Overview
We are seeking a hands-on Director of IT Operations to lead the modernization and transformation of our IT Operations function. This role is responsible for stabilizing, scaling, and maturing day-to-day IT services while introducing best-practice frameworks, processes, and tooling that align with business needs.
The ideal candidate has successfully transformed an IT Operations organization before-moving from reactive support to a proactive, service-oriented model-without unnecessary enterprise bloat.
Key Responsibilities
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IT Operations Leadership
- Lead and evolve the IT Operations team, including service desk, infrastructure, networking, and endpoint support.
- Establish clear operational ownership, escalation paths, and service accountability.
- Drive a culture of reliability, continuous improvement, and customer-focused IT service delivery.
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Operational Transformation
- Assess current IT operations maturity and design a roadmap to modernize people, processes, and technology.
- Implement ITIL-aligned practices (incident, problem, change, asset, and knowledge management) pragmatically and right-sized for the organization.
- Transition the organization from informal processes to structured, measurable, and repeatable operations.
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ITSM Implementation
- Lead the selection, implementation, and adoption of a new ITSM platform (e.g., Freshworks or similar).
- Define service catalogs, SLAs, workflows, reporting, and automation aligned to business priorities.
- Ensure strong change management and end-user adoption of new tools and processes.
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Technology & Infrastructure Oversight
- Own operations across a Microsoft 365 environment, including identity, collaboration, and endpoint management.
- Oversee Cisco-based networking infrastructure (LAN/WAN/Wi-Fi) with a focus on availability and performance.
- Partner with security stakeholders to support monitoring, response, and operational use of Microsoft Sentinel.
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Security & Risk Support
- Ensure operational security best practices are embedded into IT processes.
- Support monitoring, incident response coordination, and compliance efforts in partnership with security leadership.
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Vendor & Budget Management
- Manage vendor relationships, contracts, and service providers.
- Build and manage the IT Operations budget with a focus on cost efficiency and value delivery.
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Metrics & Reporting
- Define and track KPIs such as uptime, ticket trends, SLAs, customer satisfaction, and operational performance.
- Communicate operational health and improvement progress to executives and stakeholders.
Required Qualifications
- Proven experience transforming an IT Operations organization, including people, processes, and tooling.
- 8-12+ years of progressive IT experience, including leadership of IT Operations or Infrastructure teams.
- Strong experience in a Microsoft 365-centric environment.
- Hands-on experience supporting Cisco networking (routing, switching, wireless).
- Familiarity with SIEM and security operations tools, particularly Microsoft Sentinel, from an operational perspective.
- Direct experience implementing or significantly improving an ITSM platform (Freshworks, Jira Service Management, etc.).
- Strong understanding of ITIL frameworks with a practical, non-dogmatic approach.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
Pay Rate: $80 - $120/hr
About Korn Ferry
Korn Ferry unleashes potential in people, teams, and organizations. We work with our clients to design optimal organization structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people and advise them on how to reward and motivate their workforce while developing professionals as they navigate and advance their careers. To learn more, please visit Korn Ferry at www.Kornferry.com
