Director, IT Infrastructure and Platform Operations

Cambridge Investment Research, Inc.•Phoenix, AZ

About The Position

The Director, Infrastructure & Platform Operations leads the strategy, engineering, maintenance, security, and operation of Cambridge’s enterprise infrastructure and shared technology platforms. The role is accountable for reliable, secure, scalable, and recoverable cloud and on-premises services, including data center infrastructure, compute, storage, virtualization, network connectivity, end-user computing and service desk services, backup and recovery, observability, platform automation, and infrastructure lifecycle management. The position provides direct and indirect leadership for infrastructure and platform operations associates, contractors, consultants, and managed service providers. It advises senior technology and business leaders on infrastructure risk, investment priorities, service health, and operational readiness; establishes transparent governance for demand, prioritization, lifecycle decisions, changes, exceptions, and service performance; and leads major incidents and executive communications. The director builds cross-functional partnerships, uses data to improve customer experience and operational outcomes, and promotes disciplined change, documentation, knowledge management, cross-training, and succession planning. Cambridge is a financial solutions firm providing business support services to thousands of independent financial advisors. Its services include compliance, technology, and transaction-processing support for advisors and their offices.

Requirements

Significant progressive leadership experience in infrastructure and platform operations, including leadership of managers and multidisciplinary technical teams responsible for business-critical services.
Demonstrated experience establishing service ownership, operational metrics, service-level objectives, monitoring, incident and problem management, capacity planning, lifecycle management, and resilience practices.
Demonstrated experience directing data center operations, infrastructure lifecycle management, preventive maintenance programs, patch and vulnerability management, technology refresh planning, and service continuity practices.
Demonstrated experience managing vendors, contracts, operating and capital budgets, forecasts, and infrastructure investment decisions.
Broad working knowledge of cloud platforms, networks, compute, storage, virtualization, backup and recovery, identity dependencies, automation, observability, and IT service management.
Ability to build roadmaps, business cases, and executive communications connecting technical decisions to business outcomes.
Proven ability to lead through complex incidents, competing priorities, organizational change, and modernization initiatives.
Strong communication, judgment, collaboration, and stakeholder-management skills.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in information technology, engineering, computer science, or business, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
Experience in financial services or another regulated, risk-sensitive environment.
Experience with Azure or comparable enterprise cloud platforms, hybrid-cloud architecture, virtualization, storage technologies, and enterprise infrastructure services.
Working knowledge of DNS, DHCP, load balancing, SD-WAN, VPN, and enterprise networking.
Experience with PowerShell, Python, Terraform, Bicep, Git, or comparable automation and infrastructure-as-code tools.
Experience with Dynatrace, Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, SIEM integration, or comparable enterprise monitoring and telemetry platforms.
Experience with ITIL-aligned processes, ServiceNow or comparable service-management platforms, change management, and problem management.
Experience leading enterprise desktop management and help desk operations, including endpoint provisioning and lifecycle management, patching and software distribution, endpoint security, service request and incident management, knowledge management, service-level performance, and continual improvement of the employee support experience.

Responsibilities

Lead the strategy, engineering, maintenance, security, and operation of enterprise infrastructure and shared technology platforms.
Ensure cloud and on-premises services are reliable, secure, scalable, and recoverable.
Provide direct and indirect leadership for associates, contractors, consultants, and managed service providers, including workforce planning, recruitment, coaching, performance management, succession planning, professional development, resource allocation, and organizational effectiveness.
Advise senior technology and business leaders on infrastructure risk, investment priorities, service health, and operational readiness.
Create governance for demand, prioritization, lifecycle decisions, changes, exceptions, and service performance.
Lead major incidents and executive communications, ensuring clear ownership, facts, decisions, business impact, and follow-through.
Build partnerships across architecture, engineering, application delivery, cybersecurity, service management, finance, procurement, and business teams.
Use data to identify trends, eliminate recurring failures, improve customer experience, and direct investment toward high-value outcomes.
Promote disciplined change, documentation, knowledge management, cross-training, and succession planning to reduce key-person dependency.
Establish service ownership, operational metrics, service-level objectives, monitoring, incident and problem management, capacity planning, lifecycle management, and resilience practices.
Direct data center operations, preventive maintenance, patch and vulnerability management, technology refresh planning, and service continuity practices.
Manage vendors, contracts, operating and capital budgets, forecasts, and infrastructure investment decisions.
Build roadmaps, business cases, and executive communications that connect technical decisions to business outcomes.
Lead through complex incidents, competing priorities, organizational change, and modernization initiatives.
Lead enterprise desktop management and help desk operations, including endpoint provisioning and lifecycle management, patching and software distribution, endpoint security, service requests and incidents, knowledge management, service-level performance, and continual improvement of employee support.