C005419 Senior Project Transition Manager (NS) - FRI 13 Nov RELAUNCH

EMW, Inc.; Wiesbaden; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

EMW, Inc. in Wiesbaden, Germany, seeks a Senior Project Transition Manager to oversee the transition of projects into operational service, ensuring readiness and a smooth handover to operations.

The role requires NATO SECRET clearance and a strong background in IT service and project management, with experience coordinating across international teams and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in IT, Engineering, Business or related field.
• 8+ years in IT service management and project management; 3+ years in a senior role.
• PMP or PRINCE2 certification preferred.
• ITIL 4 Foundation certification desired.
• Experience leading international, multi-disciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead transition of projects into live operation with formal handover and early life support.
• Define transition plans, entry/exit criteria, and handover deliverables with PMs, Service Owners and customers.
• Ensure operational readiness: support model, staffing, training, documentation, spares and contracts.
• Manage risks, issues and dependencies; escalate as needed.
• Oversee local operations in Wiesbaden: service delivery, performance and compliance.
• Coordinate incident, problem, change and service level management during transitions.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Budget management

IT service management

Project management

IT infrastructure

German language (desirable)

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/Engineering/Business

ITIL 4 Foundation

PMP or PRINCE2

Tools

ServiceNow

BMC Remedy

Jira Service Management

Job description

Deadline Date: Friday 13 November 2026

Requirement: Senior Project Transition Manager

Location: Wiesbaden, DE

Full Time On-Site: Yes

Time On-Site: 100%

Total Scope of the request (hours): 350

Required Start Date: 7 December 2026

End Contract Date: 31 December 2026

Required Security Clearance: NATO SECRET

Duties & Role:

Project Transition to Operations

• Leads the transition of projects and capabilities into operational service, from early engagement in project planning through to formal handover and early life support.
• Defines and agrees transition plans, entry and exit criteria, service acceptance criteria and handover deliverables with Project Managers, Service Owners and customers.
• Ensures operational readiness prior to go-live: support model, staffing, training, documentation, spares, underpinning contracts, monitoring and configuration data are in place.
• Evaluates project outputs against agreed service acceptance criteria and formally recommends acceptance, conditional acceptance or rejection.
• Identifies, manages and escalates transition risks, issues and dependencies, and ensures residual risks are understood and owned by operations.
• Manages early life support and closes transition only when agreed service performance has been demonstrated.
• Captures and applies lessons identified to improve future transitions.

Local Operations Management (Wiesbaden)

• Takes accountability for the day-to-day delivery of NCIA services at the location, including service performance, customer satisfaction and compliance with security and safety requirements.
• Leads and coordinates local technical, support and contractor personnel, setting clear priorities, standards and direction.
• Oversees the local infrastructure (facilities, networks, data centre / server rooms, end-user and deployable CIS assets) and ensures it is maintained, secured and fit for purpose.
• Ensures asset and configuration management records for the location are accurate and complete.
• Coordinates local business continuity and service recovery arrangements.

Incident and Problem Management

• Ensures incidents are logged, prioritised, diagnosed and resolved according to agreed procedures and service levels.
• Leads the resolution of major incidents, coordinating technical teams, vendors and customers, and provides timely, accurate communication to senior stakeholders.
• Escalates unresolved incidents and facilitates recovery following resolution.
• Initiates and monitors problem investigations, drives root cause analysis and ensures preventive measures are implemented.
• Analyses incident and problem trends to reduce recurrence and improve service stability.

Change Management

• Manages the change control process for services and assets at the location and for services in transition.
• Assesses changes for risk, impact, cost and resource requirements, and represents the location in Change Advisory Boards.
• Ensures changes are planned, communicated, tested, implemented and reviewed in a controlled manner, minimizing disruption to operations.

Service Level Management

• Negotiates service level requirements and agreed service levels with customers, and contributes to Service Level Agreements, Operational Level Agreements and underpinning contracts.
• Monitors service performance and key performance indicators, diagnoses service delivery problems and initiates improvement actions.
• Provides accurate and regular performance reporting to NCIA management and customers.
• Drives continual service improvement across processes, tools and third-party delivery.

Cost, Resource and Vendor Management

• Manages the operational and transition budget for the location, including cost planning, forecasting, tracking and variance reporting.
• Provides inputs to customer budget processes, cost models and service rates, ensuring the full cost of operating transitioned services is identified and funded.
• Identifies cost optimisation opportunities without compromising service levels or security.
• Manages vendor and contractor performance against contractual obligations, statements of work and service levels, and supports procurement activities as required.

Specific Working Conditions: Occasional travel within NATO nations, including to operational sites, may be required.

Skills, Knowledge & Experience:

• The candidate must have a currently active NATO SECRET security clearance
• A minimum requirement of a Bachelor's degree at a nationally recognised/certified university in Information Technology, Engineering, Business Administration or a related discipline, and 8 years' post-related experience.
• Or exceptionally, the lack of a university degree may be compensated by the demonstration of a candidate's particular abilities or experience that is/are of interest to the NCI Agency, that is, at least 12 years' extensive and progressive expertise in duties related to the function of the post.
• Minimum 8 years of combined experience in IT service management and project management, of which at least 3 years in a senior role.
• Proven experience (minimum 5 years) in IT service management in a Service Delivery Manager, IT Operations Manager or similar role, including incident, problem, change and service level management.
• Proven experience (minimum 5 years) in project management, delivering complex IT/CIS projects to time, cost and quality.
• Demonstrable track record of transitioning projects or new capabilities into live operational service.
• Proven experience engaging, influencing and briefing senior stakeholders at executive (C-level) or General/Flag Officer level.
• Experience managing IT infrastructure (networks, data centres, servers, end-user and communications systems) in an operational environment.
• Experience in budget and cost management, including forecasting, cost control and financial reporting.
• Proven experience managing vendors and contractors against contractual and service level obligations.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams in an international environment.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to make data-driven decisions under pressure.
• ITIL 4 Foundation (or ITIL v3 Foundation).
• Project management certification: PMP (PMI / PMBOK) or PRINCE2 Practitioner.

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience in NATO, military, defence or other international organisations.
• Experience with deployable CIS or mission-critical communications services.
• ITIL 4 Managing Professional or Strategic Leader; MSP or PgMP; SIAM certification.
• Experience with ITSM tools (e.g. ServiceNow, BMC Remedy, Jira Service Management).
• Knowledge of NATO procurement and financial processes.
• Working knowledge of German.