Problem Manager, Sr

asmexternalcareersite; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

ASM Research is seeking a senior Problem Management Lead to own the end-to-end lifecycle of IT problems, from detection and logging through investigation, remediation, and closure. You will coordinate with incident, change, and service owners to prioritize issues by business impact and risk.

You will drive structured root cause analyses, define KPIs, manage problem queues, and champion data-driven improvements to enhance service stability and user experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in IT, CS, business admin, or related field.
• 8+ years in IT service management or operations with leadership of problem management at scale.
• Deep understanding of problem management, ITIL, and related tools.
• Strong RCA, corrective action planning, and multi-project management abilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead full problem lifecycle from logging to closure with permanent fixes or robust workarounds.
• Integrate ITIL-aligned practices with incident, change, and config management.
• Perform structured root cause analysis and translate findings into actions.
• Establish and manage problem queues and prioritization by impact and risk.
• Facilitate cross-functional problem review meetings with stakeholders.
• Define and report problem management KPIs and metrics for continuous improvement.
• Build knowledge base and known error database to reduce incident resolution time.
• Collaborate with senior leaders and engineering to align remediation with strategic initiatives.

Skills

ITIL expertise

Root cause analysis

Stakeholder influence

Leadership

Communication skills

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/CS/Business or equivalent

Tools

ITSM tools

Job description

The Problem Mgmt. Lead / Problem Manager, Senior leads the end-to-end problem management function to identify, analyze, and eliminate root causes of recurring incidents impacting mission-critical IT services. This role owns the lifecycle of problems from detection and logging through investigation, remediation, and closure, ensuring permanent fixes or robust workarounds are implemented. The manager coordinates closely with incident, change, and service owners to prioritize problems by business impact and risk and champions data-driven continuous improvement to enhance service stability and user experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the full problem lifecycle, including logging, categorization, prioritization, investigation, root cause analysis, workaround definition, permanent fix implementation, and closure.
• Apply ITIL-aligned problem management practices, tightly integrating with incident, change, and configuration management so investigations and changes are traceable and controlled.
• Drive complex root cause analysis using structured techniques (for example, 5 Whys, fault tree or component impact analysis) and translate findings into corrective and preventive actions.
• Establish and manage problem queues and prioritization criteria, ensuring that high-impact, high-value problems receive focused cross-functional attention.
• Facilitate multidisciplinary problem review meetings, coordinate technical and business stakeholders, and drive consensus on remediation approaches and risk tradeoffs.
• Define, track, and report problem management KPIs and metrics, such as problems with identified root cause, permanent fix rate, and reduction in repeat incidents, using them for continuous improvement.
• Build and maintain a knowledge base and known error database that improves incident resolution times and reduces operational noise.
• Influence and collaborate with senior leaders, service owners, and engineering teams to align remediation activity with strategic initiatives and planned change windows.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Typically 8+ years of experience in IT service management or operations roles with primary accountability for leading problem management and root cause elimination at scale.
• Deep understanding of problem management principles, frameworks, and best practices (for example, ITIL) and proficiency with problem/incident management tools.
• Demonstrated excellence in root cause analysis, corrective action planning, and management of multiple concurrent problems.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with ability to engage both technical and non-technical stakeholders and influence decisions.
• Candidates must possess a current secret security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on leadership experience running an enterprise or government ITSM problem management function, in collaboration with major incident and change management leads.
• Advanced ITIL or problem-management-focused certifications (for example, ITIL Intermediate/Expert, Certified Problem Manager).

Compensation Ranges

Compensation ranges for ASM Research positions vary depending on multiple factors; including but not limited to, location, skill set, level of education, certifications, client requirements, contract-specific affordability, government clearance and investigation level, and years of experience. The compensation displayed for this role is a general guideline based on these factors and is unique to each role. Monetary compensation is one component of ASM's overall compensation and benefits package for employees.

EEO Requirements

It is the policy of ASM that an individual's race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation or national origin are not and will not be considered in any personnel or management decisions. We affirm our commitment to these fundamental policies.

All recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting for all job classifications is done without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, or age. All decisions on employment are made to abide by the principle of equal employment.

Physical Requirements

The physical requirements described in "Knowledge, Skills and Abilities" above are representative of those which must be met by an employee to successfully perform the primary functions of this job. (For example, "light office duties' or "lifting up to 50 pounds" or "some travel" required.) Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with qualifying disabilities, who are otherwise qualified, to perform the primary functions.

Disclaimer

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.