Manager, Service Transition & Implementation

Overview

Baker Tilly is a leading advisory, tax and assurance firm, providing clients with a genuine coast-to-coast and global advantage in major regions of the U.S. and in many of the world’s leading financial centers – New York, London, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston. Baker Tilly Advisory Group, LP and Baker Tilly US, LLP (Baker Tilly) provide professional services through an alternative practice structure in accordance with the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and applicable laws, regulations and professional standards. Baker Tilly US, LLP is a licensed independent CPA firm that provides attest services to its clients. Baker Tilly Advisory Group, LP and its subsidiary entities provide tax and business advisory services to their clients. Baker Tilly Advisory Group, LP and its subsidiary entities are not licensed CPA firms.

Baker Tilly Advisory Group, LP and Baker Tilly US, LLP, trading as Baker Tilly, are independent members of Baker Tilly International, a worldwide network of independent accounting and business advisory firms in 141 territories, with 43,000 professionals and a combined worldwide revenue of $5.2 billion. Visit bakertilly.com or join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.  

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Job Description:

 

The Managed Services Transition Manager leads the day-to-day execution of complex, large-scale client transitions into Baker Tilly Managed Services.

Working closely with the Transition Leader, client stakeholders, Delivery Leaders, technology, workforce, functional teams, incumbent providers and third parties, this role translates the agreed transition strategy and target operating model into a stable, scalable and high-performing operation.

This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for execution from mobilization through knowledge transfer, readiness, go-live, stabilization and formal handoff into steady-state operations.

Success is not defined simply by completing the transition plan on time. It is defined by whether the operation is ready to perform, business continuity is protected, service expectations are measurable, controls operate effectively and the Delivery Leader can confidently assume ownership.

Key Responsibilities

Transition Planning & Execution

• Translate the approved solution and transition strategy into an integrated execution plan with critical paths, milestones, transition waves, dependencies and decision gates.
• Coordinate execution across client, Baker Tilly delivery, technology, workforce, training, functional and third-party teams.
• Manage activities from mobilization through knowledge transfer, OJT, service rehearsal, cutover, go-live and stabilization.
• Identify opportunities to accelerate transition through sequencing and parallel execution without compromising quality, controls or business continuity.
• Proactively identify and resolve risks and cross-functional dependencies that may affect operational readiness.

Solution-to-Transition Validation

• Validate the agreed scope, delivery model, service assumptions, responsibilities, dependencies and client commitments during mobilization.
• Identify gaps between the designed or sold solution and operational reality early in the transition.
• Work with the Transition Leader and Delivery Leader to resolve material gaps before they affect service delivery.
• Confirm that staffing, technology, controls, workflows and client dependencies support the intended operating model.

Knowledge Transfer & Operational Readiness

• Develop and manage structured knowledge capture and transfer plans with client SMEs, incumbent providers and Baker Tilly delivery teams.
• Coordinate process walkthroughs, shadowing, reverse shadowing, documentation, training, OJT and competency validation.
• Ensure critical processes, exceptions, controls, judgment points, dependencies and institutional knowledge are captured before responsibility transitions.
• Track training completion, competency assessments and resource readiness.
• Establish measurable entry, exit and operational readiness criteria for each transition wave.
• Lead readiness assessments and provide evidence-based recommendations for go/no-go decisions.

Technology, Data & Automation Readiness

• Coordinate readiness across systems, user access, security, environments, integrations, workflows, reporting and data.
• Ensure technology dependencies and contingency plans are understood and addressed before transition milestones are approved.
• Ensure agreed automation, analytics and AI capabilities are incorporated into transition planning and future workflows with appropriate controls, ownership and human oversight.
• Establish a prioritized improvement backlog for opportunities that should be implemented during stabilization or steady-state operations.

Governance, Risk & Controls

• Establish and manage transition governance, including workstream reviews, readiness reviews and executive reporting.
• Maintain integrated RAID, dependency, decision and change-control disciplines.
• Surface emerging operational, financial, technology, workforce, security, compliance and client risks early and drive mitigation to resolution.
• Ensure business continuity, control, compliance and audit requirements are incorporated into transition readiness.
• Provide concise, decision-oriented reporting with clear ownership, escalation and recommended actions.
• Ensure progression is based on demonstrated readiness, not simply the project timeline.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Serve as the primary day-to-day transition liaison across client teams, Baker Tilly delivery teams, incumbent providers and third parties.
• Coordinate technology, workforce, training, process and control readiness across multiple workstreams.
• Align staffing and resource onboarding with transition-wave requirements.
• Manage interdependencies across people, process, technology, data, controls and governance.
• Ensure the Delivery Leader is actively involved throughout transition and prepared to assume service ownership.

Commercial & Scope Discipline

• Understand the Managed Services solution, transition assumptions, contractual commitments and scope.
• Monitor transition effort, resource needs, costs and scope against agreed assumptions.
• Identify material scope changes or deviations early and support the Transition Leader in change-control and commercial decisions.
• Balance transition speed with client commitments, quality, risk and delivery feasibility.

Stabilization & Steady-State Handoff

• Lead stabilization and hypercare until agreed operational acceptance and performance criteria are consistently achieved.
• Ensure unresolved transition issues have clearly defined owners, actions and timelines.
• Establish SLA, KPI, OLA, volume and quality baselines for ongoing operations.
• Coordinate formal handoff to the Delivery Leader, including governance, metrics, risks, client commitments and the continuous-improvement backlog.
• Capture lessons learned and incorporate them into Baker Tilly transition methodologies and playbooks.

Key Deliverables

• Integrated transition and wave plan
• Validated operating model and RACI
• Governance and decision framework
• Knowledge transfer and competency plan
• Operational readiness and service acceptance criteria
• Technology, data and resource readiness tracking
• SLA, KPI and OLA baseline
• RAID, dependency and decision logs
• Scope and transition economics tracking
• Executive transition dashboard
• Go-live and stabilization plan
• Continuous-improvement and automation backlog
• Formal steady-state handoff and operational acceptance

Experience & Qualifications

• Five (5) plus years of experience in managed services, transition management, transformation, shared services, BPO, GBS or complex operational programs.
• Demonstrated experience leading large, multi-workstream transitions involving multiple stakeholders, functions, locations and geographies.
• Experience transitioning Finance & Accounting, HR, payroll, application support or other back-office functions into managed services environments strongly preferred.
• Experience with vendor-to-vendor transitions, global delivery, captive or shared-services migrations, carve-outs or complex operating-model changes preferred.
• Strong experience with knowledge transfer, operational readiness, service rehearsal, cutover, stabilization and steady-state service management.
• Demonstrated ability to manage integrated plans, dependencies, scope, risks and executive governance.
• Working knowledge of SLAs, KPIs, OLAs, controls, business continuity and service-management disciplines.
• Experience working in technology-enabled, automated or AI-enabled operating environments preferred.
• PMP, PRINCE2, Agile, Six Sigma or relevant service-management certification beneficial but not required.

The pay range for this position is $69,300 to $191,300. This range represents a good-faith and reasonable estimate of the compensation the firm expects to pay for this position at the time of posting. Actual compensation will depend on a variety of relevant factors, including an applicant’s skills, experience, qualifications, professional certifications, work arrangements, geographic location, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range, and compensation decisions depend on the facts and circumstances of each case. Baker Tilly offers a compensation and benefits package to eligible employees.