Senior Manager, IT Operations

Senior Manager, IT Operations

Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) designs, develops, and manufactures advanced sequencing solutions that help scientists resolve genetically complex problems in human biomedical research, plant and animal sciences, and beyond. Our HiFi long-read and short-read platforms are used across research institutions, clinical labs, and commercial organizations worldwide. Delivering on that mission depends on an IT organization that keeps R&D, manufacturing, quality, commercial, and G&A teams productive, secure, and audit ready.

We are seeking a hands-on Senior IT Manager to own the operational core of PacBio's IT function. This role is accountable for end-user support and help desk operations, core infrastructure (network, compute, data center, cloud), vendor and contract management, IT change management, project and portfolio management, hardware and software asset inventory, software license management, and IT communications to the business.

This is a builder-operator role. You will lead and grow a small support and infrastructure team while simultaneously standardizing how IT plans, prioritizes, changes, and communicates its work. Success looks like measurably faster ticket resolution, a stable and well-documented infrastructure footprint, disciplined change control that holds up under audit, an accurate asset and license position that drives real cost savings, and a business that always knows what IT is doing and why.

The role partners closely with Information Security, Facilities, Quality/Regulatory, R&D, Manufacturing Operations, and Finance, and operates in a regulated environment where systems supporting GxP and ISO-governed processes require validated, documented, and traceable change.

Key Responsibilities

• Help Desk & End-User Services
• Infrastructure & Operations
• Vendor Management
• Change Management
• Project & Portfolio Management
• System & Software Inventory (IT Asset Management)
• License Management
• IT Communications

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field - or equivalent practical experience.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in IT infrastructure, service delivery, and/or technical program management, including 3+ years directly managing people.
• Demonstrated ownership of help desk and end-user support operations, including SLA definition, metrics, staffing, and escalation management.
• Hands-on depth in core infrastructure: enterprise networking, servers and storage, virtualization, backup and disaster recovery, identity (Active Directory / Entra ID), endpoint management, and hybrid cloud (AWS and/or Azure).
• Proven vendor and contract management experience, including negotiation, SLA enforcement, and delivery of measurable cost savings or avoidance.
• Working command of ITSM/ITIL practices - incident, problem, change, and asset management - and the ticketing platforms that support them (e.g., ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, Freshservice).
• Demonstrated project and portfolio management capability across concurrent initiatives with defined scope, schedule, budget, and risk.
• Experience owning IT asset inventory and software license compliance at enterprise scale.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to write a clear outage notice and brief an executive with equal ease.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in life sciences, biotech, medical device, or another regulated environment (GxP, GAMP 5, 21 CFR Part 11, ISO 13485/9001, SOX).
• Experience supporting R&D laboratory and manufacturing environments, including lab instrument connectivity, scientific computing, and lab-adjacent IT systems.
• PMP, ITIL v4, or equivalent certification.
• Experience leading site buildouts, lab or headquarters relocations, and data center migrations.
• Experience with SaaS management platforms, IT asset management tooling, and discovery and reconciliation automation.
• Familiarity with reporting and analytics tooling (Power BI, Tableau, or similar) for portfolio and operational dashboards.
• Scripting or automation skills (PowerShell, Python) applied to reduce manual operational work.

What Success Looks Like

First 90 days

• Baseline the current state: help desk metrics, infrastructure inventory and risk, active vendor agreements and renewal calendar, open project portfolio, and license position.
• Meet the team, the major internal stakeholders, and the top vendors; establish 1:1s and operating cadence.
• Publish an initial IT operational scorecard and a prioritized remediation list.

First 6 months

• Formal change management process live, with CAB cadence, change calendar, and documented approvals that satisfy audit.
• Asset and application inventory reconciled and under automated discovery; license true-up complete with identified savings.
• Help desk SLAs defined, measured, and trending in the right direction; knowledge base seeded and in use.

First 12 months

• Infrastructure roadmap funded and executing; disaster recovery tested with documented results against agreed RTO/RPO.
• IT project portfolio running on a standard intake-to-delivery process with quarterly planning and executive reporting.
• Measurable cost savings or avoidance delivered through vendor consolidation, license optimization, and platform rationalization.
• IT communications rhythm established - the business knows what is changing, when, and why.

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements

• On-site presence required at the Menlo Park, CA campus; occasional travel to other PacBio sites.
• Occasional after-hours and weekend work for scheduled maintenance windows, cutovers, and incident response.
• Ability to work in laboratory, manufacturing, and data center environments, including occasional lifting of IT equipment up to 40 lbs and work in racks and IDF/MDF closets.

Compensation & Benefits

The anticipated base salary range for this position is $170,400-$255,600 annually. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, internal equity, and work location. This position is also eligible for [annual bonus / equity], along with PacBio's comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k), flexible time off, and employee stock purchase plan.

Candidates must have current authorization to work in the United States without the need for present or future sponsorship.

Non-Field Based Employees are required to be onsite Monday-Thursday (Friday work from home). Depending on the role, some employees may be required to be 100% onsite.

You may be required from time to time to visit and work at PacBio locations and for such times as the Company considers necessary for the proper performance of your duties.

All listed tasks and responsibilities are deemed as essential functions to this position; however, business conditions may require reasonable accommodations for additional tasks and responsibilities.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, protected veteran status, or on the basis of disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation.