IT Operations Director

Acadian Companies

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title :

IT Operations Director

Alternate Job Title(s) :

IT Data Center Director

Division / Department :

Information Systems

Status : Salary Exempt

Supervisor Status

Will lead a team of managers for network, telecom, and infrastructure / virtualization with a direct reporting structure to this position.

Performance Appraisal Type

Support

Location : Lafayette, LA

Requirement(s)

Current / valid state-issued driver's license

Access to PHI

Yes, incidental

JOB SUMMARY : We are seeking a strategic IT Operations Director to provide senior leadership over our core technology infrastructure. This role directs the managers and teams responsible for Network, Telecommunications, and Infrastructure (Virtualization, VDI, Servers) services. You will be responsible for setting the multi-year technology strategy, ensuring the 24 / 7 / 365 reliability of our mission-critical, life-safety EMS operations, and fostering a culture of operational excellence. This includes our hybrid data center environment, VMware / VDI platforms, Cisco-based networking, and critical communications systems (Cisco UC, 911, and carrier services).

This senior leadership position is focused on strategy, people, and governance, yet requires the technical depth to act as the final escalation point (approximately 20-30%) for major incidents, critical architecture reviews, and high-level strategy.

REPORTS TO : Sr. IT Director

REPORTS : Network Manager, Infrastructure / Virtualization Manager, and Telecommunications Manager. This role provides indirect leadership to their teams of engineers, administrators, and specialists.

LOCATION : Lafayette, LA. This is a local leadership position with flexibility for a hybrid work model. It requires regular on-site presence for team leadership and data center oversight, and occasional travel may be required.

EQUIPMENT : Basic hand tools, mobile workstation, and stationary workstation

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES : This job description is not intended, nor should it be construed, to be an all-inclusive list of responsibilities, duties, skills, or working conditions associated with the job. It is intended to be a general description of the essential duties and requirements common to positions of this type and may be subject to change. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Provide senior leadership and strategic direction for all IT Operations, including Data Center, Core Infrastructure, Networking, Telecommunications, IT Service Desk, and End-User Computing.
• Act as the single point of accountability for the 24 / 7 / 365 stability, performance, and reliability of all mission-critical, life-safety technology services (e.g., 911, EMS dispatch, UC platforms).
• Develop and execute the multi-year IT Operations roadmap, aligning technology investments, lifecycle management, and hybrid cloud (Azure) strategy with business objectives.
• Develop and manage the entire IT Operations annual budget (CAPEX and OPEX), ensuring fiscal responsibility, accurate forecasting, and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) optimization.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of IT leaders (e.g., Network, Telecommunications, Infrastructure), managing their performance and setting departmental objectives (KPIs / OKRs).
• Define the IT Operations group's organizational structure, managing workforce planning, succession planning, and strategic skills development.
• Foster a high-performance culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement focused on life-safety service excellence.
• Own and govern the ITSM (ITIL) framework for Network, Telecommunications, and Infrastructure by establishing and enforcing all Incident, Problem, Change, Request, and Asset Management policies.
• Act as a senior Incident Commander during catastrophic outages, owning business leader communications and ensuring post-incident reviews drive permanent solutions.
• Participate and lead the IT Change Advisory Board (CAB) to review risk, minimize service impact, and ensure a low change-failure rate.
• Define, enforce, and report on all Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Operational Level Agreements (OLAs) for services delivered to the business.
• Participate with company senior leaders in developing and updating the Disaster Recovery (DR) and Business Continuity (BCP) strategy, ensuring RTO / RPO objectives are defined, tested, and validated.
• Govern all core infrastructure, ensuring robust practices for capacity planning, performance tuning, and data center facilities management (space, power, cooling).
• Partner with the ISO & IT Security Director to implement, enforce, and audit security policies, controls, and hardening standards across the operational environment.
• Own the operational response to security incidents, the vulnerability management program, and timely patching remediation related to the IT Operations teams you lead.
• Ensure all IT operations are compliant with regulatory requirements and lead the operational response for all internal and external audits.
• Own strategic relationships, contract negotiations, and performance management for all key technology partners and carriers (e.g., Cisco, VMWare, Microsoft, AT&T FirstNet, Vesta).
• Lead major RFP, sourcing, and procurement strategies for all operational hardware, software, and services, rigorously enforcing all SLAs.
• Partner with the CAO, IT Directors, and executive leadership to report on performance, manage operational risk, and contribute to overall enterprise strategy.

QUALIFICATIONS :

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS :

INTERPERSONAL REQUIREMENTS :

SUCCESS METRICS (KPIs) :

TRAINING REQUIREMENTS :

We value continuous development and reward employees for achieving these required training milestones. Initial salary increases are tied to these training milestones and approval from supervisors, managers, and directors, with a minimum four-month gap between each raise to ensure fairness and foster steady career growth. The selected candidate will be excluded from annual cost-of-living adjustments until they have successfully completed the following training milestones.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS :

Physical activities and the amount of time spent performing each while on this job :

AMOUNT OF TIME

None

Up to 1 / 3

1 / 3 to 2 / 3

Over 2 / 3

Stand

Walk

Sit

Talk or hear

Use hands to finger, handle or feel

Climb or balance

Stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl

Reach with hands and arms

Taste or smell

Weight lifting requirements and the amount of time spent lifting on this job :

AMOUNT OF TIME

None

Up to 1 / 3

1 / 3 to 2 / 3

Over 2 / 3

Up to 10 pounds

Up to 25 pounds

Up to 50 pounds

Up to 100 pounds

More than 100 pounds

Vision requirements :

Close Vision (clear vision at 20 inches or less)

Distance Vision (Clear vision at 20 feet or more.)

Color Vision (Able to identify and distinguish colors.)

Peripheral Vision (Able to observe areas that can be seen up and down or to the left and right while eyes are fixed on a given point).

Depth Perception (Able to judge distances and spatial relationships.)

Focusing (Able to adjust the eye to bring an object into sharp focus.)

WORK ENVIRONMENT :

Specific situations that lead to environmental conditions can include : hazardous materials, electrical emergencies, vehicular accidents, outdoor emergency settings, hurricanes, tornadoes, industrial accidents, conditions affecting driving, settings where heavy equipment such as extrication tools are in use, etc.

Exposure to environmental conditions and the amount of time exposed to each on this job :

AMOUNT OF TIME

None

Up to 1 / 3

1 / 3 to 2 / 3

Over 2 / 3

Wet, humid conditions (non-weather)

Work near moving mechanical parts

Work in high, precarious places

Fumes or air borne particles

Toxic or caustic chemicals

Outdoor weather conditions

Extreme cold (non-weather)

Extreme heat (non-weather)

Risk of electrical shock

Work with explosives

Risk of radiation

Vibration

Noise level associated with this job :

_X_ Moderate Noise (Ex : business office with typewriters and / or computer printers, light traffic).

___ Loud Noise (Ex : metal can manufacturing, large earth-moving equipment).

___ Very Loud Noise (Ex : jack hammer work, front row at rock concert).