Director IT Operations

The Director of IT Operations is responsible for the analysis, design, planning, implementation, and maintenance of all facets of the Information Technology department, that is, the DevOps and SiteOps teams. The Director IT Operations plans, coordinates, and directs all daily operational activities of these departments and provides direction and solutions that enhance mission-critical operations of the IT department.

The Director IT Operations work closely with the Chief Technology Officer and other key business decision-makers in identifying and implementing cost-effective technology solutions for all aspects of the business. This position provides the strategy, leadership, and day-to-day management of the DevOps and SiteOps departments inclusive of infrastructure, software, hardware, networks, and security. The Director IT Operations has the ultimate responsibility of identifying and designing current and future technical solutions.

Objectives and Responsibilities of the Director IT Operations

Leadership/Supervisory Role: The Director IT Operations first and foremost is a high-level departmental leader who develops and maintains the IT department’s strategic road map, ensuring that information technology capabilities continually support the overall business’s goals and objectives.

The Director IT Operations creates and implements IT policies and procedures that enable strong security and risk-management capabilities. In his leadership position, the Director IT Operations explores new technologies and software as appropriate and in conjunction with the Chief Technology Officer oversees the architecture and implementation of ongoing support of the network, server, and communications infrastructure in order to ensure high performance of the IT department.

The Director IT Operations is in charge of business continuity and disaster recovery within the department as well as the recommendation and implementation of new investments within the technology infrastructure. He assumes responsibility of oversight of the entire network and system infrastructure ensuring proper configuration, implementation, maintenance, and monitoring of security firewalls, sites/software, servers, data and file encryption, and internet connections.

In this capacity, the Director IT Operations also plays a mentorship role to key Information Technology personnel, promoting their professional growth, and readying them for the occupation of his position in the future.

Strategy and IT Infrastructure: The Director IT Operations will also play a strategic role in the IT department where he coordinates the selection, implementation, and upgrade of the business’s software/applications and services. He implements and documents a business recovery strategy for the purpose of resuming operations of system architecture in the event of a disaster.

The Director IT Operations also establish security architecture and implements procedures and controls that ensure that information and data are secure and in compliance with the security and storage regulations of the business. He further leads the process and team members in the analysis, enhancement, and tailoring of current practices and existing systems in order to increase operating efficiencies as well as reduce and cut costs within the business.

The Director IT Operations works to ensure consistency and maintainability of existent infrastructure environments through the creation, maintenance, and enforcement of well documented standards and procedures for the implementation of technical solutions.

He establishes operational and capital budgets in order to address the needs of various areas of the IT department, for example, system infrastructure, security, networks, and databases. He also ensures adherence to overall financial objectives of the business and tracks the annual departmental expenditures and directs the department’s financial needs in conjunction with the financial department.

Collaboration and Support: The role of the Director IT Operations is a collaborative one and, as such, he builds a collaborative culture within the department and partners with various departments within the organization. The Director IT will collaborate with the financial department in deciding the IT department’s financial needs as well as the financial allocation amongst departmental teams.

He also works closely with the Chief Technology Officer in the business technology planning process as well as the analysis of departmental efficiencies and effectiveness. He additionally works closely with the customer support team in gathering consumer feedback and developing insights that will lead to the improvement of IT services.

The Director IT Operations also partners with the human resources department in determining the criteria for hiring and recruitment of the IT department in order to guarantee consistent and high departmental performance.

Analysis: The Director IT Operations plays an analytical role where he constantly assesses the effectiveness of the existing sites, software/applications, data, and processes developed by the department. He analyzes complex business requirements and makes recommendations to the Chief Technology Officer for technical solutions, ensuring that these solutions are aligned with the overall business vision, mission, and direction.

Knowledge: The Director IT Operations plays a lead role in the maintenance of knowledge within the IT department, coordinating the implementation of best practices and the adoption of suitable trends. He also keeps track of licensing on all IT related items.

Other Duties: The Director IT Operations will perform similar duties as he deems appropriate for the proper execution of his duties and duties as assigned by the Chief Technology Officer or the Employer.

Required Qualifications of the Director IT Operations

Education: The Director IT Operations must have a Phd preferred in Computer Science, Information Technology, or any other related field. An equivalent of the same in practical experience is also acceptable for the position.

Experience: A candidate for this position will must have had a minimum of 10 years in working experience in a senior IT position within a fast-paced and constantly evolving environment, preferably working as a Head of DevOps or Head of SiteOps. The candidate must demonstrate successful experience leading a DevOps and SiteOps team in the management of information technology and information systems.

The Director IT Operations will also demonstrate experience with a wide variety of productivity and business software and have a proven track record of creative solution delivery and delivery on business needs. He must demonstrate an intimate understanding of network infrastructure technologies, inclusive of security solutions, for example, anti-SPAM and anti-virus technologies.

He will also demonstrate a deep understanding of telecommunications and have vast experience in disaster recovery planning and implementation as well as data storage solutions. He must have expert knowledge in building and leveraging open source technology.

Communication Skills: The Director IT Operation must have exceptional communication skills both in written and verbal form. This is especially so for his leadership position where he will be required to convey instructions and sensitive information down the line to the DEvOps and SiteOps departments. The clarity of these communications will determine how effectively tasks are executed in the IT department.

The Director IT Operations will also need great communication skills in his collaborative role, similarly determining how effectively collaborative tasks are handled. He will further need exceptional skills in drafting reports for the Chief Technology Officer. These reports have to be clear, concise, convincing, and unambiguous.

Technology/Software: The Director IT Operations must be technologically adept and possess exceptionally good computer skills. He must be highly knowledgeable in enterprise level Cloud technologies and be competent in defect tracking and agile management tools as well as Adobe Suite, HTML, CSS, jQuery, and JavaScript among other tools.

He must also possess a deep understanding of CRM and SalesForce softwares as well as SQ and .Net servers. The candidate will demonstrate an understanding of SQL databases design and have a demonstrated ability to build sites and software on Drupal or SharePoint.

Interpersonal Skills: The Director IT Operations will be an enthusiastic problem solver, have advanced critical and strategic thinking skills, have strong attention to detail, have a strong understanding of business processes and the integration of technological processes, work comfortably with senior business leadership, work comfortably in a collaborative environment, be self-motivated and proactive going beyond the call of duty, and have an ability to stay calm in the face of adversity and uncertainty.

Leadership/People Skills: The candidate must demonstrate exceptionally strong leadership skills, having an ability to influence a cross-functional group towards a unified direction and having an ability to influence senior business leadership. He must also be a people person who inspires trust and confidence in others, enabling them to easily trust in his insights and judgments and readily follow in his directives.

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