Technology Business Manager
Full-Time - Permanent
Olympia Central Office

The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a business-focused, detail-oriented Technology Business Manager who is strong in business, budgeting, and procurement processes, with comfort working in IT contexts. This role is ideal for candidates who excel at managing financial data, contracts, procurements, and structured business operations that support technology decision-making across the agency. Technology Business Management (TBM) is a statewide, business focused framework that helps Washington agencies understand, manage, and communicate the true cost of IT. TBM provides a standardized way to categorize and analyze technology spending so leaders can make informed, data driven decisions about what the agency is buying, why those investments are needed, and how they support mission outcomes. It improves IT financial transparency, supports budgeting and procurement decisions, and ensures WDVA aligns with statewide expectations, policies, and reporting standards. TBM is not a technical engineering discipline—it is a structured business approach for running IT like a business and connecting technology investments to the services and results they enable.

Reporting to the Chief Information Officer, the Technology Business Manager leads core business functions for the IT Division, including Technology Business Management, IT financial transparency, contract and vendor management, technology asset lifecycle planning, large technology procurements, staff supervision, and portfolio support. This position helps connect technology spending, business needs, compliance requirements, procurement strategy, and long-term planning so agency leaders can better understand what we are buying, why we are buying it, and how those investments support WDVA’s mission of Serving Those Who Served.

This position supervises one staff member and is responsible for setting expectations, assigning work, coaching performance, supporting professional development, and ensuring assigned IT business operations work is completed accurately and on time.

The Technology Business Manager also serves as Contract Manager for approximately 40 IT contracts, ensuring vendor performance, deliverable review, invoice accuracy, renewals, amendments, procurements, compliance, and lifecycle planning are actively managed.

For major technology purchases, this position leads the IT Division’s procurement planning and coordination. This includes helping develop requirements, supporting market research, coordinating with Procurement and program areas, leading IT’s role in RFPs and other formal solicitations, supporting evaluations, managing procurement timelines, and ensuring technology purchases are aligned with agency needs, budget realities, statewide requirements, security expectations, and long-term support considerations.

The Technology Business Manager also serves as WDVA’s lead for engagement with the statewide WaTech Technology Business Management program and helps ensure the agency’s IT spending, reporting, and investment practices align with statewide expectations, policies, standards, and processes.

Why This Role Matters

WDVA relies on technology to support veterans, families, residents, staff, and critical agency operations across the state. This position helps ensure the IT Division manages its resources responsibly, plans ahead, buys technology thoughtfully, supports staff effectively, meets statewide expectations, and provides agency leaders with the information they need to make smart technology decisions.

If you are interested in public service, technology planning, financial transparency, procurement strategy, staff leadership, and helping an agency strengthen how it manages IT investments, we encourage you to apply.

In this role, you will:

Procurement & Contract Management

• Manage approximately 40 IT contracts, including SaaS, software, hardware, maintenance, and professional services.
• Oversee vendor performance, renewals, amendments, invoice review, and lifecycle planning.
• Lead procurement planning for major technology purchases, including RFPs and competitive solicitations.
• Coordinate with Procurement, Finance, Budget, IT leadership, and program areas to ensure alignment on costs, requirements, timelines, and compliance.

Budget, Cost Modeling, and Financial Analysis

• Maintain and enhance the agency’s IT cost model, including allocation rules and shared cost drivers.
• Ensure consistent treatment of expenses, labor coding, contracting categories, and reporting taxonomy.
• Collect, validate, and clean financial, labor, contract, procurement, and service data.
• Build reports showing spend trends, cost drivers, unit costs, run/grow/transform views, and other analysis that supports budget development and decision packages.

Leadership of Technology Business Management (TBM)

• Lead WDVA’s TBM program and serve as liaison to WaTechTBM.
• Maintain TBM governance, documentation, roles and responsibilities, cadence, and escalation paths.
• Translate cost, financial, and technology information into clear, plain language insights for leaders.

Data Quality, Mapping, and Reporting

• Oversee TBM data collection, normalization, mapping, and submission activities.
• Maintain crosswalks between chart of accounts, cost centers, labor categories, and TBM taxonomy.
• Produce executive level reporting and presentations based on validated financial and operational data.

Governance, Compliance, and Continuous Improvement

• Ensure alignment with statewide TBM policies, procurement rules, financial reporting expectations, and internal controls.
• Maintain audit trails and documentation.
• Identify opportunities to refine cost drivers, improve contract management practices, enhance financial transparency, and strengthen long-term planning.

