Senior IT Project Manager Jobs in California
Senior IT Project Manager jobs in California are among the most active in the country, concentrated in technology, defense, healthcare, and financial services across a market that consistently absorbs demand at every level from associate PM through senior director. The largest hiring hubs are the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego, where employers like Salesforce, Kaiser Permanente, and Northrop Grumman maintain substantial project management functions. Agile transformation, cloud migration, and cybersecurity program delivery are the most in-demand specialties right now. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Company Description
Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below:
Appointment Type: Temporary Exempt - This position is a full-time position excluded by the Charter from the competitive civil service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the appointment officer. The anticipated duration of this project position is up to thirty-six (36) months.
- Application Opening: Wednesday, June 17, 2026
- Application Deadline: Apply immediately. This recruitment is considered open until filled, but will close no sooner than July 8, 2026 at 11:59 PM.
- Salary Range: $223,652 - $240,760 Annual / $107.5250 - $115.7500 Hourly
✅ Required Supplemental Questionnaire due at the time of application to be considered for this position: (See below for additional information) Applicants must complete this required Supplemental Questionnaire in addition to submitting an application. The questionnaire must be completed by no later than the application deadline of July 8, 2026 at 11:59 PM PST.
Work Location: Incumbent will conduct the majority of work at the Department of Technology, (1 S Van Ness, Ave San Francisco, CA 94103). However, there may be situations where the incumbent will be required to work at other sites throughout the City and County of San Francisco as necessary.
Nature of Work: This is a full-time position. The department supports a hybrid work schedule in compliance with City & County of San Francisco policies on remote work which currently requires onsite work of a minimum of two (2) days per week.
About The Department Of Technology
Are you ready to make an impact in one of the most innovative cities? The San Francisco Department of Technology (DT) is looking for passionate IT professionals to help shape the future of technology in San Francisco! As the centralized technology services provider for the City and County of San Francisco (CCSF), DT delivers critical infrastructure and services to over 33,000 employees—supporting public safety, municipal broadband, cybersecurity, cloud solutions, and more! With a $170M+ annual budget and a team of 300+ experts, DT is leading the charge in digital transformation. DT provides services through our core areas of IT Excellence:
- IT Project Management Office
- Enterprise Application Services
- Cloud Center of Excellence
- IT Operations and Support including the Service Desk and NOC
- City Infrastructure including the Network, Telcom and Data Centers
- Office of Cybersecurity including Cyber Defense, Identity Management and Disaster Recovery
- Public Safety Systems and Municipal Broadband Fiber
- SFGovTV Broadcasting Services
- IT Finance and Administration Services
- Emerging Technologies
Why Join Us?
Innovative & impactful work at DT, you won’t just work on IT—you’ll power a city. Your expertise will directly impact the residents of San Francisco, from closing the digital divide to ensuring secure, efficient city operations.
Benefits of Working for CCSF:
In addition to challenging and rewarding work, the City provides a generous suite of benefits to its employees.
- Competitive pay, benefits, and retirement options
- Career growth opportunities through training, internal mobility, and subsidized education
- Diverse work environment in a diverse city
Join the team that’s shaping the future of technology in San Francisco. Apply today and be part of a dynamic, innovative, and mission-driven IT team!
Job Description
The DT Project Management Office (PMO) oversees a portfolio of 100+ IT projects, leading critical initiatives that modernize IT infrastructure and applications. Our focus includes AI adoption, cloud transformation, business automation, asset management, CRM, data management and data lakes, collaboration tools, network and voice modernization, data center optimization, wireless access, public safety radio, cybersecurity, IT resiliency, and service management. The DT PMO is seeking an experienced Senior IT Project Manager to lead complex, high-impact technology modernization initiatives that support enterprise business objectives and improve services for residents. This role is responsible for managing large-scale, cross-functional projects from initiation through implementation, ensuring successful delivery of technology solutions that enhance operational efficiency, strengthen security, improve customer experience, drive innovation, and reduce costs. The Senior IT Project Manager serves as a strategic partner to business and technology leaders, vendors, and stakeholders, providing leadership, governance, and oversight for mission-critical projects. The ideal candidate is a highly collaborative leader with exceptional communication, stakeholder management, and project delivery skills, capable of navigating complex organizational environments and driving successful outcomes.
A successful Senior IT Project Manager will:
- Deliver complex technology modernization initiatives that achieve measurable business outcomes.
- Effectively manage competing priorities across multiple departments and stakeholder groups.
- Build strong partnerships with business leaders, vendors, and technical teams.
- Drive organizational change and user adoption while minimizing operational disruption.
- Establish trust through transparency, accountability, and consistent delivery of results.
This position will lead initiatives including:
- Modernization of enterprise telephony and communications platforms, including migration from legacy on-premises solutions to Cisco voice and contact center technologies.
- Deployment of modern workplace communication tools, including Teams softphones, desk phones, mobility solutions, and collaboration technologies.
- Enterprise Service Desk modernization initiatives within a shared ServiceNow environment, ensuring alignment with governance standards, operational readiness, and long-term platform sustainability.
The IT Project Manager will perform duties including, but not limited to:
Project Leadership & Strategic Oversight
* Lead complex, multi-year IT modernization projects from planning through implementation and operational transition.
* Define project scope, objectives, deliverables, timelines, budgets, resource plans, and success metrics.
* Develop and maintain project charters, work plans, risk registers, communication plans, and executive reporting.
* Ensure projects are delivered on schedule, within budget, and aligned with organizational priorities.
Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration
* Serve as the primary liaison between IT leadership, business departments, vendors, and external partners.
