WESTPORT — Sara Harris, the town’s operations manager, who played a key role in the town’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is leaving the post to take a job in the private consulting field.

First Selectman Jim Marpe, announcing Harris’ departure Monday, said her resignation takes effect Aug. 27. She will be taking a job with KPMG’s State and Local Government Practice.

Harris has been in the job since July 2017, replacing Dewey Loselle, who had been appointed by Marpe when the operations post was revived for the first time since the administration of First Selectman Joe Arcudi.

Lynn Scully, the town’s audit manager/senior accountant, will serve as interim operations director, Marpe said in the statement. A permanent replacement for Harris is expected to be made by the next first selectman elected in November, added Marpe, who is stepping down then at the end of his current term.

Harris worked in New York City’s Office of Management and Budget before taking the Westport job. As the town’s operations manager, she “was tasked with coordinating complex projects and issues that require interdepartmental coordination, most notably, the digitization of the land use permitting process to the Accela software,” according to the statement announcing her resignation. She also established annual management reports for the town’s budget and oversaw performance metrics for municipal departments.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was assigned the role of public information officer, managing the town’s public communications, as well as residents’ concerns received by the Selectman’s Office.

She also took on economic development responsibilities, overseeing several projects such as the town’s rebranding and website launch in 2018 and the recent choosewestport.com public/private partnership.

Marpe wished Harris well, saying in the statement that she carried out assignments “without partisanship and remained grounded in her professional values for efficient and transparent operations in government …

“Her role in helping me effectively communicate with our residents during the COVID-19 pandemic and Storm Isaias cannot be overstated.  I am grateful that Westport benefitted from her dedication, analytical skills and work ethic,” the first selectman added.

In the same statement, Harris said, “It is with very mixed emotions that I announce my resignation.

“First Selectman Marpe and his administration have been an inspiration to me, and I will carry that guidance throughout my career,” she said.

“I will also miss the staff and friendships that have developed over the last four to five years, including some of the kindest, intelligent, and generous residents and volunteers I have ever met.”