Position SummaryThe Director of IT Operations is a business partner and thought leader who ensures KSM's technology services are reliable, scalable, and consistent across a complex, multi-office, hybrid environment. This leader sets the operational vision and standards for how IT delivers services, builds trust-based relationships with business leaders, and creates transparency, clarity, and momentum through calm, steady execution.
The Director leads core IT Operations functions including infrastructure, end-user services, service management, and vendor performance. This role works closely with the Product, Security and Innovation groups to ensure operational practices support strong risk management, resilience, and responsible modernization.
Responsibilities- Serve as a trusted business partner to firm leadership by translating business priorities into clear operational roadmaps, service outcomes, and tradeoffs.
- Provide thought leadership for IT Operations by defining and evolving service standards, operating principles, and governance that improve consistency and reduce friction across the firm.
- Lead and manage the IT Operations team, coach leaders, develop talent, and build a one-team culture.
- Establish and run an effective IT service management operating rhythm including service reviews, incident management, problem management, change management, performance reporting, and continual improvement.
- Drive measurable improvements in service reliability and user experience through clear ownership, root-cause discipline, and standardization across offices.
- Oversee the IT operations budget, working closely with the CTO to plan, forecast, optimize spend, and report on financial metrics and vendor performance.
- Manage infrastructure investments and endpoint inventory and refresh cycles; ensure lifecycle planning is standardized and predictable.
- Ensure the availability and scalability of the firm's IT cloud/infrastructure across multiple offices; proactively manage risk and capacity.
- Lead cross-functional operational initiatives by aligning stakeholders, clarifying ownership, and removing blockers; deliver predictably with a calm, partnership-first approach.
- Lead M&A IT due diligence and integration processes, including Day-0 readiness planning, stabilization, and operational handoff into steady-state support.
- Develop and maintain business continuity plans, including disaster recovery; collaborate on incident response; plan and execute tabletop exercises and drive follow-up improvements.
- Oversee the planning and execution of IT projects that transition into operations, ensuring they are delivered on time, within budget, and supportable long term.
- Plan and execute the IT aspects of office moves, ensuring seamless setup and operation.
- Foster a culture of service excellence and strong communication; set expectations early, avoid surprises, and maintain high trust with stakeholders.
- Work closely with the Security group to ensure operational practices support security controls, monitoring, and compliance needs.
- Work closely with the Innovation group to operationalize new capabilities responsibly by scaling what works and retiring what doesn't.
Requirements/Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
- 10+ years of experience as an IT infrastructure architect or engineer.
- 10+ years in an IT Operations leadership role, including leading managers and building high-performing teams.
- Demonstrated strength as a business partner with the ability to build relationships with senior stakeholders, influence decisions, and translate technical complexity into business options and outcomes.
- Proven ability to establish and run effective service management practices, including incident management, problem management, change management, service ownership, metrics, and continuous improvement.
- ITIL certification preferred (Foundation at minimum; higher levels a plus).
- Extensive experience leading IT due diligence and integration for M&A.
- Proven track record in business continuity planning, disaster recovery, and incident response.
- Experience managing multi-office IT infrastructure in a hybrid work environment.
- Strong financial discipline including budget ownership, forecasting, vendor management, and cost optimization.
- Excellent project management skills with experience managing large-scale IT initiatives and operational transitions.
- Exceptional leadership, communication, and organizational skills with a calm, steady approach to execution.
- Experience with Jira and other project management tools is a plus.
