Associate Director of IT Operations & Infrastructure

Pitzer College • Claremont, CA

7d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director of IT Operations & Infrastructure provides leadership and oversight of the College’s core technology operations, including infrastructure, systems, identity services, and operational reliability. This role is responsible for ensuring that the College’s technology environment is stable, secure, and well-managed, supporting the day-to-day needs of faculty, staff, and students while enabling long-term sustainability and growth. Reporting to the Executive Director of IT, the Associate Director serves as a senior leader and trusted advisor, contributing to operational strategy, institutional risk management, and cross-functional coordination. This position plays a key role in translating technical complexity into clear operational direction and ensuring that technology services are delivered consistently and effectively. A core expectation of this role is to lead and further develop a high-functioning team, establishing clear ownership across infrastructure and systems operations, reducing reliance on any single individual, and creating processes that support scalability, reliability, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Demonstrated experience managing complex IT environments, including infrastructure, identity and access management, enterprise platforms, and cloud services.
• Experience leading operational teams in a service-oriented environment, including responsibility for system reliability, incident response, and service continuity, preferably within higher education or similarly complex organizations.
• Strong leadership and management skills, with the ability to direct technical teams, set priorities, and ensure consistent delivery of infrastructure and operational services.
• Demonstrated ability to establish clear ownership, accountability, and operational discipline across a team supporting enterprise systems and services.
• Ability to translate complex technical systems, risks, and dependencies into clear, actionable information for leadership and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of enterprise IT infrastructure, including hybrid infrastructure, cloud platforms, identity and access management, networking, and systems administration.
• Experience developing and implementing operational processes, including change management, system lifecycle management, service documentation, and platform governance.
• Ability to lead incident response and problem resolution efforts, including coordination of technical teams, communication with stakeholders, and follow-through on remediation and prevention.
• Strong analytical and decision-making skills, with the ability to assess risk, prioritize effectively, and make informed decisions across infrastructure, security, and service delivery.
• Demonstrated ability to balance strategic planning with operational execution in a dynamic environment.
• Ability to cultivate collaboration, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement across a team, including the development of sustainable practices that support consistency and resilience.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with technical staff, leadership, and campus stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of enterprise technology domains such as Microsoft 365 and Azure administration, identity lifecycle management, infrastructure operations, and security practices, with the ability to oversee and guide technical implementation.
• Commitment to maintaining an inclusive, accessible, and equitable technology environment that supports the College’s mission and core values.
• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in IT infrastructure, systems administration, or enterprise technology operations, including oversight of hybrid environments spanning cloud and on-premises systems.
• Minimum of three (3) years of experience in a supervisory or leadership role overseeing technical staff and ensuring consistent and reliable delivery of IT services.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership oversight of day-to-day IT operations across infrastructure, systems administration, and identity services.
• Ensure the stability, availability, and performance of core technology platforms, including servers, storage, networking, cloud, and directory services.
• Establish and monitor operational standards for system monitoring, patching, maintenance, and lifecycle management.
• Define and track key performance indicators related to system health, service availability, and overall operational effectiveness.
• Supervise and support infrastructure and systems staff.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and service ownership across the team.
• Provide coaching, prioritization, and performance management to ensure consistent delivery of high-quality services.
• Promote collaboration, knowledge sharing, and cross-functional support both within the team and with The Claremont Colleges Consortium.
• Oversee administration of enterprise infrastructure platforms, including on-premises and cloud-based systems.
• Ensure effective execution of system updates, patching, backup, and disaster recovery activities.
• Provide direction on infrastructure architecture and modernization in coordination with technical staff.
• Ensure systems are maintained in alignment with institutional standards, regulatory compliance, and best practices.
• Provide oversight and coordination for identity lifecycle operation and automation initiatives.
• Ensure reliability, security, and consistency of account provisioning, directory services, and system integrations.
• Support the adoption of automation to improve operational efficiency and consistency.
• Ensure infrastructure and systems operation align with institutional security standards.
• Partner with security and risk functions to support monitoring, incident response, and risk mitigation.
• Ensure operational readiness for system disruptions and recovery scenarios.
• Lead response efforts for major incidents impacting infrastructure and core services.
• Ensure timely escalation, communication, and resolution of operational issues.
• Oversee root cause analysis and implementation of preventative improvement.
• Establish and maintain operational processes, including change management, system lifecycle management, and service documentation.
• Ensure documentation is current, accessible, and aligned with operational practices.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reliability, and service delivery.
• Serve as a key advisor to the Executive Director of IT on infrastructure strategy and operational priorities.
• Translate technical issues and risks into clear, actionable insights for leadership.
• Contribute to planning, budgeting, and long-term technology strategy.

Benefits

• competitive compensation
• health, dental, and vision insurance
• retirement savings plans
• generous paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick time, parental leave, bereavement, etc.)
• tuition reimbursement
• tuition exchange program participation

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager