The Aerospace Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, color, religion, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, physical disability, medical condition, mental disability, or disability status and any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. If you’re an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran who needs assistance using our online job search and application tools or need reasonable accommodation to complete the job application process, please contact us by phone at View phone number on click.appcast.io or by email at View email address on click.appcast.io . #J-18808-Ljbffr The Aerospace Corporation