* Build consensus among diverse stakeholder groups and facilitate effective decision-making.
* Communicate project status, risks, recommendations, and business impacts to executive leadership and governance bodies.
* Translate complex technical concepts into clear business-focused communications.
Technical & Operational Execution
* Oversee implementation activities including system integration, testing, deployment, user acceptance testing (UAT), and production readiness.
* Coordinate technology modernization efforts involving telecommunications, cloud services, ServiceNow, infrastructure, and enterprise applications.
* Ensure compliance with organizational security, architecture, and governance standards.
Risk, Change, and Vendor Management
* Identify project risks, dependencies, and issues; develop and execute mitigation strategies.
* Lead organizational change management efforts, including communication, training, and user adoption activities.
* Manage vendor relationships, procurement activities, contract execution, and third-party consulting engagements.
* Monitor vendor performance and ensure contractual deliverables are achieved.
Governance and Continuous Improvement
* Support enterprise project governance, portfolio management processes, and project management best practices.
* Develop and present project performance metrics, dashboards, and recommendations to leadership.
* Promote continuous improvement and adoption of industry best practices in project delivery and service management.
Leadership and Team Development
* Lead cross-functional teams in a matrixed environment and foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and transparency.
* Provide mentorship and guidance to project team members and junior project management staff.
* Encourage innovation, professional growth, and continuous learning.
* Maintain awareness of industry trends and best practices.
Qualifications
Performs other related duties as required.
Minimum Qualifications:
Candidates must meet one of the following:
- Possession of a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or other related field; AND
- Six (6) years of experience implementing and managing large scale integrated information systems projects; OR
- Ten (10) years of experience implementing and managing integrated information systems projects.
Note(s):
* One-year full-time employment is considered equivalent to 2000 hours (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40 hour work week). Any overtime hours that you work above forty (40) hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.
* Applicants must meet minimum qualification requirements by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.
Desirable Qualifications:
The stated desirable qualifications may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring:
- 6 years of experience in IT project, or program management, preferably in a large, complex organization.
- Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
- Experience leading enterprise telecommunications or contact center modernization projects.
- Experience managing ServiceNow implementations or service management transformations.
- Experience in public sector, or large enterprise environments.
- Familiarity with ITIL, Agile, Hybrid, and Waterfall project delivery methodologies.
- Strong executive presence and the ability to develop CIO-level reports, funding proposals, and strategic recommendations.
Additional Information
Verification: Please make sure it is clear in your application exactly how you meet the minimum qualifications. Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Please review our articles on Employment Application and Minimum Qualifications and Verification of Experience and/or Education for considerations taken when reviewing applications. Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point in the application and/or departmental selection process. Note: Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores. Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application.
Selection Procedure:
The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements and assessment of candidates’ job-related knowledge, skills and abilities. Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to evaluate candidate qualifications. This typically includes an oral interview and/or a written or performance exercise. If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the Department needs will be invited to continue in the selection process. Applicants meeting the minimum requirements are not guaranteed advancement in the selection process.
To find Departments which use this classification, please see: Position Counts by Job Codes and Departments.
Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:
- Information About The Hiring Process
- Conviction History
- Employee Benefits Overview
- Equal Employment Opportunity
- Disaster Service Worker
- ADA Accommodation
- Veterans Preference
- Right to Work
- Copies of Application Documents
- Diversity Statement
How to Apply
Applicants are encouraged to apply immediately as this recruitment may close at any time, but not before July 8, 2026 at 11:59 PM PST.
- Your application MUST include a resume. To upload, please attach using the "additional attachments" function.
- Complete the Supplemental Questionnaire: https://forms.office.com/g/36rLU8Fwsw
- Please Note: If you are coming across this announcement outside of the SF Careers website, you must apply directly on the SF Careers site. At this point, you should be able to view the Supplemental Questionnaire link.
- You may contact Elbi Magana via email at elbi.magana@sfgov.org with questions regarding this opportunity.
- Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered. Mailed, hand delivered or faxed documents/applications will not be accepted. Applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@careers.sf.gov that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records.
Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received. Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).
Exam Analyst Information:
If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst at elbi.magana@sfgov.org.
The Office of the City Administrator is committed to ensuring that the City's services are inclusive, efficient, equitable, and culturally competent for San Franciscans of all races, ethnic backgrounds, religions, and sexual orientations. This commitment requires comprehensive review and thorough analysis of existing practices and policies to remove barriers to real inclusion. We are also committed to ensuring that we have a safe, equitable, and inclusive workplace for individuals of all races. This includes creating opportunities for hiring, promotion, training, and development, for all employees, including but not limited to Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.
See All 25 Senior IT Project Manager Jobs in California
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Find JobsSenior IT Project Manager Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Senior IT Project Manager Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Intuitive (Intuitive Surgical)2

