IT Director Security Clearance

Position: 4327 IT Director with Security Clearance
OVERVIEW:
We are seeking for an experienced and energetic IT Director who thrives in a hands-on leadership role. This position is perfect for someone who enjoys guiding a skilled technical team while rolling up their sleeves to tackle complex Azure and on-premises infrastructure challenges. You'll serve as a key technology leader in a small-business environment where your decisions and expertise have a direct impact.

In this role, you'll oversee all corporate IT functions across both our Commercial and GCC High Azure environments-covering services such as Exchange, SharePoint, Teams, Intune, Defender ATP, and more. You'll also take ownership of our on-premises infrastructure, including Palo Alto firewalls, Arista network equipment, Azure Local and ESXi hypervisors, Azure Virtual Desktop deployments, lab systems, and our Avaya PBX (in partnership with vendor professional services).

Experience with Palo Alto firewalls is essential, as you'll be supporting and guiding our network security posture. Beyond the technical scope, we're looking for someone passionate about building people. You'll lead our incident response, help desk, Tier 3 engineering, and project management functions
-helping our team grow professionally while fostering a strong, supportive, and collaborative culture. This role is ideal for a leader who's equally comfortable mentoring team members, driving complex infrastructure projects, and diving deep into troubleshooting when needed. GENERAL DUTIES:
* Leadership & Team Development
* Lead and mentor the help desk, Tier 3 engineering, incident response, and project management teams to foster a collaborative, growth-oriented culture.
* Provide technical direction, coaching, and career development guidance across all IT functions.
* Champion a proactive, high-ownership support mindset across the team.
* Collaborate closely with the CTO on IT strategy, modernization, and long-term technology vision.
* Cybersecurity & Compliance
* Serve as the primary cybersecurity lead for all corporate IT environments (with support from CTO and other corporate engineering resources).
* Ensure all technical decisions and system changes consider compliance with ISO 20000, ISO 27001, and NIST 800-171/CMMC frameworks.
* Oversee vulnerability management, threat response, and continuous improvement of cybersecurity posture.
* Coordinate incident response activities and ensure documentation, forensics, and after-action reviews are completed.
* Maintain governance and policy updates aligned with regulatory and customer security requirements.
* Cloud & Microsoft 365 Administration
* Own and manage Commercial and GCC High Azure environments, including:
* Azure AD/Entra  
* Exchange
* Share Point  
* Teams
* Intune
* Defender ATP
* Compliance & Security Center
* Lead architecture, deployment, maintenance, and troubleshooting of cloud-based services.
* Drive optimization of Azure cloud resources, licensing, and operational efficiency.
* On-Premises & Virtual Infrastructure
* Manage Azure Local and ESXi hypervisors supporting production, lab, and AVD workloads.
* Architect, deploy, and maintain Windows Virtual Desktop / Azure Virtual Desktop environments.
* Oversee on-premises networking, datacenter infrastructure, and server lifecycle management.
* Coordinate with vendors on Avaya PBX support while owning internal configuration and integration.
* Networking & Firewall Operations
* Oversee Palo Alto firewall configuration, security policies, VPNs, and troubleshooting.
* Maintain secure and resilient network designs for remote and on-site operations.
* Lead network modernization and segmentation initiatives to improve performance and security.
* IT Operations & Service Delivery
* Own Tier 3 escalation processes and serve as the final technical authority for complex issues.
* Oversee patching, configuration management, monitoring, and incident resolution.
* Drive continuous improvement initiatives in uptime, reliability, and service quality.
* Lead planning and execution of enterprise-level infrastructure projects.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

* High school diploma or equivalent (Associate's or Bachelor's nice to have but not required).
* Basic understanding of cybersecurity concepts such as:
* Malware vs. phishing
* Endpoint security
* Authentication/identity
* Ability to learn quickly-curiosity and persistence matter more than technical proficiency.
* Strong communication skills, especially writing clear notes during alert triage.
* Basic familiarity with Azure or Microsoft 365 portals (even free-tier playground experience counts).

* Experience:

* Completion of a cybersecurity bootcamp, junior SOC course, or labs, such as:
* Try Hack Me  SOC Analyst Path
* Microsoft Learn Defender for Endpoint modules
* AZ‑900 or SC‑900 coursework
* Intro to DFIR labs (even free ones)
* Hands‑on lab experience with:
* Microsoft 365 Defender alerts
* Intune device compliance policies
* Entra ‑in logs or Conditional Access
* Simulated phishing…