It Program Manager: Applications & Systems

Help shape how our city works

The City of San Marcos is continuing to evolve, modernizing how we operate, how we serve our community and how we support the employees who make it all happen. Technology plays a central role in that work, and we're looking for someone who wants to help shape it with intention and purpose.

We are seeking an IT Program Manager to oversee systems and applications, helping define how the City's business systems are selected, managed and improved over time - focusing on ownership, clarity, consistency and long‑term value.

IT systems and applications touch nearly every part of city operations – from finance, human resources, permitting and licensing, public works asset management and beyond. When these systems are managed well, work is easier, decisions are clearer, and services to the community are stronger.

In this role, you’ll help move the city away from one-off decisions and toward a shared, transparent approach to managing systems. You’ll work with departments to understand their needs, set clear expectations, and guide decisions so technology supports how the city works today and where it’s headed next.

• Partner with staff and leaders to turn business needs into practical, sustainable system solutions.
• Help define how systems and applications are chosen, prioritized and managed across the city.
• Bring clarity and consistency to technology decisions that affect multiple departments.
• Strengthen accountability by helping the organization understand who owns what – and why.
• Shape systems that support employees and improve service to the community.

• Strong experience working with enterprise systems and business applications.
• A practical problem solver who can balance structure with flexibility.
• A collaborator who enjoys working across teams and departments.
• A clear communicator who can explain complex topics in plain language.

At the City of San Marcos, we live our values: teamwork, professionalism, fiscal responsibility, and customer service. We believe in operating like an efficient business while keeping people at the center of what we do – both the community we serve and the employees who serve it.

Here, your work will matter. Your ideas will be heard. And your efforts will help shape how the city operates for years to come.

• One of the top 25 places to raise a family (Fortune Magazine)
• The health care hub of North County (Kaiser’s hospital opened last year and Scripps announced its next hospital will be in San Marcos)
• An education leader, home to Cal State San Marcos and Palomar Community College
• Top 10 safest city in California

• A competitive salary
• Our 9/80 work week means you'll have every other Friday off
• A hybrid work schedule may be available after six months, based on successful onboarding and role readiness.
• Generous health benefits (all medical premiums employer paid at 90%)
• Time off: 15 paid holidays, vacation, sick and executive leave
• Participation in the CalPERS retirement system (Classic members 2% @ 55, PEPRA members 2% @ 62) and Social Security

Recruitment is open continuous, with first application review on January 28th.

First technical panel interview:
Week of February 9th.

Second department interview:
Week of February 16th.

Full listing of the Program Manager job description can be found here.

In this role, your work is shaped by both day‑to‑day coordination and the opportunity to build something new. This position is being established from the ground up, which means you will help define how the city understands, manages, and plans for its enterprise applications.

You will work closely with departments and IT colleagues to identify and document the city’s existing systems, creating a clear inventory of systems and applications and establishing ownership for each one. This foundational work helps bring clarity to how systems are supported, improved, and prioritized over time.

As part of your ongoing…