IT Senior Manager, Government, Aerospace, and Defense Solutions

Purpose

The Senior Manager, IT Government, Aerospace and Defense Solutions (GADS), plays a critical leadership role in ensuring the organization’s IT environment is secure, compliant, and operationally resilient. This position is responsible for sustaining the implementation of CMMC requirements in partnership with the GADS business team and external service providers.

This individual will be responsible for fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement across IT operations, security and compliance, ensuring that business users receive reliable, secure and compliant technology services, and that all IT activities are governed by standardized policies and procedures. The ideal candidate will bring a blend of technical expertise, regulatory knowledge, leadership acumen and vendor management expertise to guide the organization through evolving cybersecurity and operational challenges.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

• Oversee the design, deployment, and maintenance of IT infrastructure across all GADS sites.
• Ensure system uptime, performance, and scalability to support business operations.
• Conduct regular risk assessments, vulnerability scans, and incident response planning and execution in collaboration with external service providers
• Coordinate internal and external audits and manage remediation efforts.
• Collaborate with GADS business users to ensure IT infrastructure services meet operational, security and compliance requirements.
• Implement user training and awareness programs to improve IT literacy and security hygiene, in collaboration with the external service providers.
• Manage relationships with external IT service providers, MSPs, and cybersecurity vendors.
• Define and monitor service level agreements (SLAs), performance metrics, and contract compliance.
• Evaluate and onboard new vendors as needed to support IT and security initiatives.
• Develop and execute IT strategies aligned with business goals.
• Prepare and manage IT budgets, forecasts, and resource planning.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor IT staff across multiple locations, fostering a culture of accountability and innovation.
• Manage performance and outcomes of the team within their designated discipline function.
• Provide executive-level reporting on compliance posture, risk metrics, and operational performance.
• Lead the organization’s CMMC readiness, self-assessment certification efforts (Level 1 and 2 or higher).
• Lead the sustainability program to meet CMMC and NIST 800-171 requirements.
• Ensure effective liaisons with DoD stakeholders, third-party assessors, and internal teams.
• Monitor security controls across networks, endpoints, and cloud environments.
• Collaborate with legal and risk teams to ensure data protection and regulatory compliance.
• Accountable for providing critical support outside regular hours and responding to and managing priority (P1) incidents, serving as escalation point for the external service providers.
• Oversee the lifecycle management and upgrade planning of technology equipment to ensure optimal performance, reliability, and alignment with organizational standards, in collaboration with the external service provider.
• Stay current on evolving IT and security compliance requirements impacting GADS.
• Collaborate and liaise with Lincoln Corporate IT.
• Will be based in either Cleveland, OH or Macomb, MI

Skills

• Strong leadership and team-building skills across geographically dispersed teams.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Leading cross-functional IT projects from planning to execution.
• Data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement mindset.
• Ability to balance strategic priorities with day-to-day operational needs.
• Familiarity with audit processes and documentation standards.
• Understanding of cybersecurity principles, threat detection, incident response, and security frameworks including CMMC, NIST 800-171, and ISO 27001.
• Familiarity with relevant security standards and regulations, such as NIST, ISO, and CMMC
• Experience in managing third-party IT service providers, MSPs, and cybersecurity vendors.
• Ability to negotiate contracts, define SLAs, and monitor vendor performance.
• Strong customer service orientation with experience overseeing IT support operations.
• Ability to implement service improvement plans, user training programs, and support metrics.
• Proficiency in Windows Server, Active Directory, Group Policy, and endpoint management tools
• Proficiency in LAN/WAN architecture, cloud platforms (Azure), virtualization (VMware, Hyper-V), firewalls and storage solutions.
• Knowledge of security domains and associated tools and processes, including end point detection and response, vulnerability management, patch management, incident response, identity and access management, security education, governance, risk and compliance, security operations.

Basic Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, Information Technology or equivalent through certification and or training.
• Minimum 8–10 years of experience in IT security, compliance, infrastructure operations, and end-user support.
• At least 8-10 years in a leadership or management role, overseeing cross-functional IT teams.
• Proven experience managing multi-site IT operations and cybersecurity programs.
• Experience managing CMMC compliance programs, including readiness assessments, remediation, and audit preparation preferred
• Familiarity with CMMC, NIST 800-171, and other regulatory standards.
• Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, PMP, ITIL, or equivalent are highly desirable.
• CMMC certifications such as CCP desirable
• Experience with enterprise applications and collaboration platforms (e.g., Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Teams, EntraID).
• Willingness to travel between sites as needed.
• Proven track record in managing enterprise infrastructure, including cloud and hybrid environments.
• Experience working with regulated industries (e.g., defense, aerospace, manufacturing) is highly desirable.
• U.S. Citizenship required due to access to Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and federal contract obligations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present to executive leadership and external auditors.
• Strong team building, mentoring, and stakeholder engagement capabilities.