Assistant Director for Customer & Partner Services

Assistant Director for Customer & Partner Services (EMS
4)

WaTech:
Leading the way in technology!

Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech) is a national leader in adopting new, innovative technologies that transform the way Washingtonians receive state services. As the state’s central technology agency, WaTech is responsible for core IT services and guides the strategic direction of technology across multiple programs and domains.

This position is part of WaTech’s Strategy & Management Division (SMD), which is responsible for aligning statewide and internal technology strategies, performance frameworks, governance, and project oversight to improve service delivery, investment accountability, and operational outcomes.

The Assistant Director for Customer & Partner Services leads WaTech’s customer‑facing support operations, including the Customer Support Center, Help Desk, Small Agency Services, and Information Security Services. This position ensures services are responsive, high quality, and aligned with statutory expectations for customer satisfaction and value. This position ensures alignment with statewide strategy, effective implementation of service management practices, and coordinated response to complex service, security, and customer experience issues that affect WaTech and the agencies it supports.

This position reports directly to the Deputy Director, Strategy & Management.

• Provide leadership and direction for WaTech’s Information Security Services, Customer Support Center and Help Desk, and Small Agency Services team through the respective managers.
• Review security related performance data, risks, and service needs to guide investment decisions, resource prioritization, and long‑range planning for Information Security Services.
• Lead the development and execution of WaTech’s statewide customer engagement strategy.
• Serve as the primary accountability point for customer experience (CX) and service perception across WaTech’s external and internal customer‑facing IT support and service functions.
• Lead cross‑functional initiatives to design, evaluate, and improve customer‑facing IT services delivered by WaTech by setting direction and expectations for service design.
• Ensure customer‑facing technologies, workflows, and communication channels are reviewed and prioritized for modernization and integration to support rapid response and effective resolution.
• Serve as the highest point of escalation within the division for complex or high‑impact service incidents.
• Ensure that service delivery models are reviewed and aligned to meet the unique needs of supported agencies while remaining consistent with statewide policies and standards, including information security requirements and statewide performance expectations.
• Oversee financial planning and decision‑making for all managed areas, including budget development, forecast monitoring, rate model validation, and contract compliance.
• Lead long‑range planning for managed areas by directing managers to identify emerging needs, modernization opportunities, and resource gaps that could affect service continuity or equity across supported agencies.

• Demonstrated experience leading enterprise‑level customer support services, service delivery operations, and performance improvement efforts in a public‑sector or similarly complex environment. This experience includes:
  • At least eight years of progressively responsible experience in IT service delivery, IT operations, customer experience, or related fields.
  • At least five years of experience demonstrated in the following areas:
    • In a leadership role overseeing managers or cross‑functional teams responsible for service delivery, security operations, or customer engagement.
    • Overseeing customer‑facing IT service functions such as service desks, Tier 1 and Tier 2 support, or enterprise customer engagement teams, with responsibility for service levels, operations, and customer experience.
    • Managing complex IT service portfolios or multi‑agency service delivery models, including small agency services or similarly structured IT environments that require balancing resource constraints with…