Director of IT Infrastructure (NCS) - BCIT

Baltimore City•City of Syracuse, NY

About The Position

The Director, Infrastructure serves as the senior leader responsible for the reliability, security, and performance of Baltimore City’s enterprise technology environment, overseeing data centers, network and cloud infrastructure, Service Desk operations, desktop support, storage, and email services. This role drives the City’s hybrid cloud strategy, ensures 24/7 operational continuity, strengthens cybersecurity in partnership with the CISO, and leads modernization efforts that support agency operations citywide. The Director provides strategic planning, budget oversight, vendor and contract management, and cross‑functional leadership to ensure Baltimore’s technology foundation is resilient, cost‑effective, and aligned with long‑term IT priorities.

Requirements

Have a bachelor’s degree in information technology, Computer Science, or a related discipline preferred.
Relevant certifications are a plus: Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), AWS Solutions Architect, or Microsoft Azure Administrator.
Prior IT experience in a government environment is strongly preferred.
Have an equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
If a degree is unrelated to IT, specialized IT experience is required.
Advanced technical certifications may substitute for up to six months of experience or education, and multiple certifications may receive additional credit.
10+ years of experience in IT Infrastructure management, with a background in Enterprise Architecture, Systems or Network Architecture and Administration, or Data Center Operations and Management.
Deep expertise in enterprise architecture with the ability to evaluate and integrate complex solutions across functional areas.
Strong knowledge of ITIL frameworks, Change Management methodologies, and cybersecurity principles.
Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, drive complex projects, and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.
Experience developing and executing Disaster Recovery plans, including tabletop exercises.
Demonstrated track record leading hybrid cloud infrastructure strategy and implementation (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud) at enterprise scale, including cloud cost governance, FinOps practices, and workload optimization.
Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills—able to communicate effectively at all levels of an organization.
Ability to perform technology gap analysis, identify opportunities, and propose enterprise-level solutions.
Working knowledge of AI technologies, frameworks, and ethical considerations, with the ability to identify opportunities for innovation.
Deep understanding of modern cybersecurity frameworks and practices—including zero trust architecture, network segmentation, endpoint security, and least-privilege access controls—with demonstrated experience partnering with CISO or security functions to drive infrastructure-level security strategy.
Experience managing infrastructure vendor relationships and contracts, including procurement governance, SLA enforcement, renewal pipeline management, and invoice oversight for leases and maintenance agreements.

Responsibilities

Lead all supervisory functions: recruiting, hiring, staffing plans, performance management, training, conflict resolution, and corrective actions.
Represent BCIT to senior leadership, delivering regular updates on infrastructure performance, key projects, and issue resolution.
Build a culture of collaboration and shared accountability—no finger-pointing, just problem-solving.
Ensure 24/7 reliability through system monitoring, backups, performance tuning, patching, and OS upgrades across all platforms.
Manage internet and network infrastructure, including firewall administration and around-the-clock connectivity support.
Direct Service Desk and desktop support to achieve high first-call resolution rates and effective ticket escalation.
Administer on-call schedules and participate in rotation as needed.
Partner with the CISO and security teams to align infrastructure operations with the City’s cybersecurity strategy, ensuring network, endpoint, and data center environments meet current standards and compliance requirements.
Drive improvement of securing the infrastructure—including network segmentation, least-privilege access controls, and multi-factor authentication—to reduce the City’s attack surface and limit the impact of any security incident.
Lead infrastructure-level preparedness for cyber threats, including ransomware response planning, regular tabletop exercises, and ensuring backup and recovery systems are isolated, tested, and ready to execute.
Develop infrastructure roadmaps and strategies aligned with agency needs and the City’s long-term technology vision.
Own the City’s hybrid cloud infrastructure strategy—defining standards for workload placement, managing cloud provider relationships, and ensuring on-premise and cloud environments are integrated, secure, and cost-effective.
Drive cloud cost optimization across the infrastructure portfolio, establishing governance around cloud spend, rightsizing resources, and identifying opportunities to consolidate or migrate workloads to reduce total cost of ownership.
Contribute to annual operating and capital budget planning; manage assigned budget with full accountability.
Participate in enterprise-wide strategic planning and multi-agency IT initiatives.
Monitor emerging technology trends and integrate best practices to continuously advance BCIT’s capabilities.
Cultivate vendor relationships to maximize value from partner products and services.
Review citywide technology purchase requests to ensure compliance with BCIT standards and IT strategy.
Manage hardware and software procurement within budget, with proper justification and approval documentation.
Oversee infrastructure contracts: enforce terms, prevent unintended auto-renewals, and approve monthly invoices for leases, maintenance, and services.
Develop and maintain Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that set clear performance expectations for end users.
Partner with development teams and user groups to design effective IT architecture and drive timely issue resolution.
Maintain accurate, up-to-date asset inventory for all BCIT technology assets.