*For full list of duties, it is highly recommended to request a copy of the full Position Description*

What We’re Looking For

We are looking for someone who is strong in business, budgeting, and procurement processes, with comfort working in IT contexts. The ideal candidate will bring:

• Experience in budgeting, financial analysis, cost modeling, contract management, or procurement
• Ability to work with financial and technical data and translate it into clear insights
• Comfort supporting technology related business operations (no engineering required)
• Experience coordinating structured processes and working with multiple stakeholders
• Skill in analyzing data, asking clarifying questions, and supporting executive decision making
• Strong communication skills and the ability to convert complex financial or contractual information into plain language

Experience with Technology Business Management (TBM), statewide budgeting practices, Apptio, IT contract management, or Washington State procurement processes is helpful but not required. The most important attributes are judgment, follow through, analytical capability, and the ability to build effective working relationships across organizational boundaries.

Required Qualifications:

• 11 years of full-time work experience in Information Technology with IT professional experience. OR
• Associates Degree and 9 years of *IT relative experience, OR
• Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or relatable degree, and 7 years of *IT relative experience, OR
• Master’s Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or relatable degree, and 5 years of *IT relative experience.

• Five years of experience in IT management and/or governmental IT budgeting/accounting.
• Five years of experience performing advanced system management and integration of disparate data sets.

Please note: *IT relative experience includes consulting, analyzing, designing, programming, installing and/or maintaining computer software applications, hardware, telecommunications, or network infrastructure equipment; directing projects, providing customer or technical support in information technology; or administering and supervising/leading staff who performed work in any of these information technology disciplines.

• Must be proficient in the English language.
• Agency Required Competencies for all positions:
  • The ability to take action to learn and grow.
  • The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

Preferred/Desired Qualifications:

• Preferred certifications in ITIL, Project Management, Change Management, Business Analysis, CPA, PGMP, PFMP, or PMP certification.
• Prior experience with Technology Business Management (TBM)
• CPA, MPA, or, MBA with a focus on Information Technology, Budget and/or Accounting.
• Professional experience navigating the WA State budget development and legislative processes and procedures.
• Experience with Apptio data mapping and reporting.
• Professional experience using WA State financial applications, including AFRS, SAP, and Enterprise Reporting.

Special requirements:

• Must be able to pass a DSHS BCCU Background Check every two (2) years in accordance with WDVA Policy 615.000 Background Checks. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant's suitability and competence to perform in the position.
• Must maintain regular and reliable attendance and be willing to work as needed.
• Must successfully complete, within mandated timeframes, employee orientation and all other mandatory annual, in-service, and other required training.
• Must become familiar and comply with all DVA policies and procedures and Collective Bargaining Agreements as applicable.
• Must sign the confidentiality statement for all employees.
• Positions requiring travel must have a valid unrestricted driver's license and must be insured if driving a privately owned vehicle on state business.
• Candidates who are offered a job with WDVA must possess work authorization which does not require sponsorship by the employer for a visa now or in the future.

Check out this awesome video here to see what it is like to work for the WDVA!

Application Process:

The top candidates will be contacted directly to interview for this position. Because the selection will be based on information provided by you, it is in your best interest to identify the knowledge, skills and abilities that address the mandatory and desirable qualifications described below.

Please include the following documents with your application:
1. A letter of interest describing specific qualifications.
2. A current resume detailing applicable experience and education.

Finalists will be asked to provide a list of at least three professional references with current telephone numbers.

Other Information:

• This position is Non-Represented.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Employer

Here at YOUR Washington Department of Veterans Affairs our employees come from all walks of life. We strive to hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

We believe in the importance of recognizing the value each of us contribute to the success of the mission of the agency. Having a diverse workforce is this agency’s greatest resource of strength and knowledge. It is through the combination of talents and abilities that we can pursue finding effective measures on how we can provide the best customer service. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace for everyone.

The State of Washington is an equal opportunity employer. Persons with a disability who need assistance in the application process or testing process, or those needing this announcement in an alternative format, may call (360) 725-2183. TTY users should first call 711 to access the Washington Relay Service.

You are welcome to include the name and pronoun you would like to be referred to in your materials, and we will honor this as you interact with our award-winning diverse and inclusive organization.

If you have any questions regarding this announcement, program, or the agency please contact us at recruiters@dva.wa.gov.