The Director of Infrastructure & Operations owns the network, identity, compute, and database platforms that run Jeppesen ForeFlight, and leads the teams behind them. Reporting to the Head of IT & Business Operations, this leader inherits initiatives already in flight and is accountable for landing them.
We need a hands-on leader who sets direction, holds teams and vendors to measurable outcomes, and keeps infrastructure reliable while it is being rebuilt. You will lead four teams (Network Infrastructure, Compute including Citrix/Remote Compute Services, Database, and Identity) spread across Denver, Austin, Gdańsk, Germany, and India. The Principal IT Security Architect also reports to this role. The ideal candidate will be hyrbid out of Austin, TX or Denver, CO.
Key Responsibilities:Leadership and Team:- Lead network, identity, compute, and database teams across the US, Poland, Germany, and India
- Hire into open network, compute, and identity roles, and build Poland-based engineers into full owners of I&O services
- Set team structure, career paths, and on-call coverage that hold up across time zones
Network:- Own the WAN, LAN, remote access, and cloud network edge, including the Prisma SD-WAN and Prisma Access platform
- Run circuit, carrier, and site connectivity across all regional offices, and plan network builds for new and moving sites
Identity and Access:- Own workforce identity end to end: Okta, Entra ID, and Active Directory, SSO, MFA, and directory services
- Drive the full joiner/mover/leaver lifecycle with HR, Facilities, and application owners
- Define where IT holds privileged access and govern it with least privilege and periodic review
Operations and Service Management:- Partner on Jira Service Management as the single front door for IT, with request types and SLAs designed around the people using them
- Agree and report on SLAs with the business units I&O supports, including production operations in Europe
CMDB and Automation:- Own the CMDB as the system of record for infrastructure assets, owners, dependencies, and patch status, fed by automated discovery across on-prem and AWS
- Keep it accurate enough that Security, Finance, and auditors use it directly for asset inventory, cost forecasts, and decommission planning
- Own the IT self-service portal and Slack IT Assistant, and grow what they resolve without a ticket: access, accounts, passwords, distribution lists, and VM actions
- Automate request routing, approvals, and SLA escalation in Jira Service Management
- Run automation as a product: roadmap, documentation, usage metrics, and more than one maintainer
Security Partnership:- Partner with the CISO on vulnerability remediation, patch latency on internet-facing systems, and incident response
- Partner with security on operational excellence in network, endpoint management, and messaging systems; security architecture for these areas is owned through the Principal IT Security Architect
Vendors and Budget:- Own the I&O budget, renewals, and forecasts, and present the FY27 plan
- Manage managed-service, consulting, and contractor partners against defined deliverables
Key Partners and Platforms:- Partner with the CISO and Security; Engineering, Cloud Ops, and DevOps; End User Services; Business Applications; Finance and Procurement; HR and Facilities; and Global Data Management
- Platforms owned: Prisma, GlobalProtect, Okta, Entra ID and Active Directory, VMware, and Citrix
Basic Qualifications:- 12+ years in infrastructure and operations, including 5+ years leading managers and multi-discipline engineering teams
- Led a distributed team across US and European time zones, including building or transitioning capability to a new location
- Deep workforce identity experience: Okta and Entra ID/Active Directory, SSO (SAML/OIDC), MFA, SCIM provisioning, and a completed identity consolidation
- Built or fixed an automated joiner/mover/leaver process integrated with an HRIS
- Ran hybrid infrastructure: VMware, enterprise hardware, VDI, and AWS
- Ran ITSM processes end to end: incident, problem, change, request, and SLAs
- Built or rebuilt a CMDB with automated discovery and kept it accurate enough to drive patching, audit, and cost decisions
- Delivered IT automation that measurably cut ticket volume: self-service portals, chat-based assistants, or ITSM workflow automation
- Worked hand in hand with a security organization on patching, vulnerability remediation, and incident response
- Communicates clearly with executives and turns ambiguous ownership into written agreements
Preferred Qualifications:- Worked in aviation or another regulated industry with GDPR, ISO 27001, or CMMC obligations
- Scripting and automation in Python, PowerShell, or Ansible; built or ran a Slack or Teams bot for IT requests
- Jira Service Management experience, including Assets and Automation, and a ServiceNow-to-JSM migration
- Discovery and inventory tooling such as Flexera
- Certifications such as PCNSE, CCNP, Okta Certified Professional, AWS Solutions Architect, or ITIL
- Pilot or aviation enthusiast
Pay is based upon candidate experience and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations: Summary Pay Range: $171,000-$210,000 USD.
