Technical Operations Manager

FORTÉ; Washington, Tacoma (District of Columbia, WA, MD); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

FORTÉ, a 50+ year employee-owned company, is seeking a Technical Operations Manager to lead delivery, optimize margins, and drive customer satisfaction across service teams in the Washington, DC area. You will own the operating plan, oversee project delivery, collaborate with Sales and Managed Services, and coach a high-performance group to scale repeatable processes.

Candidates bring proven leadership in professional services, P&L accountability, and strong communication; certifications such as

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading professional services, project delivery, or operations teams in a project-based environment.
• Strong P&L ownership with budgets, forecasting, and margin management.
• Ability to oversee large teams, guide performance, and develop talent.
• Excellent communication and ability to balance customer needs with operational constraints.
• Knowledge of operational metrics like utilization, productivity, and margins.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage the fiscal year operating plan, including workforce planning, fixed assets, and training investments.
• Accountable for overall departmental financial performance, meeting revenue, gross margin, and net income targets.
• Review contract documents with Sales, Engineering, Delivery, and customers to confirm scope and feasibility before orders.
• Assign project managers and coordinate resources to meet quality, service, and profitability goals.
• Partner with Sales to promote engineering services, implementation, and managed services for growth.
• Foster a high-performance culture by setting expectations, coaching, and addressing issues as needed.
• Ensure technical staff receive training aligned to development plans and goals.

Skills

Team leadership

Project delivery

P&L ownership

Financial forecasting

Customer engagement

Communication

Education

CTS/CTS-I/CTS-D certifications

PMI/PMP/ITIL certifications

Job description

At FORTÉ, every role plays a part in reimagining how the modern workplace works. Whether you're on the front lines with customers or behind the scenes making things run, your work helps people connect, collaborate, and get things done. From classrooms to control centers, we design and deliver the systems that power smarter, more connected workplaces – and it all starts with the people who make them possible. FORTÉ (formerly AVI Systems) is a 100% employee-owned company with 50+ years of experience and a bold new identity.

The Technical Operations Manager (TOM) is accountable for delivering high levels of customer satisfaction while achieving operational, financial, and growth objectives for their assigned business unit. This role provides leadership and direction for Technical Operations teams, ensuring consistent execution of delivery standards, effective resource planning, and alignment with organizational priorities.

The Technical Operations Manager (TOM) is accountable for delivering high levels of customer satisfaction while achieving operational, financial, and growth objectives for their assigned business unit. This role provides leadership and direction for Technical Operations teams, ensuring consistent execution of delivery standards, effective resource planning, and alignment with organizational priorities.

The TOM is responsible for driving operational performance through project delivery, quality assurance, productivity, margin management, and talent development. They partner closely with Sales, Regional/Area Managed Services, and Operations leadership to support revenue growth, improve customer outcomes, and ensure scalable, repeatable project delivery. All decisions are made within approved business plans, budgets, policies, and procedures, while actively modeling and reinforcing the company’s core values.

What you will be doing:

• Own and manage the fiscal year operating plan, including workforce (FTE) planning, fixed assets, and training investments required to support current and future business needs.
• Accountable for overall departmental financial performance, achieving or exceeding budgeted revenue, gross margin, and net income targets
• Review contract documents in collaboration with Sales, Engineering, Delivery, and customers prior to order processing to confirm scope, technical feasibility, schedules, and margin targets can be successfully delivered.
• Assign project managers and/or delivery leaders and coordinate the scheduling of resources to meet quality, service, and profitability objectives
• Partner with Sales through joint customer engagement to promote engineering services, implementation, and managed service offerings that support business growth.
• Foster a high‑performance culture by setting clear expectations, coaching team members, recognizing achievement, and addressing performance or conduct issues as needed.
• Ensure technical services personnel receive appropriate training aligned to individual development plans and performance goals to maintain expertise in supported products and solutions.

What you'll bring to assure your success:

• Proven experience leading a professional service, project delivery, or operations teams within a project based or services driven environment.
• Proven ability to oversee large teams, offering guidance, managing performance, and supporting talent growth.
• Demonstrated experience with Profit & Loss accountability, including ownership of operating budgets, forecasting, revenue production, cost control, and margin performance
• Understanding of key operational and financial metrics, including utilization, productivity, labor efficiency, margins, and overall business unit performance.
• Experience working directly with customers and guiding technical teams through design, integration, project delivery, and ongoing service engagements.
• Sound judgment, strong communication skills, and the ability to balance customer requirements, operational constraints, and financial objectives.
• CTS, CTS-I, CTS-D or additionally preferred certifications of PMI, PMP or ITIL certifications are key to this position.