Director, IT Operations

Job Description

The Director of IT Operations leads the strategy, execution, and continuous improvement of the organization’s IT infrastructure and support services, including the IT Service Desk, End User Computing, and Voice/Video Telecommunication functions. This role ensures the reliability, security, and scalability of all technology systems that support editorial newsroom operations and corporate business functions.

• Lead all IT Operations teams – Technical Support Specialists, IT Service Desk, Infrastructure, Networking, Voice/Video Telecommunications, and End-User Computing support – ensuring high availability and performance of systems critical to newsroom and business operations; develop, staff, and maintain the after‑hours on‑call schedule (nights and weekends).
• Drive IT Operational strategy by defining and executing the roadmap for IT operations, infrastructure, and end-to-end user computing, aligning with organizational goals and digital publishing initiatives; identify, evaluate, and recommend new processes, technologies, and systems to improve resource utilization.
• Ensure stability, performance, and security of enterprise systems, including editorial platforms, CMS, ad tech systems, and corporate applications.
• Oversee enterprise incident, problem, and change management processes, serving as the senior point of escalation for major outages and critical business disruptions.
• Manage and optimize relationships with external vendors, service providers, offshore support organizations, and technology partners, including contract and service level management negotiations, invoice review, coding, and cost control.
• Establish and maintain IT operational policies, procedures, SOPs, and standards; maintain the IT Service Catalog, knowledge base, and CMDB accuracy.
• Provide strategic oversight of 24/7 production operations, setting standards for P1/P2 incident handling, defining escalation and on‑call models, and ensuring major incidents are resolved consistently against agreed SLAs.
• Drive enterprise-wide asset and configuration management strategy across infrastructure, endpoints, applications, and cloud services, ensuring the CMDB, license posture, and configuration baselines remain accurate, governed, and audit-ready.
• Lead IT infrastructure planning, including system upgrades, capacity planning, and technology lifecycle management.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory, legal, and security requirements, including data protection standards and industry frameworks such as PCI‑DSS, CCPA, CPRA, and PII.
• Develop and maintain disaster recovery and business continuity plans to support uninterrupted newsroom, publishing, and production operations.
• Partner cross-functionally with Editorial, Product, Advertising, Finance, and Operations teams to deliver scalable and innovative technology solutions.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, including process automation, cost optimization, and service delivery enhancements.
• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing IT Operations team, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and service excellence; conduct staff performance evaluations and support recruiting and hiring efforts.

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field and 10+ years of progressive IT experience, or 12+ years of progressive IT experience.
• 5+ years in a leadership role overseeing IT Operations, Infrastructure, or Service Delivery, including direct supervision of a team of 3 or more employees.
• Experience supporting 24/7 operational environments, preferably within media, publishing, or similarly fast-paced industries.
• Strong knowledge of IT infrastructure, including networks, servers, cloud environments, end-user computing, mobile devices, and enterprise applications.
• Operational knowledge of release management, change control, help desk operations, CMDB, call management systems, patch/update/vulnerability management, MS WinOS and Apple macOS deployment tools.
• Technical understanding of desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, VoIP telephony, IVR, multifunction printers, networking, servers, and office automation…