IT Operations Manager

Position Overview: We are seeking a strategic, hands-on IT Infrastructure & Operations Manager to lead the foundational technology functions that power our business. This individual will be responsible for managing a team of Network Engineers, Microsoft 365 Administrators, and the service desk and service desk professionals who collectively support the systems, networks, and end-user environments across all locations.

The ideal candidate will bring a strong mix of operational discipline, leadership maturity, and execution ability. They will personally drive a wide range of IT projects, including infrastructure modernization, system upgrades, and security improvements, while also ensuring that our internal users receive excellent support.

The successful candidate must be an experienced people leader who thrives in a fast-paced, multi-site environment and can seamlessly balance daily execution with long-term strategic planning. They must be comfortable working at both the tactical and strategic levels.

This is a highly visible role with a direct impact on business continuity, security posture, user satisfaction, and technology enablement across the organization.

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead and mentor a team of Network Engineers, Microsoft 365 Administrators, and service desk professionals.
• Develop team performance through coaching, 1:1s, goal setting, and accountability.
• Manage a geographically distributed team, fostering collaboration and communication across sites.
• Promote a culture of ownership, service, and continuous improvement.

Infrastructure, Security & Operations Oversight

• Ensure reliability, availability, and scalability of IT infrastructure across all facilities and cloud environments.
• Oversee network, server, storage, endpoint, and backup/recovery systems.
• Coordinate with security vendors and internal teams to implement and maintain cybersecurity tools (e.g., EDR, MFA, DLP).
• Own incident response procedures and support business continuity planning and disaster recovery testing.
• Support patch management, vulnerability remediation, and identity/access management protocols.

Service Desk & End User Support

• Manage daily operations of the IT service desk to ensure efficient, high-quality user support.
• Monitor service desk KPIs such as response time, ticket backlog, and resolution rate.
• Analyze incident trends to identify root causes and implement systemic fixes.
• Oversee documentation, user training materials, and self-service resources.
  

Project Management

• Personally lead IT projects including infrastructure refreshes, software upgrades, and system migrations.
• Create project scopes, budgets, timelines, and communication plans.
• Manage stakeholder engagement, risk, and resource coordination.
• Deliver projects on time, within budget, and in alignment with organizational goals.
  

Vendor & Budget Management

• Manage vendor relationships for infrastructure, service desk, and security technologies.
• Coordinate purchasing, licensing, renewals, and vendor evaluations.
• Support the CIO in annual IT budget planning and identify opportunities for cost optimization.
  

Governance & Business Partnership

• Enforce IT change management, documentation, and operational procedures.
• Serve as an escalation point for major incidents and unresolved technical issues.
• Partner with Finance, Operations, and other departments to align IT support and initiatives with business needs.
• Maintain compliance with IT security policies, audits, and regulatory requirements.
  

Soft Skills

• Strong problem-solving and analytical ability
• Clear and effective verbal and written communication
• Ability to manage time, priorities, and multiple workstreams
• Independent and team-oriented working style
• Customer-first mindset and service orientation
  

Other duties as assigned.

• Perform other related duties assigned in support of IT and business objectives.
  

Key Success Metrics

• Service desk response and resolution times consistently meet or exceed SLAs
• IT projects delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with business goals
• Infrastructure uptime maintained at or above 99.9%
• Security vulnerabilities remediated within defined timelines
• Positive user satisfaction feedback and reduced ticket recurrence
• Effective cross-functional collaboration with Finance, Ops, and other stakeholders

Required Education & Experience

• 7+ years of progressive IT infrastructure experience, including 3+ years in a team leadership role.
• Proven success managing remote technical teams and cross-functional projects.
• Strong knowledge of infrastructure platforms (servers, networking, O365, AD, Azure, endpoint management).
• Working understanding of cybersecurity practices, tools, and response protocols.
• Experience with ITSM platforms (Freshservice, ServiceNow, Jira) and project management tools.
• Excellent communication, prioritization, and stakeholder engagement skills.
  

Preferred

• Experience with ERP systems (e.g., Infor, Oracle, SAP) and implementation cycles.
• Familiarity with NIST, CIS, or other security frameworks.
• Certifications such as PMP, ITIL, CISSP, or Microsoft Azure Administrator.
• Background in distribution, logistics, or manufacturing environments is a plus.
  

Work Environment

• Full-time, on-site position based at our corporate headquarters in Somerset, PA.
• Occasional overnight travel may be required, up to one week at a time.
• On-call availability may be required, including evenings, weekends, and holidays.
• Mobile phone available to support business and on-call responsibilities.