Platform Services IT Manager

The Platform Services IT Manager is responsible for the delivery, reliability, and ongoing evolution of enterprise application platforms and backend services. This role owns backend development, quality assurance, and deployment across commercial SaaS platforms, integration technologies, and custom-built solutions. The focus is disciplined execution, operational rigor, and scalable engineering practices.

This position operates at the intersection of application development, data engineering, architecture, and operations and is expected to actively drive technical outcomes — not simply coordinate them.

Primary Responsibilities

Platform Ownership & Delivery

Own the full lifecycle (build, test, deploy, operate) of enterprise platforms including Salesforce, MuleSoft Partner Manager, MuleSoft Anypoint Platform, Microsoft Power Platform, Power BI, and custom solutions. Ensure platforms are stable, secure, performant, and aligned with business objectives. Standardize backend architecture, integration patterns, and deployment practices.

Backend Development Leadership

Lead backend engineering efforts including API design, data integration, automation, and custom development (Python, SQL, Azure, etc.). Establish and enforce development standards for code quality, security, scalability, and maintainability. Review designs to prevent technical debt and fragile architectures.

Quality Assurance & Release Management

Own QA strategy including automated, regression, and integration testing. Ensure releases are predictable, repeatable, and low-risk. Define and enforce go/no-go production criteria. Partner with product leadership to ensure appropriate communication and training for end-user adoption.

CI/CD & Environment Management

Own CI/CD pipelines, deployment automation, and environment management (dev/test/UAT/prod). Reduce manual release processes and eliminate dependency on individual “hero” deployments. Implement rollback strategies, monitoring, and post-deployment validation as standard practice.

Vendor & Platform Governance

Hold vendors and system integrators accountable for quality, timelines, and deliverables. Make pragmatic build-versus-buy decisions aligned to enterprise goals. Manage licensing, utilization, and cost efficiency in partnership with IT leadership.

Security, Compliance & Reliability

Ensure platforms meet enterprise security, compliance, and audit standards. Partner with security teams to implement secure integration patterns and access controls. Drive operational excellence through monitoring, alerting, incident management, and root cause analysis.

Team Leadership

Lead and develop backend developers, QA engineers, and platform administrators. Set clear expectations, prioritize work based on business impact, and foster a culture of accountability, documentation, and continuous improvement.

Key Competencies

Technical

• Strong hands-on backend development experience (Python preferred)

• Experience managing enterprise platforms such as Salesforce, MuleSoft, and Microsoft Power Platform

• Deep understanding of API-driven architectures, integration patterns, and data flows

• Experience implementing CI/CD pipelines and automated testing

• Solid understanding of cloud-native environments and deployment models

Leadership & Delivery

• Proven experience leading technical teams supporting production systems

• Ability to move from strategy to execution without losing momentum

• Comfortable making informed tradeoffs

• Strong incident management and problem-resolution capabilities

Professional

• Clear communicator across technical and non-technical audiences

• Bias toward automation, standardization, and simplification

• Low tolerance for ambiguity or recurring operational issues

People Management

• Oversee developers and platform administrators, with potential contract resources

• Manage third-party delivery partners

• Partner with HR and IT leadership to maintain a forward-looking talent strategy focused on recruitment, development, and retention

Work Environment

• Primarily office-based role

• Occasional lifting (up to 20 lbs)

• Primarily sedentary work

Schedule & Travel

• Full-time salaried position

• Flexible schedule required to meet delivery commitments

• Up to 15% travel may be required

Required Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, MIS, or equivalent experience

• 7+ years of development experience across multiple programming languages and platforms

• Strong knowledge of software engineering best practices and standards

• Experience with Agile and Waterfall methodologies

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Demonstrated leadership of technical development teams

• Experience managing outsourced teams and vendors