Hybrid – Lead Consultant, Municipal IT Master and Strategic Plan, Southern California (Mostly Remote)

Job Title: Lead Consultant, Municipal IT Master and Strategic Plan
Work Arrangement: Hybrid, mostly remote; two to three onsite visits plus onsite final presentations
Location: Southern California (Ventura County); US-based candidates only, California candidates preferred
Employment Type: Contract (Part-Time, project based)
Pay Rate: $100 to $125/hr, based on experience
Duration: Anticipated start February 2027; 12-month engagement

Position Summary

Dhaka Technologies Limited Company (DTLC) is hiring a Lead Consultant to lead a citywide IT Master and Strategic Plan for a full-service city in Southern California. The city's last IT master plan is more than 20 years old. The Lead Consultant will direct the current-state assessment, stakeholder engagement, analysis and final plan, and will present findings to executive management and the City Council.

Interviews, workshops and document review are largely virtual. The engagement includes two to three onsite visits to the client's offices in Ventura County, CA, plus onsite presentations to the executive steering committee and City Council.

Responsibilities

• Lead the engagement from kickoff through acceptance of the final IT Master and Strategic Plan, including weekly written status updates, biweekly project meetings and monthly steering committee briefings.
• Assess the current technology environment: infrastructure, data centers and network closets, network architecture, cloud and SaaS use, business continuity and disaster recovery readiness, and data management and integration.
• Assess an application portfolio of more than 100 enterprise and departmental systems, including ERP and utility billing, land use and permitting, police CAD/RMS, GIS, enterprise asset and work order management, document management and collaboration, and water and sanitation SCADA at a planning level.
• Plan and run stakeholder interviews, workshops and focus groups with departments, executives and IT staff, and an optional online resident survey.
• Assess compliance posture against CJIS, PCI DSS, California privacy and breach notification law, records retention and accessibility standards, using NIST CSF.
• Evaluate the IT organizational structure, staffing capacity, succession risk and roles, and recommend an updated IT organization and workforce model.
• Develop IT governance, policy and project management frameworks, including project intake, prioritization, portfolio tracking and delivery methods.
• Build a technology cost model, total cost of ownership analysis and five-year capital and operating budget projections, with funding strategies.
• Benchmark IT maturity, staffing and spending against comparable California cities.
• Prepare an AI readiness and opportunity assessment with a prioritized AI roadmap aligned with the city's AI governance work.
• Produce a minimum five-year implementation roadmap with project rankings, phasing and KPIs, plus the executive summary and presentation materials.

Required Qualifications

• Lead or principal consultant role on at least three IT master plans, IT strategic plans or comprehensive technology assessments completed within the last five years for cities, counties, special districts or other large public sector organizations, with client references we may contact.
• At least five years developing technology strategies or master plans for local government or other public sector organizations.
• Hands-on experience assessing municipal enterprise systems such as ERP, permitting, public safety CAD/RMS, GIS and asset management platforms.
• Working knowledge of IT governance and service management frameworks (ITIL, COBIT, NIST CSF) and project management methods (PMBOK, Agile).
• Experience with IT organizational assessments, technology budgeting, total cost of ownership and multi-year capital planning.
• Experience presenting to a city council, board or executive leadership.
• Able to travel to Ventura County, CA for two to three onsite visits and the final presentations.
• Willing to let us share your qualifications with the client, describe your prior engagements and contact your references.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship, now or in the future.

Preferred Qualifications

• California city or county government experience.
• Former municipal CIO, IT Director or Deputy Director, or a consultant with a municipal IT planning practice.
• Experience with Tyler Munis, Tyler EnerGov, Esri, Microsoft 365 or SCADA environments.
• Experience with IT maturity benchmarking against peer cities.
• AI strategy, AI governance or AI readiness assessment experience.
• PMP, CGEIT, CISA, CISSP or ITIL certification.

Compensation and Schedule

$100 to $125 per hour, based on experience. Part-time; hours vary by phase and are heaviest during discovery and report drafting.

How to Apply

Qualified candidates should email their resume to talent@dhakatech.us with "Lead Consultant, Municipal IT Master Plan (Southern California)" in the subject line. Please include two or three sentences on each of three IT master plans, strategic plans or technology assessments you led in the last five years (client, year, your role and scope), reference contact details for those projects, your certifications and current city, and confirm your availability for a February 2027 start. Applications received by Monday, November 16, 2026 will receive priority review.