Director Enterprise IT Operations & Services

College of American Pathologists•Northfield, IL

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director, Enterprise IT Operations & Services (Director herein) is responsible for the leadership, delivery, and continuous improvement of enterprise IT operational services across infrastructure, cloud, application and platform operations, shared services, end-user services, and IT service management. This role owns both service-level strategy and day-to-day execution, ensuring IT services are reliable, scalable, and aligned with established enterprise standards and business priorities. The Director leads operational teams and managed service partners, develops service roadmaps and improvement plans, and translates enterprise direction into effective operational outcomes. In partnership with the Senior Director, Enterprise IT Operations & Enablement, the Director contributes operational insight and execution leadership while maintaining clear accountability for service performance and delivery. The Director is accountable for: End-to-end ownership of enterprise IT operational service delivery and performance Definition and execution of service strategies and operational roadmaps for owned services Leadership of managers and teams responsible for: Infrastructure and cloud operations Application and platform operations Shared services and middleware End-user services and digital workplace IT Service Management (incident, problem, change, request) Operational oversight of managed service providers and vendors Service stability, availability, and operational readiness The Director owns service-level strategy and operational execution. Enterprise-wide enablement, governance frameworks, and long-term operating model evolution are owned by the Senior Director. In this role, the Director serves as a member of the Information Services (IS) leadership team, which is responsible for the operational, strategic, and fiscal leadership of the IS division. The IS division enables business competitiveness, operational effectiveness, and innovation through the effective use of information and the delivery of technology capabilities, services, and solutions. The Director models the behavioral and performance attributes that guide CAP employees, including the CAP Leadership Values of Partnership, Respect, Accountability, Communication, and Excellence. The Director demonstrates a sustained commitment to the CAP’s mission, vision, and values; aligns departmental activities with IS strategy; engages effectively with CAP stakeholders; builds consensus across teams; and ensures the consistent, timely delivery of high-quality services.

Requirements

Demonstrated ability to model strong leadership behaviors and develop leadership capability in self and others.
Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively across all levels of the organization.
Proven ability to translate complex technical and operational topics into clear, actionable business terms.
Demonstrated capability to produce clear, concise written communications and presentations.
Ability to inform, advise, and educate stakeholders on IT capabilities, service performance, priorities, and plans.
Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and consistent follow-through.
Strong business acumen, including understanding of organizational objectives, core business processes, and performance metrics.
Experience operating within governance frameworks and contributing to effective decision-making and prioritization.
Proven people leadership in complex, matrixed environments, including hiring, developing, and leading managers and teams.
Demonstrated ability to build inclusive, high-performing teams and manage multiple priorities effectively.
Strong financial management skills, including budget ownership, forecasting, and cost management for operational services.
Proven experience leading vendor and managed service relationships, including performance management, escalation, and continuous improvement.
Ability to balance service quality, cost, risk, and stakeholder expectations in operational decision-making.
Leadership-level understanding of enterprise IT technologies and platforms, with the ability to apply sound technical judgment at the service level.
Demonstrated ability to lead internal teams and external providers to deliver reliable, secure, and high-quality IT services.
Solid understanding of enterprise IT operations, including infrastructure, cloud, applications and platform operations, end-user services, and IT service management.
Experience operating in hybrid environments and overseeing service transitions and continuous improvement initiatives.
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in computer science/business administration or related field; equivalent work experience will be considered
Approximately 7 years of substantive experience in IS management and technical roles
Approximately 7 years of substantive experience in people and team management roles
Approximately 5 years of substantive experience in managing data center, cloud, and other Infrastructure technologies
Experience managing within a 24 X 7 X 365 operational environment
Experience with, or substantive exposure to, general management roles related to strategy, including strategic planning and financial management (especially of technology and technology investments)

Responsibilities

Coordinate and integrate operational services with other IS departments to ensure consistent execution and clear ownership.
Contribute operational insight and recommendations to IS leadership to inform technology direction and prioritization.
Develop, maintain, and report on service performance metrics related to availability, reliability, service levels, and experience.
Support CAP-wide initiatives and leadership priorities in consultation with senior leadership.
Partner closely with the Senior Director, Enterprise IT Operations & Enablement to execute enterprise service standards and priorities.
Participate as a member of the IS leadership team.
Define and maintain service-level strategies and roadmaps aligned with enterprise priorities and architectural direction.
Translate enterprise IT direction into operational plans, service improvements, and execution priorities.
Own service lifecycle planning, including onboarding, scaling, modernization, stabilization, and retirement of services.
Identify operational risks, capacity constraints, and technical dependencies; develop mitigation and improvement plans.
Provide operational input to investment planning, sequencing, and prioritization decisions.
Champion standardization, automation, and operational improvements that enhance reliability, efficiency, and scalability.
Own daily execution of enterprise IT services and ITSM processes.
Lead response to major incidents, outages, and escalations; ensure timely resolution and effective communication.
Manage service performance against SLAs, SLOs, and operational targets.
Ensure services are production-ready and transitioned effectively into operations.
Coordinate operational schedules, maintenance windows, and service changes.
Serve as the primary operational escalation point for business stakeholders.
Hire, lead, develop, and evaluate managers and teams across infrastructure, application operations, end-user services, and ITSM.
Establish clear performance expectations, priorities, and accountability for operational teams.
Align team structure, skills, and capacity to service roadmaps and delivery needs.
Drive a culture of ownership, reliability, continuous improvement, and customer focus.
Foster an inclusive, equitable, and high-performance work environment aligned with CAP leadership values.
Manage operational vendor strategy and day-to-day performance of managed service providers.
Ensure vendors execute services in accordance with contractual and operational expectations.
Identify vendor performance gaps and drive corrective actions; escalate strategic issues as appropriate.
Support vendor onboarding, transitions, and operational changes.
Partner with sourcing and senior leadership on service delivery optimization efforts.
Own the operational lifecycle of infrastructure, applications, platforms, and end-user services.
Ensures the effective execution of upgrades, maintenance, patching, and end-of-life activities.
Ensure monitoring, automation, tooling, and operational telemetry are effective.
Partner with architecture, security, and delivery teams to ensure services are operable, supportable, and resilient.
Develop and manage operational budgets and forecasts for owned services.
Align service demand, capacity planning, and resource allocation with operational priorities.
Track service costs and support cost-optimization and value-realization initiatives.
Own departmental goals and objectives aligned with service roadmaps.
Performs other duties as assigned.