- Mattel2

- Palo Alto Networks2

- The J. Paul Getty Trust2

- Applied Materials1

Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software11
- Manufacturing3
- Medical Devices3
- Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals2
- Consulting & Professional Services2
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in senior IT project manager jobs across California.
- PMP certification required or strongly preferred by most California enterprise employers
- Seven or more years managing complex IT projects in a senior capacity
- Demonstrated experience leading Agile or SAFe delivery frameworks at scale
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, or a related technical field
- Experience with cloud platform migrations such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud
- Strong stakeholder management skills across cross-functional California enterprise teams
Senior IT Project Manager Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a senior it project manager in California?
The concrete path in California starts with a bachelor's degree in information systems, computer science, or a related field, followed by several years in junior or mid-level project coordination roles. California employers consistently prioritize the Project Management Professional certification issued by the Project Management Institute, which requires documented experience and an exam. No state-issued California license applies to this role, but earning PMP and hands-on Agile or SAFe credentials significantly improves hiring outcomes at senior levels.
How much do senior IT project managers make in California?
Senior IT project managers in California earn a median of about $120,910 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $69,180 for the lowest 10% to over $188,560 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire senior it project managers in California?
Employers hiring senior it project managers in California right now include Intuitive (Intuitive Surgical), Mattel, and Palo Alto Networks, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of June 2026. California's concentration of enterprise technology companies, large health systems, and defense contractors means senior PM demand is spread across a wide range of established organizations rather than clustered in a single industry.
Which California cities have the most senior it project manager jobs?
The cities with the most senior it project manager openings in California are San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Sunnyvale. The Bay Area leads because of its density of enterprise software and cloud companies, while Los Angeles draws demand from entertainment technology, healthcare, and aerospace, and San Diego's openings are driven largely by biotech firms and defense contractors like Northrop Grumman and Leidos.
Are there remote senior it project manager jobs in California?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 32% of senior it project manager openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of June 2026, reflecting how much of the coordination work happens through digital project tools rather than on a physical site. The most fully remote postings tend to involve software delivery and cloud program management rather than roles requiring regular presence at a data center or manufacturing facility.
How can I get hired as a senior it project manager in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is moving into a project coordinator or IT business analyst role, which large California employers like Kaiser Permanente, Salesforce, and major California county government agencies regularly post as associate-level positions. From there, candidates build documented project hours needed to sit for the CAPM or PMP exam. Completing an Agile or Scrum certification and contributing to a portfolio of real project artifacts gives California candidates a measurable edge when applying for their first named PM title.
Where can I find and apply to senior it project manager jobs in California?
You can find and apply to senior it project manager jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings across industries and hiring metros. Find the roles that fit your experience and apply directly to the ones that match.
See All 25 Senior IT Project Manager Jobs in California
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